LENIN ON ORGANIZATION
wide sections of the “untaught,” unskilled workers.
It is in connection with the “striker” in fact that
the difference between the revolutionary endeavor
of the Social Democrats to gain the leadership of
every strike and the opportunist phraseology which
would declare every striker a member of the Party
became most apparent. We are a class Party to
the extent to which we, as Social Democrats, do in
fact lead the whole, or nearly the whole, of the
proletarian class, but only an Akimov would draw
the conclusion from this that should in word identify
 the Party with the class.
“I am not afraid of a conspiratorial organization,”
said Comrade Martov in that same speech—but
added, “for me a conspiratorial organization has
meaning only in so far as it is enveloped by a wide
Social Democratic Labor Party.” To be exact, he
should have said: in so far as it is enveloped by a
wide Social Democratic labor movement. In such
a form the assertion of Comrade Martov would
not only have been indisputable—it would have
been a truism. I dwell on this point only because
from the truism of Comrade Martov succeeding
orators draw the very facile and vulgar conclusion
that Lenin wants “to limit the number of Party
members to the number of conspirators.” This,
truly ridiculous conclusion was drawn by Comrade
Posadovsky and Comrade Popov, and when it was
seized upon by Martynov and Akimov its true character
 as an opportunist phrase became obvious.
This same conclusion is being developed in the new

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