LENIN ON ORGANIZATION 
What was Lenin’s attitude at that time,—finding 
himself in one Party side by side with the Menshe- 
viks,—towards the principles of democratic central- 
ism, Party discipline and Party unity? Of course, 
he insisted on the freedom of factional conflict; he 
demanded freedom of discussion, and criticism of 
the Central Committee. At that time he most 
Snergetically championed the rights of the local 
Organizations against the Menshevik Central Com- 
mittee. At the same time, however, he recognized 
as Immutable—except for some slight reservation—- 
the Principles of democratic centralism and strict 
Party discipline. In an article entitled “The Fight 
Against the Pro-Cadet Social Democrats and Party 
Discipline,” he wrote: 
“We have more than once, on principle, defined 
our views on the significance of discipline and the 
Conception of discipline in the ranks of the Labor 
Party. we defined it as: unity of action, freedom 
of discussion and criticism. Only such a form of 
discipline ig worthy of a democratic Party of the 
Progressive class. The strength of the working 
class is organization. Without organization the 
mass of the proletariat is nothing. Organized, it 
is all, Organization ig unity of action, but of 
course, all action ig useful only because and to the 
extent that it advances and does not retreat, to the 
extent that it intellectually combines the proletariat 
and lifts it up and does not degrade and weaken it. 
Organization without ideas is an absurdity which 
In practice converts the workers into miserable 
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