Comment on the Behaviour of the "Left Communists"

V. I. Lenin

COMMENT ON
THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE "LEFT COMMUNISTS"

Written in the second half
of March 1918

First published in 1929
in Lenin Miscellany XI

Published according to
the manuscript

From V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, 4th English Edition,
Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1965

Vol. 27, p. 202.

Translated from the Russian
by Clemens Dutt
Edited by Robert Daglish

Prepared © for the Internet by David J. Romagnolo, [email protected] (September 1999)

page 202

COMMENT
ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE "LEFT COMMUNISTS"

Since the conclusion of the Brest peace, some comrades who call themselves "Left Communists" have formed an "Opposition" in the Party, and in consequence of this their activity is slipping further and further towards a completely disloyal and impermissible violation of Party discipline.

Comrade Bukharin has refused to accept the post of member of the C.C. to which he was appointed by the Party Congress.

Comrades Smirnov, Obolensky and Yakovleva have resigned from their posts as People's Commissars and as business manager of the Supreme Economic Council.

These are absolutely disloyal, uncomradely actions that violate Party discipline, and such behaviour was and remains a step towards a split on the part of the above-mentioned comrades. . . . *

* Here the manuscript breaks off. --Ed.

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V. I. Lenin

COMMENT ONTHE BEHAVIOUR OF THE "LEFT COMMUNISTS"

COMMENT ON
THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE "LEFT COMMUNISTS"