V. I. Lenin

WHAT THE
"FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE" ARE
AND HOW THEY FIGHT
THE SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS

    (A Reply to Articles in Russkoye Bogatstvo Opposing the Marxists)



Written in the spring
and summer of 1894

First published in 1894

Published according to the
hectograph edition,1894




From V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, 4th English Edition,
Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1972

First printing 1960
Second printing 1963
Third printing 1972

Vol. 1, pp. 129-332.


Prepared © for the Internet by David J. Romagnolo, [email protected] (May 1997)

WHAT THE "FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE" ARE AND HOW THEY FIGHT
THE SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS (A Reply to Articles in Russkoye    
Bogatstvo
Opposing the Marxists) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  



129

Part I .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  

133

Publisher's Note.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  
Note to the Present Edition .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  

201
202

[ -- Part II had still not been found as of 1960 -- DJR]            

Part III .  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  

203

Appendix I   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  
Appendix II  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  
Appendix III .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  

301
308
326

NOTES                                                                





page 302

[ columns 1-4 -- DJR]

CATEGORIES OF HOUSE-
HOLDERS AND THEIR NUMBER

Number of
persons,
both sexes

Number of
working persons,
male

Farm labourers

Households
with farm
labourers

Number
(both sexes)

1

2

3

4

6 prosperous householders

Total . . . . . . . . . . . .

47    

11      

6    

8    

Average per householder . . . . . . .

7.83 

1.8    

---

---

11 middle householders

Total . . . . . . . . . . . .

92    

26      

2    

2    

Average per householder . . . . . . .

8.36 

2.4    

---

---

7 poor householders

Total . . . . . . . . . . . .

37    

10      

2   

2   

Average per householder . . . . . . .

5.28 

1.4    

---

---

Total
24 householders

Total . . . . . . . . . . . .

176    

47      

10   

12   

Average per householder . . . . . . .

7.33 

1.9    

---

---

2 farm labourers
(included among
poor households)

Total . . . . . . . . . . . .

9    

2      

---

---

Average per householder . . . . . . .

4.5  

1      

---

---



page 303

[ columns 5-13 -- DJR]

CATEGORIES
OF HOUSE-
HOLDERS AND
THEIR NUMBER

Allotted
land

Leased land

Total
tillage

No. of
build-
ings

No. of
indust.
estab.

No. of
agr.
imple-
ments

Animals (head of)

House-
holds

dessi-
antines

Draught
animals

Total,
in
terms
of
cattle

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

6 pros-
perous
house-
holders

Total

132.6

6

52.8

123.4

52  

4

224  

35  

81  

Av. per
house-
holder

22.1

---

8.8

20.6

8.6

---

37.3

5.8

13.5

11 middle
house-
holders

Total

101.2

10  

85.5

140.2

70  

---

338  

40  

89.1

Av. per
house-
holder

9.2

---

7.7

12.7

6.4

---

30.7

3.6

8.1

7 poor
house-
holders

Total

57.8

4

19.8

49.8

31  

---

108  

7  

15.3

Av. per
house-
holder

8.5

---

2.8

7.1

4.4

---

15.4

1  

2.2

Total
24
house-
holders

Total

291.6

20  

158.1

313.4

153  

4

670  

82  

185.4

Av. per
house-
holder

12.1

---

6.6

13  

6.4

---

27.9

3.4

7.7

2 farm
labourers
(incl. among
poor house-
holds)

Total

14.4

---

---

6.8

6  

---

11  

---

1.1

Av. per
house-
holder

7.2

---

---

3.4

3  

---

5.5

---

0.5



page 304

[ columns 14-21 -- DJR]

CATEGORIES
OF HOUSE-
HOLDERS AND
THEIR NUMBER

Value in rubles

Ar-
rears
in
loans
(rub.)

Build-
ings

Other
immove-
able
property

Impli-
ments

Uten-
cils

Cloth-
ing

Live-
stock
and
bees

Total

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

6 pros-
perous
house-
holders

Total

2,696   

2,237   

670.8 

453   

1,294.2 

3,076.5 

10,427.5 

80  

Av. per
house-
holder

449.33

372.83

111.80

75.5 

215.7 

512.75

1,737.91

13.3

11 middle
house-
holders

Total

2,362   

318   

532.9 

435.9 

2,094.2 

2,907.7 

8,650.7 

375  

Av. per
house-
holder

214.73

28.91

48.44

39.63

190.38

264.33

786.42

32.4

7 poor
house-
holders

Total

835   

90   

1,316   

254   

647.1 

605.3 

2,543.7 

233.6

Av. per
house-
holder

119.28

12.85

54.83

36.29

92.45

86.47

363.38

33.4

Total
24
house-
holders

Total

5,893   

2,645   

1,316   

1,142.9 

4,035.5 

6,589.5 

21,621.9 

670.6

Av. per
house-
holder

245.55

110.21

54.83

47.62

168.14

274.56

900.91

27.9

2 farm
labourers
(incl. among
poor house-
holds)

Total

155   

25   

6.4 

76.8 

129.3 

9.1 

401.6 

50  

Av. per
house-
holder

77.5 

12.5 

3.2 

38.4 

64.65

4.55

200.8 

25  



page 305

[ columns 22-29 -- DJR]

CATEGORIES
OF HOUSE-
HOLDERS AND
THEIR NUMBER

Sources of Income

From Agriculture

From
stock
farm-
ing

From
bee-
keep-
ing
and
garden-
and

From
indust-
ries

From
estab-
lish-
ments

From
vari-
ous
sources

Total

Total

Of
which
grain
crops

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

6 pros-
perous
house-
holders

Total

61.2%
3,861.7  
1,774.4  

2,598.2  
1,774.4  

15.4%
972.6  
396.5  

4.3%
271    

6.5%
412    

5%  
320    

7.6%
482.2  

100% 
6,319.5 
3,656.1 

Av. per
house-
holder

643.6  

---

162.1  

45.2  

68.6  

53.3  

80.4  

1,053.2 
609.3 

11 middle
house-
holders

Total

60.7%
3,163.8  
899.9  

2,203.8  
899.9  

16.1%
837.5  
423.2  

0.7%
36.1  

18.8%
979.3  

---

3.7%
195.5  

100% 
5,212.2 
2,534   

Av. per
house-
holder

287.7  

---

76.1  

3.2  

89    

---

17.8  

473.8 
230   

7 poor
house-
holders

Total

48.7%
689.9  
175.25

502.08
175.24

22.9%
324.2  
216.6  

1.9%
27    

23.8%
336.8  

---

2.7%
39    

100% 
1,416.9 
794.64

Av. per
house-
holder

98.5  

---

46.3  

3.9  

48.1  

---

5.5  

202.4 
113.5 

Total
24
house-
holders

Total

59.6%
7,715.4  
2,849.54

5,304.8 
2,849.54

16.5%
2,134.3  
1,036.3  

2.6%
334.1  

13.3%
1,728.1  

2.5%
320    

5.5%
716.7  

100%  
12,948.6  
6,984.74

Av. per
house-
holder

321.5  

---

88.9  

13.9  

72    

13.3  

29.9  

539.5 
291.03

2 farm
labourers
(incl. among
poor house-
holds)

Total

59.5  
3    

---

5.7  
4.8  

---

128.8  

---

4    

198   
140.6 

Av. per
house-
holder

29.75

---

2.85

---

64.4  

---

2    

99   
70.3 



page 306

[ columns 30-36 -- DJR]

CATEGORIES
OF HOUSE-
HOLDERS AND
THEIR NUMBER

 D i s t r i b u t i o n  o f  e x p e n d i t u r e  [cont. onto p. 307 --DJR]

Food

Clothes
and
domestic
needs

Main
tenance
of live-
stock

Total

Vege-
table

Other

Of which

Milk,
meats,
etc.

Salt,
Vodka,
tea

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

6 pros-
perous
house-
holders

Total

29.2%
1,500.6  
218.7  

823.8  

676.8  

561.3  
103.2  

115.5  

8.2%
423.8  
58.6  

24.9%
1,276.6  

Av. per
house-
holder

250.1  

---

---

---

---

70.63

212.76

11 middle
house-
holders

Total

37.6%
1,951.9  
257.7  

1,337.3  
33.4  

614.6  

534.3  
144    

80.3  

10.6%
548.1  
49.5  

21.2%
1,098.2  

Av. per
house-
holder

177.45

---

---

---

---

49.83

99.84

7 poor
house-
holders

Total

42.1%
660.8  
253.46

487.7  
160.96

173.1  

134.4  
53.8  

38.7  

14.6%
229.6  
26.8  

15.6%
243.7  

Av. per
house-
holder

94.4  

---

---

---

---

32.8  

34.81

Total
24
house-
holders

Total

34.6%
4,113.3  
729.86

2,648.8  

1,464.5  

1,230    

234.5  

10.1%
1,201.5  
134.9  

22.2%
2,618.5  

Av. per
house-
holder

171.39

110.37

61.02

51.25

9.77

50.06

109.1 

2 farm
labourers
(incl. among
poor house-
holds)

Total

81.7  
50.7  

72.1  
42.5  

9.6  

6.1  
4.7  

3.5  

14.9  
4.6  

8   

Av. per
house-
holder

40.85

---

---

---

---

7.45

4   



page 307

[ columns 37-44 -- DJR]

CATEGORIES
OF HOUSE-
HOLDERS AND
THEIR NUMBER

[cont. from p. 306 --DJR]   D i s t r i b u t i o n  o f e x p e n d i t u r e

Imple-
ments
and
live-
stock

On
labour-
ers and
shep-
herds

Rent

Taxes
and
duties

Pay-
ments
to
priests

Mis-
cell-
aneous

Total
(rubles)

Surplus
(+)
or
deficit
(-)

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

6 pros-
perous
house-
holders

Total

9.4%
484.5  

13.5%
691.7  

6.5%
332    

4.9%
253.5  

1.1%
56    

2.3%
116.5  

100% 
5,135.2 
2,211.5 

+1,184.3

Av. per
house-
holder

80.75

115.29

55.33

42.25

9.33

19.42

855.86
368.6 

+197.34

11 middle
house-
holders

Total

5%  
256    

0.9%
47.6  

6.8%
351.7  

4.9%
254.9  

1.3%
69.9  

11.7%
609.4  

100% 
5,187.7 
1,896.7 

+24.5

Av. per
house-
holder

23.27

4.33

31.97

23.17

6.35

55.4  

471.6 
172.5 

+2.19

7 poor
house-
holders

Total

7.1%
110.6  

1.6%
24.3  

6%
94.5  

6.5%
101.8  

1.8%
28    

4.7%
73.2  

100% 
1,566.5 
712.66

-149.6

Av. per
house-
holder

15.8  

3.47

13.5  

14.54

4    

10.46

223.78
101.8 

-21.38

Total
24
house-
holders

Total

7.1%
851.1  

6.4%
763.6  

6.5%
778.2  

5.1%
610.2  

1.3%
153.9  

6.7%
799.1  

100% 
11,889.4 
4,820.86

+1,059.2 

Av. per
house-
holder

35.46

31.82

32.43

25.43

6.41

33.29

495.39
200.87

+44.11

2 farm
labourers
(incl. among
poor house-
holds)

Total

53.2 

0.4 

---

22.6 

2.8 

3.3 

186.9 
137.6 

+11.1  

Av. per
house-
holder

26.6 

0.2 

---

11.3 

1.4 

1.65

93.45
68.8 

+5.55



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From Marx to Mao

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