THE ORGANISATIONAL SITUATION which confronted the RSDLP in the spring of 1905 was therefore dear. Not merely did Lenin not call for a split follewing the Second Congress but, far fram creating • Bolshevik Party in 1903, he had fought bitterly and onsistently for Party unity against the splittist actiities of the Mensheviks. Now however the Men beviks, right at the very beginning of the 1905 olution, had completely averturned the statutes of the Party. IT there had boen the slightest clement of sectarianism in Lenin's position, if he bad in the ightest favoured a split in the Party, there is no ubt that the Third Congress, finally summoned i pring,1900, would have broken defimely with th Mensheviks, However, far from doing this, every single section and faction of the RSDEP, including the Mensheviks, were invited.
Even when the Menshviks held their own conference alongside the Third Congress, and thereby a de fucto split in the Party was crested, Lenin clearly came out Iin favour of the reunification of the Party. The sole condition for that unification was acceptance of the organisational framework and discipline of the Party. The Third Congress made a number of revisions to the of minority liserature, increasing the power of local sommittees -which created constitutional guarantees for the right of the Mensheviks to fight for their positions (22]. There was no split on political grounds with the Mensheviks — as shown clearly by the fact that the sole condidon for membership of the Party Imposed on the Mensheviks was the acceptance of *While recognising the need for an ideological straggle against the survivals of "Economium", the Third Congress raled that adberents of the minority may be admitted to membership in Party organisaSons, provided they recognise the congresses of the Party and submit to Party discipline. ' (23)
Summarising the results of the Congress Lenisi Desplle the absence of the minority, the Third Coderrs lool every messure po enable the minorily lo ch with the majority In ooe partr. The Congrem beld the reversion to the astiqusted and superseded ews of the Ecomomists discernible in our Party to be correct; at the same time, it provided precise and definite guarantees of the rights of every minority, guaraniees embodied in the Rules of the Party and ding on all its members. The minority now has the condidonal right, guaranteed by the Party Hules, to advocate its views and to carry on an ideological struggle.' (24)
Far from the Congress rounding off a split with the Mensbeviks, Lenin spoke of 'the inevitable future restoration of the Party's unity." (25) The congress also adopted a resolution drafted by Lenin stating:
The Third Congress of the RSDLP autborises the Cestral Commitiee to take all measures to prepare and work out conditions for a merger with the splinter sections of the RSDLP." (26)
The work which was to culminate in the restoration of the unity of the RSDLP a year later was already being prepared by the Bolsheviks at the Third Congress [27]- Far from being a 'manoeuvre' on Lenin's part, this restoration of unity was culmination of the fight for party unity combined with the light for his political ideas which be had heen waging since 1903. same time we declare to the whole party that we are opposed to a split of any kind, We stand for sabmission to the decisions of the Congress (31)
The first real test of "party unity followed soon after the 1906 Congress when the RSDLP turned iis allention to the elections for the Drima. Mensheviks, convinoed of the leading role of the bourgeoisie in the revolution, advocaled an electoral agreement witt the capitalisc Cader Parly. Lenin stated on this:
The sanction of bloes with the Cadets is the Berricades! St Petersburg 1905 party but simsuitanecusly absolute discipline in actior JO DOCAEE CIET SISIS 'After the competeut hodies have decided, all of us, as members of the party, must act as one man, A Bolsbevil in Odessa must cast into the ballot box a hullol paper bearing a Cadet's name even if It sichen Wbar was involved was not the insellectualist hysteria which would split the party but trasting to the staunchness and sound class instinet of the revole tionary proletariat. (37)