Workers' Opposition in the Russian Communist Party

Barbara C. Allen is Associate Professor of History at La Salle University. She has published Alexander Shlyapnikov, 1885-1937: Life of an Old Bolshevik (Haymarket, 2016) and Leaflets of the Russian Revolution (Haymarket, 2018).

"Over eight hundred pages of translated archival documents and editorial comment—this is a work of truly Herculean scholarship. Allen shows in fascinating and at times terrifying detail how, even before Stalin became General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party, the worker activists of the pre-revolutionary and revolutionary years were seen as a threat to the Party’s apparatus and had to be marginalised. It is a magnificent and ground-breaking study."—Geoffrey Swain, Professor Emeritus, University of Glasgow"Barbara C. Allen, author of the excellent biography of Aleksandr Shliapnikov, a leader of the Workers’ Opposition, has with this book reinforced her status as our leading expert on that group. For this volume, Professor Allen has translated and edited almost one-hundred documents to include speeches, diary entries, minutes, and correspondence. Many of them are published here for the first time in English, still others for the first time in any language (among them items from the archive of Russia’s Federal Security Service). They demonstrate that the Workers’ Opposition as a movement and as an idea within the Bolshevik Party challenged dominant principles of Soviet governance. In an introduction and in essays that precede each of this collection’s four parts, Professor Allen skillfully analyzes the evolving positions of the Workers’ Opposition as a collective and of its prominent members as individuals. Specialists will find an expansive biographical glossary and index exceptionally useful. In these pages, a history of the Workers’ Opposition and of the Bolshevik Party emerges that is replete with creativity, courage, conviction, imprudence, deceit, and tragedy." —Larry E. Holmes, author of Revising the Revolution: The Unmaking of Russia's Official History of 1917"This comprehensive, meticulously edited collection fills one of many gaps in published records of the bubbling cauldron of political debate in early Soviet Russia. Large parts of the Workers' Oppositionists' arguments—about the role that workers and their union organisations should play in a workers' state, and much more—have remained mostly inaccessible for a century, and now Barbara Allen has put that right. The collection extensively documents not only the group's brief legal existence in 1920-21, but also its adherents' critique of industrial and other policies throughout the 1920s.” —Simon Pirani, author of The Russian Revolution in Retreat and Honorary Professor at the University of Durham"Barbara C. Allen (La Salle University), l’auteure d’une remarquable biographie d’Aleksandr G. Shliapnikov parue en 2015, mérite de chaleureuses félicitations pour l’indéniable qualité de ses traductions du russe à l’anglais – un exercice qui requit une somme de travail absolument colossale et pour lequel étudiants et enseignants au niveau universitaire lui seront grandement redevables. Le plus grand mérite de cette collection de documents est de faire partager aux lecteurs les convictions, voire même la passion viscérale de ces opposants, en particulier leurs véritables cris du coeur en faveur de l’urgente nécessité de donner aux ouvriers un rôle prédominant dans les multiples comités du parti, d’introduire davantage de démocratie et de débats à l’intérieur d’un parti démoralisé et devenu languissant, de recentrer ce dernier sur l’essentiel – « We should conquer all difficulties only through the masses and together with them. All other paths lead to bankruptcy » (33 – A. G. Shliapnikov, 27 mars 1919) –, et de remplacer le plus tôt possible la nep en faveur d’une industrialisation à la fois rapide et menée sur une large échelle." —J.-Guy Lalande in Labour/Le Travail""Documentary collections inclusive of the Workers’ Opposition have appeared before, but nobody previously has had the determination, patience, and I dare say passion to put together a volume such as this. ... It contains some ninety-seven documents tracked down by Allen in six different archives, mostly Moscow-based but also in Kyiv." —Lewis Siegelbaum, H-Russia

• AcknowledgementsExplanatory NotesAbbreviations and AcronymsIntroduction1 Background to the Trade Union Debate, March 1919–Autumn 1920: The Workers’ Opposition in Formation1  Economic section of RCP(b) programme, point 5, adopted at the Eighth Congress of the RCP(b), March 19192  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Specialists’3  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Wages and Labour Productivity’4  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Production and Productivity’5  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Industrial Productivity’6  A.G. Shliapnikov’s report to a meeting of the All-Russian Metalworkers’ Union (VSRM) central committee, the All-Russian Central Council of Trade Unions (VTsSPS), and other union personnel, Autumn 19197  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Tasks of the Russian Proletariat’s Economic Organisations’8  A.M. Kollontai’s diary notes, January–February 19209  Speeches by Iu.Kh. Lutovinov and A.S. Kiselev at the Ninth Congress of the RCP(b), March–April 192010  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Relations between the Russian Communist Party, the Soviets, and Production Unions’11  Speeches by Iu.Kh. Lutovinov, S.P. Medvedev, I.I. Kutuzov, and A.M. Kollontai at the Ninth Conference of the RCP(b), September 192012  Iu.Kh. Lutovinov’s proposals to the Ninth Conference of the RCP(b), September 192013  N. Kopylov, ‘That Which Needs to be Destroyed: “Higher-ups” and “Rank-and-File” ’14  A.M. Kollontai’s diary notes, circa October 192015  Theses presented to some party cells and to the central committee of the All-Russian Metalworkers’ Union in the autumn of 192016  Iu.Kh. Lutovinov, Letter to Ukrainian Comrades, 23 October 192017  Remarks by I.N. Perepechko, Antonov, and G.E. Zinoviev at the Fifth Conference of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Ukraine (CP(b)U), 17–22 November 1920, Kharkov18  Letter from G.E. Zinoviev to I.N. Perepechko, 26 November 1920, with excerpts from Perepechko’s letter to Zinoviev19  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Tasks of Workers’ Unions’20  Circular of the All-Russian Union of Metalworkers Communist Faction Bureau about organising party cells in the provinces, Moscow, 16 December 19202 The Trade Union Discussion, December 1920–March 1921: The Workers’ Opposition as a Fully-Formed Legal Faction1  A.G. Shliapnikov’s speech at the Eighth Congress of Soviets, Moscow, 30 December 19202  Theses of the Workers’ Opposition: Tasks of Trade Unions3  Iu.Kh. Lutovinov, Report to the All-Russian Trade Union Council (VTsSPS) on the work of the November–December 1920 trade union commission4  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Economic Organisation and Unions’ Tasks: For Discussion’5  A.M. Kollontai, ‘Time to Analyse’6  A.M. Kollontai’s corrections to the Theses on Party Building7  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Our Intraparty Disagreements’8  A.G. Shliapnikov’s speeches to the Communist Faction of the Second All-Russian Congress of Mineworkers9  N. Kopylov, ‘Mistake or Urgent Task?’10  N.M. Tikhonravov, Supplement to the Theses of the Workers’ Opposition about the Tasks of Trade Unions11  Polosatov’s and Kuznetsov’s speeches at the Fourth CP(b)U Conference of Donetsk gubernia, 16–18 February 192112  Documents from Samara about the debates over party building, culture, and the tasks of trade unions, February 192113  Iu.K. Milonov, ‘Theses: the Content of our Cultural Work’, Eighth Samara Gubernia RCP(b) Conference14  Iu.K. Milonov, ‘Trade Unions and their Role in the Economic life of the Country: Theses of a Report to the Eighth Samara Gubernia Conference of the RCP(b)’15  Speeches, Resolutions, Materials, and Declarations Relating to the Workers’ Opposition at the Tenth Party Congress, March 192116  Iu.K. Milonov, ‘Assembly of Former Underground Party Members during the Tenth Party Congress’3 From the Ban on Factions through the Eleventh Party Congress, 1921–2: Former Worker Oppositionists Respond to the New Economic Policy and to Repression Against Them1  A.M. Kollontai’s diary entries, March–April 19212  Appeals of the Worker-Peasant Socialist Party led by Vasily Paniushkin, early 19213  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘To the Fourth Congress of the All-Russian Metalworkers’ Union (VSRM)’4  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Our Economic Policy and Practice’5  Speeches protesting party appointment of Metalworkers’ Union leaders; protocols of the RCP CC’s commission, the bureau of the communist faction, and the communist faction of the congress; and other materials relating to the Fourth Congress of the Metalworkers’ Union in May 19216  A.M. Kollontai’s speech to the Third Comintern Congress, 5 June 19217  A.M. Kollontai’s diary entries, July–August 19218  Letter from A.G. Shliapnikov to S.P. Medvedev, 28 June 19219  Letter from A.G. Shliapnikov and S.P. Medvedev to the Politburo and VTsSPS, July 1921, protesting VSNKh decrees10  Letter from [A.G. Shliapnikov] to comrade [N.S] Mamchenko, 6 July 192111  Letter from F.A. Mitin to S.P. Medvedev, summer 192112  Letter from A.G. Shliapnikov to F.A. Mitin13  Protocol and resolution from a meeting of RCP(b) members who had belonged to the Workers’ Opposition, 8 July 192114  Resolution offered by Aleksei Sovetov to the delegates’ assembly of the Bauman district RCP(b) organisation, 29 July 192115  Letter received by Ukrainian comrades in 1921 from a former member of the Workers’ Opposition, perhaps Ivan Perepechko16  Letter from Levit of the Kommunistische Arbeiter-Partei Deutschlands (KAPD) to A.G. Shliapnikov, 30 August 1921, and Shliapnikov’s signed response, 31 August 192117  Excerpts from speeches at the All-Russian Union of Metalworkers central committee plenum, 17–21 October 192118  Iu.Kh. Lutovinov’s speech to the Eleventh Party Conference, 19–22 December 1921, and related party documents19  Undated minutes from a meeting of the Workers’ Opposition or the 2220  A.G. Shliapnikov’s letter to the Politburo about the Genoa conference, February 192221  Protocol of a 10 February 1922 meeting of a group of 25 delegates to the Fifth All-Russian Congress of Metalworkers and other minutes from meetings of those who would sign the Letter of the 2222  Letter of the 22 to the Comintern, signed by Shliapnikov, Kollontai, et al.23  Comparison of those signing the Letter of the 22 and the theses of the Workers’ Opposition24  Selected Speeches at the Meeting of the RCP(b) Faction of the Fifth Congress of the Metalworkers’ Union, 2–7 March 192225  Letter from Z.L. Shadurskaia to the Politburo, 8 March 192226  Letter from S.P. Medvedev to the Orgburo, 9 March 192227  A.G. Shliapnikov’s correspondence regarding the 22, March 192228  Party Central Control Commission (CCC) questioning of the 22, 17 March 192229  Letter from V.L. Paniushkin in support of Shliapnikov and Medvedev, on the eve of the Eleventh Party Congress30  N. Kopylov, ‘For a United Party’31  Eleventh Congress of the RCP(b), March–April 1922, Published Speeches at Open Sessions, Unpublished Speeches at 2 April 1922 Closed Session, Published Resolution and other Materials Relating to the Former Workers’ Opposition32  A.M. Kollontai’s diary entries on the appeal of the 22 and on the Eleventh Party Congress33  Letter from A.M. Kollontai to the Comintern Executive Committee, copying the Politburo34  Letter from A.M. Kollontai to the editorial board of the ‘Communist Worker Newspaper’ of Germany, requesting that it cease publication of her brochure, Rabochaia Oppozitsiia, 22 September 192135  Iu.K. Milonov, ‘On the Way to a Worker Encyclopedia: Instead of a Preface’4 Former Worker Oppositionists in the Debates of the NEP Era and During the First Five-Year Plan, 1922–301  Letter from S.P. Medvedev in Berlin to A.G. Shliapnikov in Moscow, 26 September 19222  Iu.Kh. Lutovinov’s speech at the Twelfth RCP(b) Congress, 17–25 April 19233  S.P. Medvedev’s notes from 6 December 1923, possibly from a private talk given in Moscow by an unidentified German communist4  N.A. Kubiak’s speech to the Thirteenth Party Conference, 17 January 19245  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Our Differences’, Pravda, 18 January 19246  Resolution proposed by A.G. Shliapnikov and others from the former Workers’ Opposition, [January] 19247  A.G. Shliapnikov’s speeches at the Second Khamovniki District Party Conference, Moscow, 7–10 January 19248  S.P. Medvedev, ‘Letter to a Baku Comrade’, 19249  Letter from S.P. Medvedev in Moscow to A.G. Shliapnikov in France, written 27 December 1924, and A.G. Shliapnikov’s answering letter, dated 7 January 1925, written in Paris10  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Features of the Current Moment: About Results of the Fourteenth Party Conference’, with S.P. Medvedev’s suggested changes, May 192511  A.M. Kollontai’s diary notes, February 1926 and November [1927]12  Letter from I.I. Nikolaenko, Kiev [to A.G. Shliapnikov and S.P. Medvedev], circa 192613  Letter from A.G. Shliapnikov, Moscow, to [I.I. Nikolaenko], 12 May 192614  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘About a Demonstrative Attack and the Rightist Danger in the Party’15  Letter from A.G. Shliapnikov and S.P. Medvedev to the CCC Presidium and the Politburo of the CC VKP(b), 17 September 192616  Letters from A.G. Shliapnikov and S.P. Medvedev to the Politburo, CC and CCC VKP(b), October 192617  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Letter to the Editor’18  Undated letter from unknown person (perhaps Mariia Trifonova), to Shliapnikov replied in a 19 July 1927 letter19  Letter from Aleksandr [Shliapnikov] to unknown person, 19 July 192720  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Lessons of Intraparty Struggle’21  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘For Industrialisation and For Socialism’22  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘Letter to the Editor’23  A.G. Shliapnikov’s letter to the Bureau of the Omsk District (Okrug) Party Committee, 4 April 193024  A.G. Shliapnikov, ‘A Big Mistake by a Small Group in Omsk’, 28 February 193025  Letter from A.G. Shliapnikov and S.P. Medvedev to the CCC, 28 April 1930, with a copy to the PolitburoBiographical GlossaryBibliographyIndex