A new interpretation of Lenin's What Is to Be Done? A comparative study from a historical-sociological perspective

Abstract

Drawing on the perspective of comparative historical sociology and organizational sociology, this paper provides a new interpretation of What Is to Be Done?, Lenin's seminal text on party-founding theory, by comparing the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP), Russian revolutionary populists, the social democratic parties of the Second International, and the Communist Party of China (CPC). After outlining the intellectual and political background of What Is to Be Done?, this paper analyses the similarities and differences in the “indoctrination” mechanisms employed in Europe, Russia, and China, highlighting the difference between “propaganda”, “agitation”, and “exhortation”. The paper then examines the three core organizational issues discussed in the fourth chapter of What Is to Be Done? Specifically, through a comparison with Weber's analysis of professional politicians, this paper explains Lenin's understanding of the importance of the organization of professional revolutionaries, distinguishing the two meanings of “revolutionary by trade”. Through a comparison with CPC's work in the “white areas”, that is, the areas controlled by the Kuomintang, this paper elucidates the significance of Lenin's proposal to combine a solid organizational core with differentiated organizational circles. This is illustrated in a diagram outlining the differentiated organizational chart of the RSDLP. Finally, through a comparison with the Russian revolutionary populists and Second International, this paper reveals the origin and evolution of Lenin's thoughts on the conspiratorial and centralized nature of party organizations, focusing on the connection between Lenin and Peter Tkachev in this respect. This comparative analysis provides a new understanding of the classic topic of “organizational weapon”. The paper concludes with a discussion of the significance of moving from technical analysis to root cause political analysis in organization research in Chinese sociology.