[Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov)]. Rossiiskaia sotsial'demokraticheskaia rabochaia partiia [Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party]. Kommunist, No. 1-2 [all published].

Geneva, Izd. P. i N. Kievskikh, 1915.

8vo (248 x 168 mm). 196 pp. Original printed wrappers.

 9.500,00

First and only issue (a double issue) of the journal founded by Lenin, containing the first appearance of his important article "Krakh II Internatsionala" ("The collapse of the II International", written May-June, 1915). In this work, Lenin "was signalling, for the first time in his career, that the establishment had become an immediate possibility and objective" and indicated his striving towards a third International (Fobert Service, Lenin, p. 82). Two other articles by Lenin are also printed here: "Chestnyi golos frantsuzskogo sotsialista" ("The honest voice of a French socialist") and "Imperializm i sotsializm v Italii" ("Imperialism and socialism in Italy"). Work on the publication was complicated by conflicts within the editorial team: Lenin opposed the anti-Party group around Bukharin and Piatakov, seeking to expose its anti-bolshevik views and to create two separate groups. He was extremely disappointed when the journal eventually appeared and, as a result, the editors of "Sotsial-Demokrat" began publishing a new journal, entitled "Sbornik sotsial-demokrata" beginning in 1916; "Kommunist" was discontinued. "In his subsequent account, Lenin claimed that the journal had served its purpose once it had printed Socialism and the War by Lenin and Zinoviev" (Service, Lenin, p. 112).

Rare; we are unable to locate auction records either in Russia or the West.

Wrappers lightly toned; else a very good, uncut and unopened copy.

Literatur

Souvarine and Bernshtein catalog (Dekker & Nordemann BV, 1980), no. 604.

Art.-Nr.: BN#48531 Schlagwörter: ,