revolutionary, Marxist thinker, founder of the Soviet Union (1870-1924). Autograph draft letters signed, written about the Zimmerwald Conference. No place or date. 8vo. Altogether 5 pp. and 2 lines on 3 ff. (some notes in copying pencil on p. 6 in a different hand).
$ 479,520 / 450.000 €
(76288/BN49025)
Important autograph draft letters signed about the Zimmerwald Conference, calculating how many votes the central committee of the Bolshevik faction will have at the conference, criticising Karl Radek's proposed address, of which he has a copy, for its lack of references to the fight against chauvinism, referring to Schklowsky, to the Swiss socialist Robert Grimm, and offering advice to his unidentified correspondent. - The Zimmerwald Conference, later to be called "the founding myth of the Soviet Union", was held at the "Beau Séjour" Hotel in Zimmerwald, Switzerland, from 5 to 8 September 1915.
It was the first of three international socialist conferences convened by anti-militarist socialist parties from countries that were originally neutral during World War I. Among the 37 members were Karl Radek, Leo Trotsky, Grigory Zinoviev, and Lenin. With the Zimmerwald Conference began the unravelling of the coalition between revolutionary socialists (the so-called "Zimmerwald Left") and reformist socialists in the Second International..
Politiker und Begründer der Sowjetunion (1870-1924). Autograph letter signed ("N. Lenin"). Paris. 01.11.1911. 3 SS. auf Doppelblatt. 8vo. Beiliegend Briefumschlag, adressiert von Nadeschda Krupskaja. - Dabei: Gedrucktes Flugblatt "Der Anonymus aus dem Vorwärts und die Sachlage in der Sozialdemokratischen Arbeiterpartei Russlands". 12 SS. 8vo.
$ 298,368 / 280.000 €
(87109/BN57534)
Rare, important letter in German, signed with the pseudonym "N. Lenin", addressed to Anton Nemec in Prague, the leader of the Czech Social Democrats, about organising the 6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). Held in Prague in 1912, the conference would see the de-facto formation of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union when the Mensheviks were driven out of the RSDLP: - "Dear Comrade, you will be doing me a great service if you can help me with advice and action in the following matter.
A number of organisations of our Party intend to call a conference (abroad - of course). The number of members of the conference will be about 20-25. Is there a possibility of organising this conference in Prague (to last about a week)? The most important thing for us is the possibility of organising it in extreme secrecy. No person, no organisation, should know about it. (It is a Social-Democratic conference, hence legal according to European laws, but the majority of the delegates do not have passports and cannot use their own names.) I earnestly beg you, dear comrade, if it is at all possible, to help us and tell me as quickly as possible the address of a comrade in Prague who (in the event of an affirmative reply) could make all the practical arrangements. It would be best if this comrade understood Russian - if this is impossible we can also reach agreement with him in German. I hope, dear comrade, that you will pardon me for troubling you with this request. I send you my thanks in anticipation [...]". - Traces of original horizontal and vertical folds. Includes the original envelope, addressed by Lenin's wife Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya (1869-1939) and postmarked Paris, 29 April..