Pamphlet by Lenin, published in 1902; argues that workers will not spontaneously become political simply by fighting economic battles, and that a vanguard should be formed to spread Marxism among workers; precipitated the Bolshevik–Menshevik split
In What Is to Be Done?, Lenin in 1901 argues that the working class will not spontaneously become political simply by fighting economic battles with employers over wages, working hours and the like. To convert the working class to Marxism, Lenin insists that Marxists should form a political party, or "vanguard", of dedicated revolutionaries to spread Marxist political ideas among the workers. Leni... goodreads.com