question of whether revolutionary socialists should stand candidates in elections ceased to be an academic one. With the vast majority of revolutionary organisations only numbering dozens of members and perhaps a few hundrec supporters, the most useful tactic was to work alongside members of the reformist parties, to alect the candidates of those parties while simultaneously making propaganda.
Since 1968 that situation has changed. In most European countries the membership of far left organisations now runs into thousands. In at least two of these countries — italy and Spain - these organisations have tens of thousands of members.
Furthermore, the number of those who are prepared lo vote for organisalions to the left o the Communist and Socialist Parties is longer tiny, The 500,000 people who voted for the far lett 'Proletarian Democracy 200,000 who voled for the extreme Portugal and the 600,000 who voted for Trol skyist candidates in the last presidential elec. lions in France ame still In a tiny minority compared to the multi-millioned vote of the reformists. However such numbers of volers are significant in comparison with the numbe of active members of the reformist parties and indicate the potential growth and developmen of the organisations of the far left.
In Britain, the Labour Party is much stronger bined membership of the far left organisation: still number thousands and a combined and concerted electoral intervention would result in tens of thousands of votes Thus all the theoretical and practical prot lems of standing in elections are being pose again for the revolutionary socialists.
In some countries this has meant the reviva of traditional anarchist arguments agains running in elections on principle the polic of the PRP in Portugal is one example of this.
However, even when revolutionary participa tion in elections has been recognised as correc and Important in principle, there still remair very important questions of tactics to decided: whether to run in certain elections where to run and whethar Independently or ir alliance with other organisations.
This Issue of Battle of Ideas is devoted to the historical experience movement and elections. DOUG JENNESS. American Trotskyist, considers the electora lactics pursued by Lenin and the Bolsheviks i the first article. In the second ALAN JONE looks at the experience of electoral tactics developed by Lenin and Troisky after the Russian Revolution