There were like 5000 members of the RSDLP in 1900. Most reformists. It wasnt even in the top 5 biggest left orgs. The Tsar would shoot leftists down in the street or gulag them at whim.
5 years later they played a secondary but still key role in the 1905 revolution, 12 years after that Lenin was at Finland station, surrounded by half of Moscow cheering.
Shit changes slowly, but that slow grinding work that seems pointless provides a strong foundation for massive, rapid change.
The momentum is insanely fast when a political movement actually catches, when it has its finger properly on the pulse and the people say "yes, this is it" things fly. Even in non-socialist things, you look at any major change in the political landscape of a country, shit happens incredibly fast, the rise and fall of entire parties, complete shakeups of political ideology in a matter of months.
There were like 5000 members of the RSDLP in 1900. Most reformists. It wasnt even in the top 5 biggest left orgs. The Tsar would shoot leftists down in the street or gulag them at whim.
5 years later they played a secondary but still key role in the 1905 revolution, 12 years after that Lenin was at Finland station, surrounded by half of Moscow cheering.
Shit changes slowly, but that slow grinding work that seems pointless provides a strong foundation for massive, rapid change.
The momentum is insanely fast when a political movement actually catches, when it has its finger properly on the pulse and the people say "yes, this is it" things fly. Even in non-socialist things, you look at any major change in the political landscape of a country, shit happens incredibly fast, the rise and fall of entire parties, complete shakeups of political ideology in a matter of months.