Tampere conference of 1905

The first conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) took place in Tampere (Tammerfors), Grand Duchy of Finland, in December 1905.

The conference was intended as a meeting of the Lenin-led Bolshevik faction of the RSDLP, which had strengthened following the 3rd party congress, held in London earlier that year.

Unrest caused by the Russian Revolution of 1905, however, prevented many Bolshevik regional organisations from sending representatives to Tampere, including those from Moscow, Samara, and Nizhny Novgorod.

Yrjö Sirola, secretary of the Finnish Social Democratic Party, recommended the city of Tampere, as no Russian troops were stationed there.

Lenin initially opposed the Tampere option for the conference, but changed his mind after the general strike that took place there during the Russian Revolution of 1905.

[1] According to the announcement that appeared in Novaya Zhizn, representatives attending the conference were to meet at Finland Station in St. Petersburg on 21 December, after which they would proceed by train to Tampere in small groups.

The first order of business was the presentation of information regarding ongoing events in each region of Russia, and a discussion about the actions of the Central Committee of the RSDLP.

Lenin, along with Gorev, dissented, suggesting that the election law could be exploited to the Bolsheviks' advantage, and that it was necessary to be flexible in efforts to constrain the power of the Tsar.

Stalin also wrote that he thought it was customary for great men to arrive late to such functions, so as to facilitate the gathered public's waiting in anticipation.

Stalin wrote that, at the time, he considered this to be "violation of certain essential rules", but later realised that this "simplicity and modesty" were Lenin's greatest qualities as a leader of the "rank and file" of humanity.

Furthermore, because the meeting was attended by figures of major historical importance, including Lenin and Stalin, numerous legends and myths have sprung up about that are not necessarily true.

For example, Lenin and his wife Nadezhda Krupskaya allegedly stayed at a guest house on the corner of Rautatienkatu and Kyttälänkatu in Tampere, as indicated by a plaque commemorating this on the wall of the building.

[14] Another story describes how the Finnish journalist and activist J. E. Zidbäck prevented Lenin and Stalin from being arrested by the Tsarist secret police based on information he had received from Helsinki.