ABSTRACT
The establishment of a party with a membership consisting almost exclusively of disciplined agents was Lenin's foremost practical objective. Following the meeting at Pskov, Lenin went abroad to produce the newspaper; Martov remained behind to recruit agents for Iskra in Russian cities. According to the scheme, the paper was to be sent to the agents through the transport organization. The resident agents were to distribute the paper locally, form party cells among the subscribers and readers, gradually enlarge membership, and establish new distribution points. Operations through Finland and Sweden were abetted by the wealthy Finnish nationalist Konni Zilliacus, largely with the intention of weakening Russia. Without the self-sacrificing assistance of the German Social Democratic party and individual German socialists, the smuggle of Iskra into Russia might have never succeeded.
