Readers are invited to read a book by A.N. Potresov (1869-1934), a prominent figure in the Russian Social Democratic movement, publicist and literary critic, which discusses the opposition of some movements within the Menshevik party, including the internationalist movement and the line of the Menshevik defencists (the author himself adhered to the latter). Potresov sets out his opinion on the fatal and comprehensive meaning that its refusal to defend itself has for democracy.