Bundist journalism, 1897–1907 ‐instruction, exclusion, polemic: The relationship between leaders and followers in the light of bundist literary activities

The Bund profited for a number of years from the enthusiasm aroused among Jewish workers by the appearance in the mid-1890s of the first Yiddish brochures and the arrival in Vilna in December 1896 of the first edition of Der yidisher arbayter (the earliest issues of which were compiled in Vilna but printed in London). As Der yidisher arbayter put it in its first edition, the Jewish workers were delighted that there now existed literature printed especially for them in Yiddish - their language - which advocated their interests and represented the first step towards unifying the workers of all towns and crafts in a single strong organization. This organization was to become the Bund.