Vladimir Lenin

How socialists relate to capitalist progress Read: discussion in Workers' Liberty of Lenin's The Development of Capitalism in Russia . For background, the final chapter of The Development of Capitalism and Lenin's preface to the second edition of that book . What sort of revolutionary party we need Read: Lenin's What Is To Be Done? especially chapters 3 and 4 . For background, click here for a set of AWL educational notes on What Is To Be Done? . The state and revolution Read: Lenin's State and Revolution , especially chapter 5/2 Revolutionaries and reformist mass labour movements Read: Lenin...

The following text is “Freedom to Criticise and Unity of Action” by V I Lenin, Volna ["Wave"] no. 22, May 20, 1906. It can be found in the Collected Works, Vol.10. p.442 . The editors have received the following communication signed by the Central Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. “In view of the fact that several Party organisations have raised the question of the limits within which the decisions of Party congresses may be criticised, the Central Committee, bearing in mind that the interests of the Russian proletariat have always demanded the greatest possible unity in...

When I was but a little tiny boy My daddy said to me: "The time has come me bonny, bonny bairn To learn your A B C". Now daddy was a Lodge Chairman In the coalfield of the Tyne And that A B C was different From the Enid Blyton kind. He sang: "A is alienation that made me the man that I am And B's for the boss who don't give a damn. C is for capitalism, the boss's reactionary creed, and D's for dictatorship, laddie, but the best proletarian breed. E's for exploitation that the workers have suffered so long, and F is for old Ludwig Feurbach, the first one to see it was wrong. G is for all...

On 18 March 1871 the workers of Paris took power in their city. For nine weeks, until they were crushed by the French army after 28 May, they formed the world's first workers' government. Karl Marx wrote a pamphlet at the time about the Commune, The Civil War in France . In it he focused on defending the Commune against its enemies. He claimed it showed, for the first time, "the political form under which to work out the economic emancipation of labour". "Its true secret was this. It was essential a working-class government". The standing army had been replaced by the armed people; the...

The essence of the plan, or programme, of what is called “cultural-national” autonomy (or: “the establishment of institutions that will guarantee freedom of national development”) is separate schools for each nationality. The more often all avowed and tacit nationalists (including the Bundists) attempt to obscure this fact the more we must insist on it.
Every nation, irrespective of place of domicile of its individual members (irrespective of territory, hence the term “extra-territorial” autonomy) is a united officially recognised association conducting national-cultural affairs. The most...

Contents One: An Urgent Political Question Two: What Can We Learn From the Resolution of the Third Congress of the R.S.D.L.P. on a Provisional Revolutionary Government? Three: What Is Meant by “The Revolution's Decisive Victory Over Tsarism”? Four: The Abolition of the Monarch. The Republic Five: How Should “The Revolution Be Advanced”? Six: Whence is the Proletariat Threatened with the Danger of Finding Itself with Its Hands Tied in the Struggle Against the Inconsistent Bourgeoisie? Seven: The Tactics of “Eliminating the Conservatives From the Government” Eight: Osvobozhdeniye and New-Iskra...

Contents One: In what sense can we speak of the international significance of the Russian Revolution? Two: One of the fundamental conditions of the Bolsheviks' success Three: The principal stages in the history of Bolshevism Four: In the struggle against what enemies within the working-class movement did Bolshevism grow up and become strong and steeled? Five: "Left-wing" communism in Germany: leaders - party - class - masses Six: Should revolutionaries work in reactionary trade unions? Seven: Should we participate in bourgeois Parliaments? Eight: No compromises? Nine: "Left-wing" communism in...

Prefaces Chapter 1: Class Society and the State Chapter 2: The Experience of 1848-51 Chapter 3: Experience of the Paris Commune of 1871. Marx's Analysis Chapter 4: Supplementary Explanations by Engels Chapter 5: The Economic Basis of the Withering Away of the State Chapter 6: The Vulgarisation of Marxism by Opportunists Postscript

Plekhanov’ s Controversy with the Anarchists Kautsky’ s Controversy with the Opportunists Kautsky’ s Controversy with Pannekoek Prefaces Chapter 1: Class Society and the State> Chapter 2: The Experience of 1848-51 Chapter 3: Experience of the Paris Commune of 1871. Marx's Analysis Chapter 4: Supplementary Explanations by Engels Chapter 5: The Economic Basis of the Withering Away of the State Postscript Contents: Lenin's State and Revolution The question of the relation of the state to the social revolution, and of the social revolution to the state, like the question of revolution generally...

Presentation of the Question by Marx The Transition from Captialism to Communism The First Phase of Communist Society The Higher Phase of Communist Society Prefaces Chapter 1: Class Society and the State> Chapter 2: The Experience of 1848-51 Chapter 3: Experience of the Paris Commune of 1871. Marx's Analysis Chapter 4: Supplementary Explanations by Engels Chapter 6: The Vulgarisation of Marxism by Opportunists Postscript Contents: Lenin's State and Revolution Marx explains this question most thoroughly in his Critique of the Gotha Programme (letter to Bracke, May 5, 1875, which was not...