On April 22nd, 1870, Vladimir Illyich Ulyanov "Lenin," hero of the Russian Revolution, and architect of the world's first Socialist state, was born. His contributions to the Marxist canon and to the revolutionary theory and practice of the proletariat throughout the world carries on to this day, in increasing magnitude. Every passing day, he is vindicated. His analysis of imperialism, the right of nations to self-determination, and revolutionary strategy have played a key role in the past century, and have remained ever-more relevant throughout.
He also loved cats!
Some significant works:
Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism
The Right of Nations to Self-Determination
Materialism and Empirio-Criticism
Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don't know where to start? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!
I appreciate what other leftists are doing for the cause. As an anarchist, though, I have to interject.
The idea that a revolution needs to be carried out by a central authority is dangerous, as I’m sure plenty of you know. It doesn’t matter how red your new flag is. We leftists shouldn’t think of our state becoming a “better” state, but rather the abolition of the state altogether. Power concentrated in any form, no matter how well intentioned, inevitably reproduces hierarchy and domination. Our goal shouldn’t be to seize the machine, but to dismantle it and build something radically different: decentralized, cooperative, and rooted in mutual aid. Something we all can get behind.
I’d love to hear a marxist pov on this. <3
Well said. Anarchism has received horrible press at the hands of Big Democracy but many of our current problems are rooted in the concentration of power, money and influence that capitalist societies seem to produce. On the other hand, can we live without the many products and technology that require large scale effort? It feels like that would be a major challenge for any fledgling anarchic society.