Review: Foundations of Leninism
As I said in last week’s post, my immersion in the biography of Xi Jinping has motivated me to refresh my understanding of Marxism (last week) and Leninism (this week). I looked for a book on Leninism on Amazon, and I found Foundations of Leninism which had good reviews. It was written by J V Stalin.
Really? By Joseph Stalin? The book doesn’t clearly identify its author. It was copyrighted and printed in 2018 by the Bolsheviki Press, of Paden, Oklahoma, USA. On page 1, it does say:
written by J V Stalin
Source; Works: Volume 6, pages 71-196
The Soviet dictator, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was born ‘Dzhugashvili’ 18 December 1878 and died 5 March 1953. So, Yes, my conclusion is that the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, did write this book- really a pamphlet of 92 pages, excerpted from his larger works, posthumously – but probably about 100 years ago, and in an entirely different context.
Joseph V Stalin
This short book – really a pamphlet of 92 pages. of which about 75 pages is really relevant text – deals with the Foundations of Leninism from a historical perspective. Apart from basic socialist concepts, there is very little ideology included in it. Stalin was a strong supporter of Lenin. and he certainly had front row seat.
The index is as follows:
The historical roots of Leninism: Marxism, socialism, feudalism, the Russian revolitionThe dictatorship of the proletariat – as opposed to the ruling classes and the tzarThe peasant question: are they part of the proletariat?The national question: which countries are involved and how?Strategy and tactics – to be followed in various phases of a revolution.The Party – organisational considerations.Style of work: this two-page section characterises the culture of a Leninist party (Bolsheviks) as being a combination of ‘Russian revolutionary sweep, and American efficiency’; get it all done well.Certainly, we know that Lenin was a very determined, dedicated individual.
I can’t recommend this book unless you’re interested in Bolshevik history.
