Sunday 21 January marked 100 years since the death of Lenin, one of the greatest revolutionaries who has ever lived. To commemorate his life, around 150 communists in London met for an inspirational discussion on his life and ideas.
At Sunday’s rally, Rob Sewell and Alan Woods, co-authors of new Wellred publication In Defence of Lenin, addressed a packed room eager to discuss Lenin’s legacy. The meeting opened with a sense of determination, with comrades proudly declaring 2024 to be ‘the year of Lenin’.
Excitement
Fiona Lali – campaigns organiser for the IMT in Britain – introduced the meeting with greetings to the hundreds of communists around the world tuning into the livestream from watch parties in their own countries.
She then went on to share initiatives that revolutionaries in the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) are taking to celebrate the life and legacy of Lenin and launch the In Defence of Lenin book.
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In February, a North American book launch and conference will take place in Canada, with 700 expected to attend. Communists in Pakistan spent the anniversary of Lenin’s death watching documentaries about him. In Italy, 200 gathered for a launch of In Defence of Lenin. in Sweden, meanwhile, IMT activists have launched a ‘do like Lenin’ campaign.
There was a sense of excitement in the room, as it was announced that we plan to relaunch our are you a communist? campaign by plastering posters of Lenin’s face in-and-around every city and town we have a presence.
We have also launched the site Lenin.red as a dedicated space for reading materials and resources on Lenin. This will also serve as a platform to dispel the myths surrounding Lenin, and help to set the historical record straight.
The introduction was rounded off to applause as Fiona announced that In Defence of Lenin has already sold 4,300 copies through pre-orders!
The year of Lenin corresponds with the passing of a century since Lenin’s death. However, most importantly, there is a clear political necessity in Britain and around the world to follow in the footsteps of this revolutionary giant.
Ideas
Vladimir Lenin, the primary leader of the Russian Revolution, was a man who changed the course of history. Lenin boldly transformed the ideas of Marxism into reality, and built the Bolshevik Party to lead the working class and the exploited masses to victory.
To this day, Lenin’s name is associated with both communism and revolution. This of course means that the bourgeoisie and their representatives both fear and hate him. For the rest of us, he is, as Rob explained, “of extreme importance to those who want to change society”.
It is therefore no surprise that Lenin’s ideas are beginning to gain an echo in Britain. Rob noted that a survey by YouGov indicated that 40% of millennials admire Lenin. While the youngest generation – Gen Zs – was not included in this survey, we think that in this age group the percentage would be much higher!
Lenin understood that to overthrow capitalism, the working class needs an independent and dedicated party. Lenin also understood that the party’s bedrock must be Marxist revolutionary theory. This is the principle on which Lenin built the Bolsheviks and the Communist International.
As Rob explained: “Lenin was not born Lenin. He consciously developed himself into the role of what was needed to lead the movement. Lenin made himself Lenin.”
Lenin spent many years battling ideological wars.
After the defeat of the 1905 revolution, the party collapsed and Lenin had to keep the ideas of genuine Marxism alive. And after the open betrayal of the leaders of social democracy around the world in 1914, who capitulated to national chauvinism, he advocated the establishment of a new revolutionary international, based on the principles of internationalism.
This struggle for internationalism is central to Lenin’s ideas. In April 1917, when Lenin arrived in Finland from exile, he greeted the crowds as “the vanguard of the worldwide proletarian revolution”. To Lenin, the revolution in Russia was carried out as only the first step in the world socialist revolution.
As Rob explained, Lenin knew socialism couldn’t be built in one country, and certainly not in backward Russia. But rather, the material conditions only exist on a world scale.
The Stalinists have distorted this with their anti-Marxist idea of ‘socialism in one country’, but genuine Marxists must reclaim the true legacy of Lenin.
Today
After hearty applause for Rob’s contribution. Alan went on to discuss the importance of Lenin today.
Alan commented on the academic drive towards new ideas and new theories. In reality, new ideas are not always good. Alan noted that many new ideas offer very little, while Marxist theory is as fresh and relevant today as when it was written.
In fact, Alan explained, as we continue to face the worst crisis in the history of capitalism, Marxism is even more relevant. The conditions for revolution are so ripe, they are beginning to rot.
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Lenin himself dedicated his life to a profound study of the works of Marx and Engels. He personally carried these ideas into the Bolshevik Party, arming the party with an understanding of Marxism to guide them through their own stormy period.
Alan described Lenin’s own theoretical struggle against revisionism in the Russian movement. Lenin, a talented theoretician, not only developed fundamental aspects of Marxist theory, but waged an ideological war, fighting for the ideas of revolutionary Marxism against revisionists in the movement who were seeking to water them down.
This is a battle that we, the communists, must continue to wage today.
We have entered a turbulent period, characterised by crisis after crisis. War, genocide, climate change, and political and economic instability mean that workers and youth are hungry for change.
This, as Alan explained, is beginning to enter people’s consciousness. The desire for change is being forced on us by our conditions. And only Marxist ideas can weather the storm.
Lenin lives
Currently, there is a clear vacuum that needs to be filled. The so-called leadership of the working class, which includes the traditional ‘lefts’, has exposed the utter bankruptcy of reformism. There is a clear need to build a genuine communist party on the foundations of Marxist theory.
Seizing on the determination of the room on the back of Alan’s conclusion, Ben Gliniecki – national organiser of the British section of the IMT – closed the meeting to loud applause.
Ben explained that in Britain and around the world, there is an urgent necessity to follow in the footsteps of Lenin. This is why we are launching The Communist and founding the Revolutionary Communist Party this year.
Ben explained that this will be a party of genuine Bolshevism, with the sole aim of liberating the working class through socialist revolution.
It is the duty of revolutionaries today to continue the fight that Lenin started: to use The Communist and the RCP to carry Marxist ideas into the movement, in order to overthrow capitalism and ensure the emancipation of the working class once and for all.
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