Marxist-Leninism

● An expanded form of Marxism that emphasizes Lenin's concept of imperialism as the final
stage of capitalism and shifts the focus of struggle from developed to underdeveloped
countries.
● Made Hochiminh, Lao, Burma cry because this was a political system suitable for them
 
Leninism

● Lenin himself never used the term 'Leninism' nor 'Marxist-Leninism' (they were only used
after his death)
● However, his ideas diverged from classical Marxist theory
● Bolsheviks saw these differences as advancements of Marxism made by Lenin
 
Russian Marxists

● 1883: first Marxist group, Liberation of Labour, set up by Plekhanov

● Plekhanov went overseas to escape the Russian secret police
● 1895: Marxists in Russia then set up Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working
Class and 17 intellectuals wrote pamphlets and helped organise a strike
● Among them was Vladimir Ulyanovsk (Lenin)
● 1896: Russia Social Democratic Labour Party founded in Minsk-> political Marxism enters
Russia officially as this is active group, not mere reading
 
*Marxism predicted that there will be revolution against capitalism in Germany or Britain because
there was big proletariat group there

However,
Lenin argued in 1910 that there has been no revolution in England and Germany so far and suggested
that Marx must have missed something.

Capitalists fight each other to have the most successful businesses.

They need more resources to make more stuff and keep their workers busy.
So they take extra resources from other countries by force.
This is imperialism, the highest form of capitalism.

Lenin believed that imperialism was the reason why there had been no revolution by 2010 and also
why Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are colonies of France, and India and much of Africa are colonies of
Britain.

He further argued that the workers are being kept quiet by being given more and more things to make
but the resources are taken from the colonies.
While Marx believed that Russia is much too underdeveloped, has more peasants than proletariats
and few bourgeois, the conditions are not right for a workers' revolution

Lenin believed that Russia is too industrially developed to be colonised but also not advanced enough
to be a coloniser.
The Russian proletariat cannot be bought off with goods from colonised countries like Vietnam.
 
Disagreement with the other Party leaders

● 1903: RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Party) met in Brussels but were troubled by Police
and so moved to London
● Lenin's idea of leadership by a minority of dedicated revolutionaries was not popular
● The party was split between those who called themselves 'Bolsheviks'(the majority) following
Lenin and 'Mensheviks' following Martov(the minority), who did not believe Russia was yet
ready for revolution
 
Difference between Leninism and Marxism

Michael Lynch: Although Lenin was careful always to describe his policies as 'democratic', for him the
term had a particular meaning. Democracy was not to be reckoned as a matter of numbers but as a
method of Party rule. Because the party was a vehicle of historical change, its role was not to win
large-scale backing, but to direct the Revolution from above, regardless of the scale of popular
support.
 
 
Menshevik Issue Bolshevik
Russia not ready for proletarian Revolutionary Bourgeois and proletarian stages could
revolution-the bourgeois stage had to Stage be telescoped into one revolution
occur first
A mass organisation with membership The Party A tight-knit, exclusive, organisation of
open to all revolutionaries professional revolutionaries
Open, democratic discussion within the Decision-Making Central Committee to exercise
party-decisions arrived at by votes of authority- called: 'democratic
members centralism'
No co-operation with other parties Strategy Alliance with other revolutionary and
bourgeois parties
Support of trade unions in getting Economism dismissed as playing into
better wages and conditions the hands of the other parties. Aim to
(Economism) turn workers into revolutionaries.