Lenin lives! Join the communists to celebrate his life and ideas! – Socialist Appeal
Facebook Twitter Reddit WhatsApp Messenger Email Print
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was described by John Reed author of Ten Days that Shook the World, an eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution as the most loved and most hated person alive. And this remains the case even a century since his death.
Lenin was loved by hundreds of millions of people who wanted to change society. But he was hated by the ruling class and their apologists.
The reason for this hatred is because Lenin was successful. In October 1917, for the first time in history, the working class took power and held it. They showed that they could run society without the help of bosses and bankers.
This was all possible because the working class had a leadership in the Bolshevik Party that was able to guide the revolution to success.
Livestream will play here at 3pm on 21 January
Lenin once said that capitalism is horror without end. Capitalism today offers us nothing but poverty, suffering and war. For that reason, the campaign of slander against Lenin continues. Workers and young people cant be allowed to think that a better future is possible. And so the name of Lenin and the Bolsheviks has to be smeared with all kinds of lies.
We think the time has come to set the record straight. The International Marxist Tendency is therefore launching a campaign to celebrate the life, works, and legacy of this great revolutionary.
Far from being old and outdated, Lenins ideas are more relevant than ever. They provide an invaluable tool in the hands of revolutionaries today.
As Lenin once said: Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement. It is up to revolutionaries of today to study the works of Lenin, and to build a revolutionary party along the lines of the Bolsheviks, in order to bring about a successful struggle for communism.
We call on all our supporters to not only attend this #Lenin100 meeting, but to help us spread it far and wide. Invite your friends, family and colleagues. And help us reach an even wider audience by sharing the event on social media.
Lenin may have died 100 years ago, but his ideas live on today. In the words of the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky: Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin is to live forever!
Our Lenin lives! event will take place in London, at Hanover Primary School Sports Hall, N1 8BD. It will also be streamed live on our YouTube channel. You can buy tickets to the in-person event here.
Wellred Books
For those wanting to understand the person of Lenin, it is imperative to read him for themselves. With 45 volumes of collected works (in English), however, this is a significant challenge really the work of a lifetime.
Wellred Books upcoming biography of Lenin, In Defence of Lenin, provides an accessible overview, in this respect, presenting his ideas and their relevance for a new generation of revolutionaries.
The beauty of the book is that it is suitable for both the beginner and more advanced student of the history of Bolshevism. Someone completely fresh on their journey into Marxism has in their hands an extensive compendium of the figure of Lenin and his ideas, which have been subjected to so much distortion and calumny.
But even for comrades familiar with titles such as Lenin and Trotsky: What they really stood for, or who have already listened to the Bolshevism audiobook on their commute to work, this new publication will still offer many inspiring insights, painting a vivid portrait of a true revolutionary.
The first few chapters, for example, are of a more personal nature, containing facts about Lenins upbringing that few of us would previously have been familiar with. These are not just nice to know, but are crucial for setting the scene for the later sections on Lenins political development and radicalisation.
In Defence of Lenin is spread over two volumes, and spans over a thousand pages, setting the necessary context for various key events: the launch of Iskra; the various debates in the early Russian workers movement; the split in 1903; and the 1905 revolution in Lenins words, the dress rehearsal for the October Revolution in 1917.
Events such as the period of reaction before the First World War, and the war itself, aptly illustrate the importance Lenin attached to defending the banner of Marxism against all kinds of revisionism. This was a period where Lenin was extremely isolated, and often in a minority in his own party.
Chapter 20 on Lenins Response from Exile, with extensive quotations from his Letters from Afar, is a particularly effective transition to the fresh winds of revolution that had started blowing by this time.
Lenins essential role is unquestionable. Without his ideological rearming of the party which at times was bending to pressures, and was being swept along helplessly by events there would have been no October Revolution.
Volume one clearly shows how the road to creating the Bolshevik Party did not proceed in a straight line. It was a hard path, full of difficulties, setbacks, and frustrations.
Volume two, which deals with the October Revolution itself, and its aftermath, continues this theme. From the very start, it was a full on fight for survival for the nascent Soviet republic.
The authors, Alan Woods and Rob Sewell, deal with the various achievements of the revolution. But they dont shy away from the very real difficulties posed by the material and cultural backwardness of the early workers state, not to mention the brutal civil war and famine that stalked the land.
This sort of honesty is merely a continuation of the thoroughly honest approach that Lenin himself time and again adopted. His method was always to say what is; to tell the truth.
In fact, here is another aspect that permeates In Defence of Lenin: a demonstration of how thoroughly human he was. Lenin had a real sense of humour and personal warmth.
As the authors say in the introduction, all those who ever met Lenin were struck, not only by his intellect, but also by his great sense of humour an aspect which his detractors wish to eradicate or ignore. They make no mention of this for the simple reason that a sense of humour doesnt quite fit with the narrative of a bloodthirsty dictator.
The appendix Krupskaya on Lenin only reinforces this human side. Here, Lenins lifelong partner and comrade-in-arms amongst other things delves into Lenins meticulous methods; how he wrote for the masses; his literary tastes; the influence the old revolutionary Chernyshevsky had on Lenins development; and last but not least, how Lenin studied Marx.
Above all, however, In Defence of Lenin is a treasure trove of ideas which revolutionaries today can dig into. Like the first four congresses of the Communist International, dealt with in a separate chapter, this should serve as a veritable school of communism.
So dont hesitate pre-order your copy now!
Facebook Twitter Reddit WhatsApp Messenger Email Print
Read more:
Lenin lives! Join the communists to celebrate his life and ideas! - Socialist Appeal
- Communism Meets Reincarnation? How China Is Trying To Pick The Next Dalai Lama - Worldcrunch - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- The Secret Committee That Persecuted Black and Gay People In the Name of Fighting Communism - CrimeReads - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Communism For New York Grocery Stores - AM 870 The ANSWER - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Christianity, Islam and communism and the global conquest - The Hans India - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- New York turns to full-blown Communism - Schiff Sovereign - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trkiye's answer to Disco Elysium just broke cover, featuring more lawyers, fewer cops, an indeterminate amount of communism and twin fistfuls of guilt... - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- A Cuban woman surprises the President of Madrid in Miami: I am here because of communism. - CiberCuba - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- The essence of revolutionary communism: new introduction to the 'Classics of Marxism' - In Defence of Marxism - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- Elicer vila and Destino exchange fire on social media: "Those of us who fled communism value the freedom of the U.S." - CiberCuba - June 22nd, 2025 [June 22nd, 2025]
- The progressive "West" and the ghost of monarchy - In Defense of Communism - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- 39th Congress of the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP): Statements on Palestine and the Ukraine War - In Defense of Communism - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- First Nations are mired in 'soft communism.' This leader has the fix - National Post - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Reactions by Communist Parties on Israel-Iran War - In Defense of Communism - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Czech Blog: Wine and War A Glimpse Into the Legacies of Communism - Global Atlanta - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Communist Party of Israel and Hadash stand against Netanyahu government's attack on Iran - In Defense of Communism - June 14th, 2025 [June 14th, 2025]
- Anticommunism in Kyrgyzstan: The world's largest monument dedicated to Lenin to be dismantled - In Defense of Communism - June 10th, 2025 [June 10th, 2025]
- Communism Survivor on Revoking Chinese Student Visas: Beware the Enemy Within - NTD News - June 1st, 2025 [June 1st, 2025]
- The specter of communism still looms over the Balkans - The Spectator Australia - June 1st, 2025 [June 1st, 2025]
- Campus Communism: How the CCP Compromised Harvard and US Higher Education - Hudson Institute - May 30th, 2025 [May 30th, 2025]
- How the Portuguese Communist Party assesses the negative electoral result of 18 May - In Defense of Communism - May 30th, 2025 [May 30th, 2025]
- The shadow of communism still looms over the Balkans - The Spectator - May 30th, 2025 [May 30th, 2025]
- Texas House Advances Bill Requiring Schools to Teach History and 'Atrocities' of Communism - The Texan - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Bill teaching children dangers of communism passed in the Texas House - Washington Examiner - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Communists in Greece block trucks with ammunition heading to Ukraine - In Defense of Communism - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the killing of 27 Maoists by state forces in Chhattisgarh - In Defense of Communism - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Dr Oz Ridiculed for Urging Parents to Feed Their Kids 'Real Food': 'When Michelle Obama Said This It Was Communism' - Latin Times - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Bill to teach Texas kids the dangers of communism but not fascism OK'd by House - WOAI - May 22nd, 2025 [May 22nd, 2025]
- Bill to teach Texas kids the dangers of communism but not fascism OK'd by House - The Texas Tribune - May 22nd, 2025 [May 22nd, 2025]
- Poland: Don Streich, another victim of communism, will be beatified - Exaudi - May 22nd, 2025 [May 22nd, 2025]
- Can degrowth communism save the world? - resilience.org - May 19th, 2025 [May 19th, 2025]
- "You blocked the system": A Cuban asks a robot with artificial intelligence when communism will fall in Cuba, and this is what it said -... - May 19th, 2025 [May 19th, 2025]
- Joint statement by the KKE, AKEL, PCP and KSM in the European Parliament against anti-communist initiative - In Defense of Communism - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- The Pope Who Foresaw the Horrors of Communism - RealClearMarkets - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Communist Party of Turkey: NATO Foreign Ministers are unwelcome in Antalya! - In Defense of Communism - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- East vs west? Romanias biggest vote since the fall of communism - Channel 4 - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Nazi collaborator's name initially engraved on the Victims of Communism memorial - Yahoo News Canada - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- Communist Party of Turkey on the dissolution of the Kurdish PKK group - In Defense of Communism - May 17th, 2025 [May 17th, 2025]
- 80th anniversary of the Anti-Fascist Victory: When the Communists saved humanity from the Nazi monster - In Defense of Communism - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Communist Party of Pakistan: Down with chauvinism and war hysteria, long live proletarian internationalism - In Defense of Communism - May 11th, 2025 [May 11th, 2025]
- Shen Yun brings 'China Before Communism' to Proctors Theater for two-night performance - WRGB - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- BBC accused of giving children 'dishonest' view of communism after failing to mention mass killings - GB News - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- FSU Shooting Suspect Was Forced to Leave Political Club After Insisting Communism Was 'Ruining America', Student Says - Latin Times - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- Blushing Bolsheviks! Not even fathers of Soviet communism did what Colorado may do to parents by sanctifying transgenderism - Read Lion - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- Blushing Bolsheviks! Not even fathers of Soviet communism did what Colorado may do to parents by sanctifying transgenderism - The Heartlander - April 23rd, 2025 [April 23rd, 2025]
- Partisans for Peace: On the 80th anniversary of Italy's liberation - Against rearmament and imperialist war - In Defense of Communism - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- 'Red Scare' revisits the fear of Communism that gripped post-WWII America - KNAU Arizona Public Radio - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Republican U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Teach Students the Dangers of Communism - Sierra Sun Times - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- A bill in the U.S. seeks to teach the dangers of communism in schools - CiberCuba - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Letter to the editor: What happened to being anti-Communism? - Pierce County Journal - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Beyond The Iron Curtain: How Polish Posters Subverted Hollywood Under Communism - Deadline - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Linda Rama: This is what the world can learn from the fall of communism - MSNBC - March 13th, 2025 [March 13th, 2025]
- Christian training center in northern China amid communism, Islam, and poverty - Mission Network News - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Gulys: Remembering victims of communism is both a task and a duty - Budapest Times - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Love and Torture The Stories of Russian Women Who Married Albanians During Communism - Euronews Albania - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Communist Knesset member Cassif: "They are trying to silence us, theres a fascist atmosphere in Israel" - In Defense of Communism - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- It allowed us to survive, to not go mad: the CIA book smuggling operation that helped bring down communism - The Guardian - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Nazism, Fascism, And Communism: Warring Sons To A Common Father OpEd - Eurasia Review - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- State Capitol news in brief: Communism lesson bill goes to Sanders | Senate to convene despite icy weather - Arkansas Online - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- USAID was created to counter communism, but came to a nearly opposite agenda - The Times and Democrat - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- My Dear Mother, The Last Divorce of Communism, Von Fock Tease New Chapter for Baltic TV Shows: Culturally Specific and Universally Relevant - AOL - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Canada: Marxist School 2025 studying the pillars of communism to prepare for turbulent times - In Defence of Marxism - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Cottons new book on China aims to ring the alarm bell on Taiwan and communism - coloradopolitics.com - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Sean McMeekin: Don't Whitewash the History of Communism - Reason - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Don't Whitewash the History of Communism - RealClearPolicy - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- The Socialist State in Latvia: From the revolutionary triumph to the drama of dissolution - In Defense of Communism - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Nothing says 'communism' like this $165 poverty-chic plastic bag based on Disco Elysium, aka 'the level of greed that they talk about in the Bible' -... - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Texas Audience Delighted to See Universal Beliefs in China Before Communism Through Shen Yun - NTD - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Communist Workers Platform USA: The Class Struggle in America and the Communist Strategy - In Defense of Communism - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Communist Party of Turkey: Ahmed Al-Shara is an ISIS remnant and a war criminal - In Defense of Communism - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Vietnam's Communist Party marks 95th anniversary - In Defense of Communism - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- The Beauty of China Before Communism Was Eye-Opening, Says Houston Theatergoer - NTD - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Pastor Delighted to See Shen Yun Express Love for Traditional Ways Before Communism - NTD - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- KKE's leader Koutsoumbas on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army - In Defense of Communism - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Elon Musk and the Dictatorship of the Capital - In Defense of Communism - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Another shameful anticommunist resolution of the European Parliament, full of unhistorical references - In Defense of Communism - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Education panel backs expansion of tuition waivers for guardsmen, voices concern over bill to teach perils of communism - Northwest Arkansas... - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Gaza: By whatever name you call It Is Genocide! - In Defense of Communism - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Eduard Kuznetsov, Soviet dissident whose death sentence exposed the plight of Jews under communism - Yahoo! Voices - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- The International Communist Movement at a critical crossroads: The necessity of revolutionary regroupment - In Defense of Communism - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- 66th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution: Statement by the European Communist Action - In Defense of Communism - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]