State and Revolution

"State and Revolution" describes the role of the State in society, the necessity of proletarian revolution, and the theoretic inadequacies of social democracy in achieving revolution. It describes the inherent nature of the State as a tool for class oppression, a creation born of one social class's desire to control all other social classes. Whether a dictatorship or a democracy, the State remains in the control of the ruling class. Even in a democratic capitalist republic, the ruling class will never willingly relinquish political power, maintaining it via various strategies. Hence, according to this view, communist revolution is the sole remedy for the abolition of the state.

"State and Revolution" describes the role of the State in society, the necessity of proletarian revolution, and the theoretic inadequacies of social democracy in achieving revolution. It describes the inherent nature of the State as a tool for class oppression, a creation born of one social class's desire to control all other social classes. Whether a dictatorship or a democracy, the State remains in the control of the ruling class. Even in a democratic capitalist republic, the ruling class will never willingly relinquish political power, maintaining it via various strategies. Hence, according to this view, communist revolution is the sole remedy for the abolition of the state.

The State and Revolution is considered to be Lenin's most important work on the state and has been called by Lucio Colletti "Lenin's greatest contribution to the political theory". According to the Marxologist David McLellan, "the book had its origin in Lenin's argument with Bukharin in the summer of 1916 over the existence of the state after a proletarian revolution. Bukharin had emphasized the 'withering' aspect, whereas Lenin insisted on the necessity of the state machinery to expropriate the expropriators. In fact, it was Lenin who changed his mind, and many of the ideas of State and Revolution, composed in the summer of 1917 - particularly the anti-Statist theme - were those of Bukharin".

The State and Revolutionis considered to be Lenin's most important work on the state and has been called byLucio Colletti"Lenin's greatest contribution to the political theory".According to the MarxologistDavid McLellan, "the book had its origin in Lenin's argument withBukharinin the summer of 1916 over the existence of the state after a proletarian revolution. Bukharin had emphasized the 'withering' aspect, whereas Lenin insisted on the necessity of the state machinery to expropriate the expropriators. In fact, it was Lenin who changed his mind, and many of the ideas of State and Revolution, composed in the summer of 1917 - particularly the anti-Statist theme - were those of Bukharin".

Shortly before the Soviet revolution of 1917, Lenin wrote State and Revolution. Drawing on detailed quotes from Karl Marx and Friedrick Engels, he lays down a Marxist view of the state, describes how a working-class revolution will overthrow it, and goes further in showing how social democracy is not enough - even in democratic republics such as those enjoyed by many western countries today, the ruling class is still in control of society, and will never relinquish power. According to Lenin, a Communist revolution is the only remedy for class struggle.

Shortly before the Soviet revolution of 1917, Lenin wrote State and Revolution. Drawing on detailed quotes from Karl Marx and Friedrick Engels, he lays down a Marxist view of the state, describes how a working-class revolution will overthrow it, and goes further in showing how social democracy is not enough - even in democratic republics such as those enjoyed by many western countries today, the ruling class is still in control of society, and will never relinquish power. According to Lenin, a Communist revolution is the only remedy for class struggle.

One of the most profound works of modern literature, 'Notes from Underground' (first published in 1864) remains a cultural and literary masterpiece. Fyodor Dostoyevsky is best known for his psychological works of fiction. His characters and plots all carry psychosomatic troubles and problems that help make the stories more relatable to the reader. In these pages Dostoevsky unflinchingly examines the dark, mysterious depths of the human heart. In this work, we follow the unnamed narrator of the story, who, disillusioned by the oppression and corruption of the society in which he lives, withdraws from that society into the underground. This "Underground Man" is one of the first genuine antiheroes in European literature. Those who are familiar with his works will immediately recognize the novel's richly complex philosophical, political, and psychological themes.

Echo Point Books & Media's enhanced edition of Lenin's State and Revolution is the only version that includes an index of the contents of this classic ( for hardcover edition with an index, search for ISBN 1635618924 ). Created from a combination of sophisticated proprietary software and editorial review, our unique (copyrighted) index is a valuable addition to this important work. As every experienced reader knows, an index is a helpful resource for more efficient, insightful reading, and a useful aid for research. Lenin's Original Work on Class-based Revolution In 1917, in the midst of two revolutions, Vladimir Ilich Lenin fled Russia for fear of persecution by the government. While in exile, he began work on one of his most important works, State and Revolution, an attempt to resurrect the purity of Marx's and Engels's socialist teachings, which Lenin claimed were subsumed and weakened by reformists who reduced the "great revolutionaries" into "harmless icons." In State and Revolution, Lenin posits that the traditional role of the state in society is to maintain the control of the powerful, thus enabling the rich to exploit the poor. Because the ruling class will never willingly give up their political influence, social democracy-including parliamentary elections-is a false promise, and only results in a new crop of rich overlords lining up to "repress and crush the people." The sole way to bring true freedom and self-determination to all citizens, and throw off the "yoke of capitalism," is through Communist revolution-to "smash the state." As a result, the state would "wither away," and its bureaucrats would perform the will of the proletariat. This seminal work provides a practical application of socialist principles and it has greatly influenced theories of global capitalist development. Italian philosopher Lucio Colletti called State and Revolution "Lenin's greatest contribution to political theory." To deepen your understanding of Lenin's arguments in State and Revolution, you may also wish to read his treatise on the relationship between capitalism and colonialism; Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism. Enhanced edition with index published by Echo Point Books ( hardcover ISBN 1635617278; paperback ISBN 1635617197 ).

One of the most profound works of modern literature, 'Notes from Underground' (first published in 1864) remains a cultural and literary masterpiece. Fyodor Dostoyevsky is best known for his psychological works of fiction. His characters and plots all carry psychosomatic troubles and problems that help make the stories more relatable to the reader.In these pages Dostoevsky unflinchingly examines the dark, mysterious depths of the human heart. In this work, we follow the unnamed narrator of the story, who, disillusioned by the oppression and corruption of the society in which he lives, withdraws from that society into the underground. This "Underground Man" is one of the first genuine antiheroes in European literature. Those who are familiar with his works will immediately recognize the novel's richly complex philosophical, political, and psychological themes.