The State and Revolution

Among the most influential political and social forces of the twentieth century, modern communism rests firmly on philosophical, political, and economic underpinnings developed by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, later known as Lenin. The State and Revolution isLenin's most significant work, in which he totally rejects the institutions of Western democracy and presents his vision of the final perfection of communism. For anyone who seeks to understand the twentieth century, capitalism, the Russian revolution, and the role of communism in the tumultuous political and social movements that have shaped the modern world, this book offers unparalleled insight and understanding.

Among the most influential political and social forces of the twentieth century, modern communism rests firmly on philosophical, political, and economic underpinnings developed by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, later known as Lenin. The State and Revolution is Lenin's most significant work, in which he totally rejects the institutions of Western democracy and presents his vision of the final perfection of communism. For anyone who seeks to understand the twentieth century, capitalism, the Russian revolution, and the role of communism in the tumultuous political and social movements that have shaped the modern world, this book offers unparalleled insight and understanding.

Lenin's classic work on the state, clarifying the differences with the opportunists of various stripes. He shows how the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat was raised by Marx and Engels after the Paris Commune.

Lenin's classic work on the state, clarifying the differences with the opportunists of various stripes. He shows how the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat was raised by Marx and Engels after the Paris Commune.

Written at the time of the Russian February 1917 Revolution, before the Bolshevik take-over in October, this is Lenin's tour de force, a rebuttal of the views of Krautsky and other 'opportunists' who had fudged Marx's core teachings for their own political ends. Using quotes from Marx and Engels, Lenin shows that the state arises directly out of class antagonisms, that it is violent (police/army/repressive laws) and has the ultimate purpose of suppressing the 'wage-slave' proletariat in favour of the 'bourgeoisie' i.e. the class who own, and profit from, the means of production. The state bureaucracy inevitably becomes unaccountable and able, at will, to subvert any movement towards mass democracy. For Lenin, such a system leads inevitably to revolution. But to prevent the usual reversion to a similarly corrupt system, Lenin calls for the 'dictatorship of the armed proletariat', by which the majority forcibly dispossess the minority (bourgeois former-owners) and bring the means of production into common ownership. This proletarian state is temporary. If the state arises directly out of class antagonisms, then as class concerns are obliterated the state itself, that machine of privilege and oppression, will gradually wither away. The State and Revolution is an important work, an indispensable read for all those interested in the ideas underpinning a Socialist Society.

Written at the time of the Russian February 1917 Revolution, before the Bolshevik take-over in October, this is Lenin's tour de force, a rebuttal of the views of Krautsky and other 'opportunists' who had fudged Marx's core teachings for their own political ends. Using quotes from Marx and Engels, Lenin shows that the state arises directly out of class antagonisms, that it is violent (police/army/repressive laws) and has the ultimate purpose of suppressing the 'wage-slave' proletariat in favour of the 'bourgeoisie' i.e. the class who own, and profit from, the means of production. The state bureaucracy inevitably becomes unaccountable and able, at will, to subvert any movement towards mass democracy. For Lenin, such a system leads inevitably to revolution. But to prevent the usual reversion to a similarly corrupt system, Lenin calls for the 'dictatorship of the armed proletariat', by which the majority forcibly dispossess the minority (bourgeois former-owners) and bring the means of production into common ownership. This proletarian state is temporary. If the state arises directly out of class antagonisms, then as class concerns are obliterated the state itself, that machine of privilege and oppression, will gradually wither away. The State and Revolution is an important work, an indispensable read for all those interested in the ideas underpinning a Socialist Society.

In July 1917, when the Provisional Government issued a warrant for his arrest, Lenin fled from Petrograd; later that year, the October Revolution swept him to supreme power. In the short intervening period he spent in Finland, he wrote his impassioned, never-completed masterwork The State and Revolution. This powerfully argued book offers both the rationale for the new regime and a wealth of insights into Leninist politics. It was here that Lenin justified his personal interpretation of Marxism, savaged his opponents and set out his trenchant views on class conflict, the lessons of earlier revolutions, the dismantling of the bourgeois state and the replacement of capitalism by the dictatorship of the proletariat. As both historical document and political statement, its importance can hardly be exaggerated. Translated and edited with an introduction by Robert Service

In July 1917, when the Provisional Government issued a warrant for his arrest, Lenin fled from Petrograd; later that year, the October Revolution swept him to supreme power. In the short intervening period he spent in Finland, he wrote his impassioned, never-completed masterwork The State and Revolution. This powerfully argued book offers both the rationale for the new regime and a wealth of insights into Leninist politics. It was here that Lenin justified his personal interpretation of Marxism, savaged his opponents and set out his trenchant views on class conflict, the lessons of earlier revolutions, the dismantling of the bourgeois state and the replacement of capitalism by the dictatorship of the proletariat. As both historical document and political statement, its importance can hardly be exaggerated. Translated and edited with an introduction by Robert Service

Lenin's booklet The State and Revolution struck the world of Marxist theory like a lightning bolt. Written in the months running up to the October Revolution of 1917, Lenin turned the traditional socialist concept of the state on its head, arguing for the need to smash the organs of the bourgeois state to create a 'semi-state' of soviets, or workers' councils, in which ordinary people would take on the functions of the state machine in a new and radically democratic manner. This new edition includes a substantial introduction by renowned theorist Antonio Negri, who argues for the continued relevance of these ideas.

Lenin's booklet The State and Revolution struck the world of Marxist theory like a lightning bolt. Written in the months running up to the October Revolution of 1917, Lenin turned the traditional socialist concept of the state on its head, arguing for the need to smash the organs of the bourgeois state to create a 'semi-state' of soviets, or workers' councils, in which ordinary people would take on the functions of the state machine in a new and radically democratic manner. This new edition includes a substantial introduction by renowned theorist Antonio Negri, who argues for the continued relevance of these ideas.

On the eve of the October Revolution, Lenin lays bare the role of the state as an instrument of class domination. Exposing reformist betrayals and reclaiming the core of Marx and Engels' thought, he argues for the necessity of smashing the bourgeois state apparatus and building proletarian power.