The State and Revolution

This is my first true dip into communist literature despite my own beliefs (largely informed by Black revolutionary thought) being extremely left. It was a relatively quick read and I found myself surprised with how accessible it is. It was also quite funny in places, particularly where Lenin's sassiness was on full display. 

Expected way lots of new things in this marxist read, but it ended up being Marx and Engels recited and corrected after the 50 years between those's main period.
It was nothing very impressive, he basically said “oh but recently that happened, marx said that wouldnt happen decades ago”.
And the last third he starts rambling about his own theory about revolution.
Disappointed with this one.

“Five stars? You must be a filthy Leninist!”

And you must be short-sighted. It's important to read things you disagree with. Challenge what you currently believe, so that you can make your beliefs even more grounded, insightful, and consistent. This book does a great job of that.

Lenin is a fantastic writer. He explains very abstract concepts in terms that anyone with a decent education can clearly understand. His constant references to history remind the reader that his beliefs are not Utopian; rather, “socialism will emerge from the womb of capitalism,” as he says himself.

That isn't to say that Lenin is without faults. This was a man of extraordinary insight and analysis, but he used his talents only to defend Marxism. You can tell that, to Lenin, if Marx/Engels didn't say it, it was wrong. Lenin is a communist not because he believes he will bring greater justice to the world, but because he thinks himself a catalyst of the historically inevitable transformation from capitalism to socialism, as prescribed by Marx. This exceptional fervor (and dogma) incline me to think that Lenin would have made for an excellent missionary in another century.

The amount one learns from this book is absolutely incredible. The state as a tool for oppression of other classes by the ruling class, the “dictatorship of the proletariat,” the withering away of the state, the lower and higher stages of communism, the faults of reformism. Lenin is a concise writer; he covers a lot in just 100 pages. I highly recommend annotating as you read.

A very enjoyable reflection exercise is to analyze what Marxism got wrong. Here in America, I think it's because the bourgeoisie has become the majority. Lenin argued that democracies under capitalism are tools for the bourgeoisie to dominate the proletariat class. In his view, the state is for the domination of the majority by the ruling minority. But nowadays in America, we have a democratic republic that can be said to serve the bourgeoisie (as Lenin himself posits). However, the bourgeoisie has become the majority. There is no “inevitable next stage” to socialism here in America; that would be a transfer of power from the majority to the minority. Well, anyways, as you can see, you can still disagree strongly with Lenin and enjoy this book regardless!

Lenin writes a lot of correct things about the relations of the current state apparatus to capital, and a lot of quotes feel like they're picked out of a modern political conversation. Although, it feels as if he's retconning a lot of Marx and Engel's work while injecting his own interpretation into them. His hostility towards anarchists is apparent even though he admits they're working towards a similar end goal.

Some parts were a drag, others were pleasant.

Theory is hard. Reading theory is hard. But it's important. It's not for everyone. It took two different tries for me to finish this book. When we live in a world full of propaganda, it's wise to go to the source. My biggest complaint about ML is how the state can whither away while maintaining environmental sustainability, preventing environmental disasters, etc. Lenin never had to wrap his head around climate change, PFAS, superfund sites, etc.. But hey. Theory evolves. Read this if you're interested in theory. It's the most approachable, but there are more modern alternatives that might be even more approachable.

If you ever uttered the word “Revolution” you need to read this. And you can't speak about Revolution without defining what a “State” means, and what it means to take over.

This book was written between the 1917 February revolution and the Bolshevik revolution in October, and the insight, the context and the in-depth Engels and Marx analysis, is invaluable. Definite Must read.