Bibliographic Data: Stalin, Josef V. The Foundations of Leninism. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1965.
Main Argument: "Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution" (2). Moreover, the "exceptionally militant and exceptionally revolutionary character of Leninism" is attributable to two factors: 1) "that Leninism emerged from the proletarian revolution"; and 2) "that it grew and became strong in clashes with the opportunism of the Second International, the fight against which was and remains an essential preliminary condition for a successful fight against capitalism" (3).
( Imperialism is the highest form of capitalism )
Critical assessment: Reading this is kind of like looking through a funhouse mirror at the history of the 20thC. I could, without too much effort, transpose a lot of what Stalin is saying here into arguments that Ken Pomeranz and many others have made--the refreshing thing, in many ways, is how much Lenin and Stalin got right, even as they were, in so many other horrible and tragic ways, utterly utterly wrong. NB, however, that Mao is not the person who introduced the peasantry as a revolutionary reserve into Marxism; that is Lenin, which Stalin reinforces here.
Meta notes: Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.
Main Argument: "Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution" (2). Moreover, the "exceptionally militant and exceptionally revolutionary character of Leninism" is attributable to two factors: 1) "that Leninism emerged from the proletarian revolution"; and 2) "that it grew and became strong in clashes with the opportunism of the Second International, the fight against which was and remains an essential preliminary condition for a successful fight against capitalism" (3).
( Imperialism is the highest form of capitalism )
Critical assessment: Reading this is kind of like looking through a funhouse mirror at the history of the 20thC. I could, without too much effort, transpose a lot of what Stalin is saying here into arguments that Ken Pomeranz and many others have made--the refreshing thing, in many ways, is how much Lenin and Stalin got right, even as they were, in so many other horrible and tragic ways, utterly utterly wrong. NB, however, that Mao is not the person who introduced the peasantry as a revolutionary reserve into Marxism; that is Lenin, which Stalin reinforces here.
Meta notes: Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.