§ Cell № 10 of 81
Row 2, Col 1
Economic: Communist
Governance: Authoritarian
Coords: X-4 · Y+3
Economic: Communist
Governance: Authoritarian
Coords: X-4 · Y+3
Descriptor
Leninist-Marxist
“Vanguard party; revolutionary dictatorship.”
Exemplar ↓
§ 01
The Idea
What Leninist-Marxist actually means.
This offshoot of Marxism relies on a vanguard party to direct the proletarian revolution, with a centralized, one-party state overseeing economic and social life. It stresses tight control by party elites to steer society toward a communist future.
During the Russian Civil War (1918–1922), Lenin's government deployed the Cheka (secret police), initiated the Red Terror, and banned other parties—very repressive measures. Lenin implemented a command economy, state ownership of major industries, suppression of private enterprise, and central planning of production and distribution.
§ 02 · Tenets
Core commitments.
01
Vanguard party leads the working class.
02
Dictatorship of the proletariat as transitional state.
03
Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism.
04
Democratic centralism inside the party.
05
Revolution requires a disciplined cadre.
§ 03 · Position
Where it sits on the grid.
Economic axis — X-4
COMMUNIST
Full collectivisationUnfettered markets
Governance axis — Y+3
AUTHORITARIAN
Total controlNo state at all
§ 04 · Reading List
Canon & critics.
§ Canon
- What Is to Be Done?V. I. Lenin1902 · ~200 pp
- The State and RevolutionV. I. Lenin1917 · ~120 pp
- Imperialism, the Highest Stage of CapitalismV. I. Lenin1917 · ~140 pp
§ Critics
- The Russian RevolutionRosa Luxemburg1918 · Pamphlet
- The God That FailedRichard Crossman (ed.)1949 · ~280 pp
§ Next