Lenin, Revolution, and the Soviet Experiment This episode explores Vladimir Lenin's transformation of Marx's theoretical framework into revolutionary practice during the chaotic collapse of Tsarist Russia. Maxwell Slate examines how Lenin's innovations—including the vanguard party concept and "dictatorship of the proletariat"—diverged from pure Marxism to address the realities of governing a vast, underdeveloped nation. The episode covers the October Revolution, the Russian Civil War, War Communism, and the strategic retreat to the New Economic Policy, revealing how Lenin's pragmatic flexibility both saved the Soviet state and established patterns of authoritarian governance that would define communist movements for generations.

Click here to browse handpicked Amazon finds inspired by this podcast series!
https://amzn.to/443frgP

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI