Written in hiding during the 1917 Russian Revolution, Lenin’s State and Revolution sought to rescue the Marxist theory of the state. From who? From those very people who claimed Marx and Engels’ legacy, while thoroughly distorting their real position on whether the capitalist state could be used to achieve socialism. In his trademark polemical style, Lenin explained why capitalism needs a state, what Marx and Engels had concluded from earlier revolutions, how the state could be overthrown and what would replace it in a socialist society. Ever since, his book has been almost second to the Communist Manifesto in its importance for the workers and socialist movement.
This session will discuss the background to the book, its core arguments and its impact on Marxism.