Lenin establishment of communism in the birth of the USSR

Who was Lenin? Was he important to the USSR? Why he was so important?

Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary, intellectual and politician who led the October Revolution of 1917.  Lenin's theories on the role of a communist party were developed as the early 20th-century Russian social democracy divided into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks factions. He was the leader of the Bolsheviks, which was a radical group of people in Russia that wanted to take the power as soon as possible. As the Bolsheviks overthrown the Provisional Government, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years (1917-1924). He fought to establish the control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a socialist economic system. Lenin was deeply influenced by the revolutionary ideas of his older brother, Alexander Ulyanov, who introduces him to the ideas of Karl Marx. His theoretic and philosophical developments were based in Karl Marx ideology, communism. In this establishment of communism, Russia turned to be called the Soviet Union.

What is communism? Communism is based in totalitarianism that is a type of regime in which the state has the total control by a dictator, in this case Lenin. The government establishes complete control of all aspects of the state (political, military, economic, social, and cultural). Lenin had strict control and made laws that keep everyone organized. He gained followers by the propaganda he made and his charismatic personality. The period of time in which he appeared beneficed him as it was easy for him to gain followers. Well, people didn´t had other option the ones who were against his ideas were killed, that´s why the majority of the people supported his visions. The solution was to conform to the ideas of the leader; reason why he created terror and fear in the people.

Leninist theory was based in the vanguard party of the working class, whether ruling or non-ruling, but when such a party is in power in a specific country, the party is said to be the highest authority of the dictatorship of the proletariat (working class).

In the Russian socialist society, government by direct democracy was effected by elected soviets (workers’ councils), which soviet government form Lenin described as the manifestation of the Marxist democratic dictatorship of the proletariat. As political organizations, the soviets would comprise representatives of factory workers and trade union committees, but would exclude capitalists, as a social class, in order to ensure the establishment of a proletarian government, by and for the working class and the peasants.

But, why Lenin was so important for the working class? Lenin wanted the political independence of the working class while defending the possibility of a socialist revolution in less advances capitalist countries through and alliance of proletarians with rural peasantry. He wanted to reach a suppression of the oppressors (rich people) by force, without taking consideration of them. Lenin interpretates the Marxist theory in many cases abandoning Socialist principles and applies it to the socio-political conditions of the Russian Empire. He wanted to create a dictatorship of the proletariat gaining communism through capitalism. After the October Revolution of 1917, Leninism was the dominant version of Marxism in Russia, and then the official ideology of Soviet democracy. He was such a great leader that when he died followers like Joseph Stalin continue his reign.

Written by: Paula Arciniega