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Unfinished Leninism Paul Le Blanc

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Unfinished Leninism By Paul Le Blanc

Unfinished Leninism by Paul Le Blanc


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Summary

A stimulating collection of essays on the revolutionary socialist Vladimir Lenin that survey fierce controversies over his life and ideas.

Unfinished Leninism Summary

Unfinished Leninism: The Rise and Return of a Revolutionary Doctrine by Paul Le Blanc

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was perhaps the greatest revolutionary of the 20th century. As stated by historian J. Arch Getty, 'Lenin deserves a lot of credit for the notion that the meek can inherit the earth, that there can be a political movement based on social justice and equality.' Putting this belief into practice, Leninism was the application of Marxist ideas that led the 1917 fight for liberation and political independence among the working classes in Russia. Now Paul Le Blanc weighs in on the fierce controversy surrounding Lenin's life, personality and ideas.

Unfinished Leninism Reviews

"For more than a century Lenin has been a constant source of inspiration for workers and revolutionaries striving to shape democratic and equitable societies throughout the world. Unfinished Leninism is a powerful and stimulating guide to Lenins political thought and abiding legacy that is essential reading for students and activists who are striving to realize an ethical and revolutionary democratic society today."Immanuel Ness, Ours to Master and To Own and Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest. Illuminating much misunderstood aspects of Lenin's legacy with flair and originality, Paul Le Blanc breathes new vigor into a century-old approach to social transformation. A major addition to our understanding of twenty-first century socialism.John Riddell, editor Toward the United Front "One doesnt have to be a Leninist to read and appreciate Paul Le Blancs brilliant essays. This is indeed an outstanding study of Lenins ideas, his relation to Leon Trotsky and Rosa Luxemburg, as well as his unfinished democratic revolutionary legacy."Michael Lowy Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris. "Paul Le Blanc likes to "spin his remarks around quotations", and luckily he is a great quoter. He finds eloquent comments from a century's worth of activists and historians, and engages with them passionately. He lets us have our own voice (I say "us" because I am honored to be among those quoted) and yet weaves all the quotations into a searchingly individual view of what it means to be a leftist and a self-proclaimed Leninist in the twenty-first century. And indeed, his conception of the way forward for the left centers on listening, and then on presenting one's own view forthrightly -- on conducting an adult conversation about life-and-death issues. To read his book is to join in his questing interrogation of past, present, and future."Lars Lih, author Lenin Rediscovered "Unfinished Leninism is a stimulating book on the life and ideas of Lenin but also on the history and future of the doctrine connected with his name."Ron Blom, De Socialist Praise for Lenin and the Revolutionary Party: "A work of unusual strength and coherence, inspired not by academic neutrality but by the deep conviction that there is much to learn from the actual ideas and experiences of Lenin and the revolutionary party he led. Michael Lowy Praise for Revolution, Democracy, Socialism: We desperately need the resurrection and revival of the kind of strategic thinking and principled commitment that Lenin epitomised in the era of 1917, and all that it promised. For those interested in this rebirth of the politics of alternative to capitalism, Paul Le Blanc's account of the democratic, socialist, and revolutionary Lenin will prove indispensable. Reading it is a reminder that what is, need not be, and that what has, seemingly, failed, can be reconstituted anew. Bryan Palmer Praise for Marx, Lenin and the Revolutionary Experience: Looking back at the tumultuous events associated with revolutionary Marxism in the past century, Paul Le Blancoffers us an insightful, sympathetic, and even-handed assessment of the sources of its dynamism as well as the causes of its decline. Walden Bello
"For more than a century Lenin has been a constant source of inspiration for workers and revolutionaries striving to shape democratic and equitable societies throughout the world. Unfinished Leninism is a powerful and stimulating guide to Lenins political thought and abiding legacy that is essential reading for students and activists who are striving to realize an ethical and revolutionary democratic society today."Immanuel Ness, Ours to Master and To Own and Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest. Illuminating much misunderstood aspects of Lenin's legacy with flair and originality, Paul Le Blanc breathes new vigor into a century-old approach to social transformation. A major addition to our understanding of twenty-first century socialism.John Riddell, editor Toward the United Front "One doesnt have to be a Leninist to read and appreciate Paul Le Blancs brilliant essays. This is indeed an outstanding study of Lenins ideas, his relation to Leon Trotsky and Rosa Luxemburg, as well as his unfinished democratic revolutionary legacy."Michael Lowy Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris. "Paul Le Blanc likes to "spin his remarks around quotations", and luckily he is a great quoter. He finds eloquent comments from a century's worth of activists and historians, and engages with them passionately. He lets us have our own voice (I say "us" because I am honored to be among those quoted) and yet weaves all the quotations into a searchingly individual view of what it means to be a leftist and a self-proclaimed Leninist in the twenty-first century. And indeed, his conception of the way forward for the left centers on listening, and then on presenting one's own view forthrightly -- on conducting an adult conversation about life-and-death issues. To read his book is to join in his questing interrogation of past, present, and future."Lars Lih, author Lenin Rediscovered "Unfinished Leninism is a stimulating book on the life and ideas of Lenin but also on the history and future of the doctrine connected with his name."Ron Blom, De Socialist Praise for Lenin and the Revolutionary Party: "A work of unusual strength and coherence, inspired not by academic neutrality but by the deep conviction that there is much to learn from the actual ideas and experiences of Lenin and the revolutionary party he led. Michael Lowy Praise for Revolution, Democracy, Socialism: We desperately need the resurrection and revival of the kind of strategic thinking and principled commitment that Lenin epitomised in the era of 1917, and all that it promised. For those interested in this rebirth of the politics of alternative to capitalism, Paul Le Blanc's account of the democratic, socialist, and revolutionary Lenin will prove indispensable. Reading it is a reminder that what is, need not be, and that what has, seemingly, failed, can be reconstituted anew. Bryan Palmer Praise for Marx, Lenin and the Revolutionary Experience: Looking back at the tumultuous events associated with revolutionary Marxism in the past century, Paul Le Blancoffers us an insightful, sympathetic, and even-handed assessment of the sources of its dynamism as well as the causes of its decline. Walden Bello

About Paul Le Blanc

Paul Le Blanc is a professor of History at La Roche College, has written on and participated in the U.S. labor, radical and civil rights movements, and is author of such books as Marx, Lenin and the Revolutionary Experience, and Lenin and the Revolutionary Party.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Lenins Return - introduces Lenin as someone whose relevance for our own time is becoming evident 2. One for the Encyclopedias - offers a succinct account of his life 3. Travesties, Statues and Laughter - focuses more on his personality 4. Still Kicking: Lenin and His Biographers - how biographers of our century have dealt with him 5. Revolutionary Democracy - offers a sustained look at what I believe is the revolutionary-democratic thrust of his thinking and of what he attempted contrasted to the horrific dictatorship that congealed after his death under Joseph Stalin 6. The Great Lenin Debate of 2012 - focuses on recent controversies (in which I was a participant) about how Lenin did and did not go about trying to build a revolutionary party and it also has something to say about the art and craft of writing history 7. Enduring Legacy - takes up some differences with a prominent U.S. Marxist analyst, Charles Post, on how (and how not) to understand Leninism 8. Luxemburg and Lenin Through Each Others Eyes explores relationship, common ground, and differences between Luxemburg and Lenin 9. Caution: Activists Using Lenin - suggests how Lenins approach might be useful to activists in the United States in the early twenty-first century 10. Leninism is Unfinished - discusses the open and necessarily unfinished nature of Leninism reflecting the nature of social reality itself 11. The History and Future of Leninism distinguishes between accurate and inaccurate depictions of the theory and practice of Lenin and his comrades, indicating how this can be utilized and further developed in the twenty-first century.

Additional information

GOR008959387
9781608463664
1608463664
Unfinished Leninism: The Rise and Return of a Revolutionary Doctrine by Paul Le Blanc
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Haymarket Books
2014-06-17
244
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Unfinished Leninism