lenin - am i the only commie in the world who doesn't like h

[red head]

it seems like every communist and socialist holds lenin in as high a regard as marx, che, or any other radical icon. the thing people seem to forget is that lenin started dismantling social programs as soon as he got in power, set up a corrupt buracracy, created the gulag, held political prisoners, etc. it seems we'd like to remember lenin's ideas but forget his reign. any opinions?

[El Commandante]

You're not alone, I don't like the way that he is held in such high regard. He was supposed to have formed a socialist state and he was treated as ultimate leader. Also he got into power with a small group of revolutionnaires, he did not reach the masses like Che did before the final campagin. Also I don't like the fact that he created the mess that led to Stalin coming to power.

[Kez]

Lenin was greaaaaat - tony the tiger
hahah

Lenin saved the russian empire from stavation and created the basis of the glorious USSR, he was a great speaker, and was an icon for others such as Rosa Luxemborg for the great struggle

comrade kamo

[Son of Scargill]

Lenin tried to do his best in a very bad situation,although I don't condone some of his actions I can't say I would have done any different.Also,after his stroke he was under virtual house arrest,by Stalin,and his personal secretary was working for Stalin.Every effort he made to warn of Uncle Joe's impending grab for power was diverted.Maybe if he'd been in better physical condition the Stalin dictatorship could have been avoided.Maybe not.

[Moskitto]

he was hmmm er hmmm her

I'm not that great a fan of him but it could have been worse.

[El Commandante]

Add to the list of his faults the fact that he was a coward, in every violent action he was in he ran as soon as it seemed the tide was turning against them. He didn't even control the revolution in 1917, it was Trotsky, he made all the tactics and controlled it. Lenin was hiding in a house and Trotsky had to run across front lines to keep him in control. He was pathetic, a joke, he doesn't deserve the admiration that he gets. Trotsky was the true leader of the revolution and should have been the commissioner and then that dog Stalin wouldn't have been able to damage everything so much.

[kingbee]

ive always liked him, but i dont know why. he led the revoltuion, a good thing, but many were against him. trotsky only joined him quite late on, and he made the split (bloshevik/menshevik) i think. he was agaisnt stalin takin power, but only because he was "too rude" . the fact thta he led the first ever communist goverment was a good thing, but he did start censorship, something that paved the way for other communist goverments, one thing im against

[Karo Chevez]

One cannot help but to admire comrade Lenin because
of his commitment to carry theory into practice and yes
he developed policies and secret organizations such as
the Cheka but in the initial stages of socialism there is
need of certain actions that will doubtlessly be viewed as brutal but so it is with revolutionary justice.I take
offence at the suggestion that Lenin created Stalin,this
shows a complete detachment of an individuals reason
concerning historical fact as well as the rejection of the
fundamental principle of human potential.Lenin warned
against Stalin in that he realized Stalins character and
the direction of the state were Stalin to come to power.
It appears that too many comrades look to individuals
of the communist creed for examples of manliness and
role models in general,personally I find that I admire all
the great personalities,Marx,Lenin,Trotsky,Bukharin,Mao,
Ho chi mehn,Castro,and Che,but I wish to emphasize that I admire their commitment and fortitude,and though
they inspire the heart I look to the socialist idea for the
fire and fervor by which to consoladate the views which
constantly increase and flood my mind with thoughts of
a better society and the means by which to achieve it.-
Karo

[RedCeltic]

I don't know about Communists, but as far as Socialists, many socialists don't like Lenin. Many parties claim to be anti leninist. Socialist Party USA tends to be, altough there are some like me that have mixed feelings about him... World Socialists are Anti Leninists... I think The World Socialist Party of Canada has a Anti Lenin button you can buy... and other groups such as Socialist Labor Party (in the US) are anti Leninist because they are based on Marxist-De Leonist theory that predates Lenin.

[anarchoveganLAM]

fuck lenin, stalin, mao, a lot of what che has done (sorry people), and such.

[Lardlad95]

I'm not sayin lenin was as great as CHe or MArx but I'm not saying he was as bad as Stalin. He was sort of a mix between the two, he was a great thinker...but he also had some of his opponants killed. On my great ness scale from 1-10 he's about a 5

[Xvall]

To answer your question bluntly,
Yes...
I seem to like lenin for some reason, even though he did execute opponents, he helped start the Soviet Military power, which eventually stopped World War II...

- Drake Dracoli

[Lardlad95]

Lenin was simply a footnote, a person we research to develop our own ideas. THe man had an extrodinary mind, but I doubt any of us would have liked to be led by him, I disagree with some of his statements so under his rule I would be exiled and the Socialist Party would have been destroyed, only communist left. He is simply someone we should look to for reference

[The Iron Heel]

I disagree. His writings are of profound improtance to any revolutionary movement. Lenin is responsible for some of the most important Marxist writings in the 20th Century. The development of the theory of Imperialism, the identification of monopoly capitalism as a new economic stage in capitalism, leading the first socialist nation state, countless countless overlooked writings & works. Countless of people who view themsleves as Marxist Leninists. Lenin should not be viewed as a mere footnote, I at least submitt to those who believe this to actually read his works before making what seems to me to be highly reductionistic statements.

[Lardlad95]

What I meant was that his actions should be regarded as footnotes. The man had exceptional writing skills and produced great works. However he was not as great as he was made out to be in the ledarship sense.

By the way Soviet Russia was communist and shouldn't be associated with modern socialism

[Hayduke]

Lenin brought communism in Russia to live......
If it wasnt for him this forum would never be here......
Karl Marx developed the idea Lenin made it to life.....
Without Lenin Communism would never have been so powerfull
like it was in its glory days............

And he was the man that said......
Never let Stalin control our country......Never

[red head]

d day, i'm highly skeptical of your quote about lenin and stalin. and the fact that he created the soviet union isn't neccessarily a good thing. the soviet union was basically america with a dictator. lenin cut social programs immediately after coming to power, probably to get the ussr out of the war as promised. the person who really moved the union towards communism was stalin, and that was at the cost of millions of lives. there's a good quote by bookchin, that freedom without socialism is privelage and inequality, but socialism without freedom is the worst kind of slavery. i think lenin moved the ussr toward the latter. its easy to blame stalin for everything wrong with the soviet union, but it was never right to begin with.

[Bakunjin]

Excuse me, but how can you call yourself communists and not like Lenin???
Lenin was a great philosopher, great revolutionary and excellent leader.
Do you think communism would exist if Lenin didn't succed with the revolution?
Isn't it obvious how he made Russia arise from deep deep shit. Who would've done it instead of him? Tsar? No way...
Slava tovarishu Vladimiru Ilichu Ulianovu Leninu!
Glory to the comrade Lenin!

[MJM]

Good points red head I'm sure that the person Lenin didn't want in power was in fact Trotsky. Although most people say it's the other way around.
I do think Lenin was good.

[peaccenicked]

Lenin did not create the USSR. The same way that Ford did not make cars. It is the workers who make cars and it was the workers. Lenin emerged as leader of the Soviet state as he could consistently articulated the interests of the proletariat both nationally and internationally.
It was Stalin who replaced proletarian internationalism with great Russian nationalism and despotism.

[Lardlad95]

I can understand peoples affection towards Lenin but he wasn't a god, he was a man, a great man, but a man none the less. I simply disagree that he was so great. It wasn't as if Lenin was the one shooting people to take over the government. He was a great thinker and a so so leader(in my opinion) people fail to see the small bit of facism that he used. I think Lenin was a great man, but not so great that I veiw him as the greatest leader ever

[peaccenicked]

It was the Stalinists who made a god out of Lenin.
They made a whole mythology about him.
Lenin was a professional revolutionary, this means
he tried to develop the political culture of the proletariat.
He understood that deference was the way of a slave.
He avoided this he wanted the best from people.
Leninism is based on the study of his work not the worship of it.

(Edited by peaccenicked at 4:47 am on Mar. 9, 2002)

[Hayduke]

But actually Stalin hated Lenin for his saying " never let Stalin get control over The sovjet Union...............BUt if he said he hated Lenin people will think he was not a communist and is just some fake dictactor....

[El Commandante]

Stalin may well have hated Lenin, but the people loved Lenin at the time, so if Stalin wanted to support his regime then he needed to keep Lenin supporters happy. He did this by blowing Lenin up into a god like figure which in effect to the people made it look like his rule was legitimate.