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The Death of Leninism

The Death of Leninism

I was trapped in Leninism and read swathes of Lenin’s rhetoric – now I know the anarchists were right all along

~ Killian Flynn ~

Amongst the shadow puppets of English radicalism, lie inert various guises of Leninism: self-perpetuating central committees run tiny irrelevant organisations and use them as a vector to punt their books to young people more familiar with Super Mario than Mikhail Bakunin.

This type of Leninist party has mundane job “building cadre”, selling a newspaper in the streets and helping sell the trite utterances of a nonentity, usually a history or philosophy professor of low ability, trapped young radicals. Protecting Russia and building pro-Russia parties was the strategy. Young bright people who want major change get tied up in such organisations and are lost, disillusioned and join the rat race.

I was trapped in Leninism and have read swathes of Lenin’s rhetoric. I understand how modern Leninists cherry pick rational statements from a torrent of crap.

Leninist groups may have a growth phase but the structure produces regular splits leading to a myriad of small Leninist groups all with their central committees of wise men (and a few women). The best-case scenario is when a Leninist group acts as an old boys club. A meeting is followed by a few pints. Worst case scenario: Police recruit central committee members as informers.

It has been argued that Lenin delivered. The people wanted revolution. Lenin and his Bolshevik mates won it with and for them. Gold star for Lenin.

But let’s take a closer look.

Lenin in power wrote Left Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder. I bought and read it recently. It is pure excrement. The book of a chancer and opportunist who seizes power in a power vacuum and then insists that Russia is a model for the world. Arrant nonsense.

Lenin is the big Daddy and the communists and radicals in the West are children. Lenin is truth and decisive. The Western radicals, according to big Vlad, don’t know the ABC of Marxism.

Here’s the A: the Communist Manifesto penned by Marx states “communists SHALL NOT form a party separate from the workers”

Here’s B: A lack of understanding of the power of the British monarchy and empire stymied Lenin’s world view. Marx had to avoid criticism of the Surrey toffs so that he could get on with writing Capital. The Czar was an amateur compared to the English royals who survive to this day with vast estates and willing vassals.

Here is C (or K): Peter Kropotkin. Despite the book title Lenin makes no critique of anarchism and anti-statism. Kropotkin rightly realised a revolution in urban areas had to link with the peasants to avoid famine. People centred revolution!

However, in the USSR, Lenin copied the Prussian state structure of pyramidal power which outwardly appears democratic but in reality, a few at the top dominate. In the early days old Vlad probably couldn’t believe the extent of his power. But once he had, his iron will was determined to keep power for himself.

It’s also essential to mention that feminism and women’s freedom were not central to the Bolsheviks who were thoroughly workerist. Alexandra Kollontai, the only woman on the first Central Committee to convene after the revolution, repeatedly advocated female liberation but was told “wait till after the revolution”. Women made important gains but their freedoms were ephemeral and Stalin quickly returned to czarist style appeals for Russian women to make babies for the greater good of Russia.

Moreover, Lenin and Stalin were prudes. The old maxims of the orthodox church carried over to the USSR. Lenin would have disapproved of the youth rebellion of the 1960s involving free love and fun. Lenin would have said “It’s a distraction from your duty to work for the party!” In France Lutte Ouvriere made party members not have children so as to dedicate their time to party building.

The revolutions of Russia and China have proved Karl Marx wrong. The state in these countries never withered away, but only became totalitarian. The state became an end in itself. History would have been better off if Bolshevik Russia had fallen like Bolshevik Bavaria and Hungary (perhaps after the execution of the Czar and family might have been best).

Lenin was ultimately wrong and the anarchists were right.

Time for a new chapter.

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