The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin 8071

Communism has decisively shaped the modern world. After the Second World War, Marxist regimes ruled over one-third of the population of the globe. Even today, after the fall of the Soviet Union, communist ideas continue to steer current events in Eastern Europe and East Asia. According to award-winning historian Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to understand the inner dynamics of communist thought and rule (and the reasons they linger in places like Cuba, North Korea, and China), you have to go back to the crucial beginnings of communism. How did it become such a pervasive economic and political philosophy? Why, of all places, did it first take root in early 20th-century Russia? These and other questions all get addressed as part of a fascinating story that stretches from the intellectual partnership between Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the late 19th century to the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924. It’s a story whose drama, Professor Liulevicius notes, “has few equals in terms of sheer scale, scope, or suffering.” Professor Biography......Page 3 Table of Contents......Page 5 Course Scope......Page 7 The Specter Haunting Europe......Page 9 Lecture 1—The Locomotive of History......Page 10 An Evolving Tradition......Page 11 Suggested Reading......Page 12 Lecture 2—Marx and Engels: An Intellectual Partnership......Page 13 French Political Revolution......Page 14 The Industrial Revolution in Britain......Page 15 Marx and Engels......Page 16 The Ideas of Marx and Engels......Page 17 Suggested Reading......Page 19 Lecture 3—The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital......Page 20 Revolutions across Europe......Page 21 Marx’s Theories......Page 22 The Views of Marx and Engels......Page 24 Mikhail Bakunin......Page 25 Suggested Reading......Page 26 Lecture 4—The 1871 Paris Commune as a Model of Revolt......Page 27 Background on the Paris Commune......Page 28 Revolt......Page 29 A Second Siege......Page 30 Marx and the Commune......Page 31 The Legend of the Commune......Page 32 Suggested Reading......Page 33 Lecture 5—Marxism after Marx......Page 34 Post-Marx Questions......Page 35 The Social Democratic Party of Germany......Page 36 The Haymarket Square Incident......Page 38 Internal Debates......Page 39 Suggested Reading......Page 40 Lenin and the Founding of the Soviet Union......Page 41 Lecture 6—Revolutionary Russias......Page 42 Background on Russia......Page 43 A Revolutionary Tradition......Page 44 The 1870s and 1880s......Page 45 Georgi Plekhanov......Page 46 Lenin and the Russian Revolution......Page 47 Russia Near Collapse......Page 48 Suggested Reading......Page 49 Lecture 7—The Making of Lenin......Page 50 A Revolutionary Turn......Page 51 Lenin’s Exile......Page 52 Lenin Strikes......Page 53 The Hunted......Page 54 Lenin Waits......Page 55 Suggested Reading......Page 56 Lecture 8—World War I as a Revolutionary Opportunity......Page 57 Lenin in Zimmerwald......Page 58 Lenin’s Books......Page 59 The February Revolution......Page 60 Lenin’s Return......Page 61 Suggested Reading......Page 63 Lecture 9—Red October: How the Bolsheviks Seized Power......Page 64 The Bolsheviks Make Their Move......Page 65 After the Coup......Page 66 Lenin in Charge......Page 67 International Affairs......Page 68 Civil Wars......Page 69 Bolshevik Brutality......Page 70 Suggested Reading......Page 71 Lecture 10—Rosa Luxemburg: A Revolutionary Martyr......Page 72 Luxemburg’s Background......Page 73 Luxemburg in Germany......Page 74 The War and Luxemburg......Page 75 Later Events......Page 76 Socialist Civil War......Page 77 Suggested Reading......Page 78 Lecture 11—The Red Bridge to World Revolution......Page 79 The Comintern......Page 80 New Communist Parties......Page 82 Hungary......Page 83 Bavaria......Page 84 Conclusion......Page 85 Suggested Reading......Page 86 Lecture 12—Toward a New Communist Civilization......Page 87 Proletkult......Page 88 Reforms......Page 89 Propaganda......Page 90 The Cheka......Page 91 The Death of Lenin......Page 92 Suggested Reading......Page 93 Quiz Questions......Page 94 Bibliography......Page 97 Image Credits......Page 102