Dark-Age Perspective

'All revolutions which have taken place up to the present have helped to perfect the state machinery, whereas it must be shattered and broken to pieces.' Introduction Out of all Marxist political theorists that rose to prominence in the 20th century, none have quite the elusive character of Vladimir Lenin. His bolshevik methodology in the acquisition of power and the formation of the communist society have been met with a certain degree of reverence even from his opponents. He has successfully entered the common consciousness with a palpable form of respect and fearful admiration. However, for any who have had the uninspiring task of reading his literary works, one develops a healthy disdain for his heavy reliance on rhetoric and non-existent foundations of reason. State and Revolution, while a short work, is still unnecessarily long and is filled with petty Marxist infighting and polemics on anarchy. Readers will benefit from seeing the ruthless and dishonest tactics outlined

  'The period of counter-revolution in Russia brought not only "thunder and lightning" in its train, but also disillusionment in the movement and lack of faith in common forces. As long as people believed in "a bright future," they fought side by side irrespective of nationality - common questions first and foremost! But when doubt crept into people's hearts, they began to depart, each to his own national tent - let every man count only upon himself! The "national question" first and foremost!' (Stalin, 1913) Introduction A name as embedded into our cultural consciousness as Josef Stalin really requires little introduction for the vast majority of modern readers. This article will not serve to portray the character or the story of the man himself but rather the brief work of his authorship entitled: "Marxism and The National Question." This work was written in an attempt to explain a core contention in Marxist theory in 1913 during hi