Primary sourceBook1915 (English translation 1919)
The Collapse of the Second International
Vladimir Lenin · 1915 (English translation 1919)
Lenin's 1915 pamphlet attacking the Socialist parties that abandoned internationalism to support their own nations in World War I.
Lenin wrote this pamphlet himself, laying out his critique of international socialism during wartime.
About this source
What it is
This is a political pamphlet written by Vladimir Lenin in 1915, during the First World War. It attacks the failure of the Second International, the alliance of European socialist parties, to oppose the war. This version is an English translation published in 1919.
Why it matters
The pamphlet shows Lenin developing his argument that most socialist leaders had betrayed internationalism by supporting their own governments' war efforts. It reveals his thinking just before the Russian Revolution and his break from mainstream European socialism.
Look closer
- Why might a 1919 publisher want to reproduce Lenin's wartime writings in English?
- What does Lenin mean by "collapse" — collapse of what, exactly?
- How does Lenin's tone suggest he saw himself as separate from other socialists?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vladimir Lenin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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