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Primary sourceBook1919

The Great Initiative: Communist Saturdays

Vladimir Lenin · 1919

A 1919 pamphlet by Lenin praising unpaid voluntary labour on 'Communist Saturdays' as a model of Soviet work discipline.

This pamphlet was written by Lenin himself to promote voluntary labour as a Soviet ideal.

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The Great Initiative: Communist SaturdaysPDF · 40 pages
Vladimir Lenin, The Great Initiative: Including the Story of 'Communist Saturdays', 1919. Translated edition, Glasgow.

About this source

What it is

This is a pamphlet written by Vladimir Lenin in 1919, titled The Great Initiative, which includes his account of 'Communist Saturdays'. It was translated and printed by a socialist publisher in Glasgow. A scanned copy survives in a library collection.

Why it matters

The pamphlet shows how Lenin tried to build enthusiasm for the new Soviet state during the civil war, when the Red Army was fighting opponents and the economy was in crisis. He praised workers who gave their labour for free as proof of revolutionary dedication, showing how the Bolsheviks used propaganda to encourage sacrifice and discipline among ordinary people.

Look closer

  • Why might Lenin want to celebrate unpaid work during a time of war and hardship?
  • Who published this pamphlet, and why might that matter for how it was used?
  • What does this source leave out about how workers actually felt about 'Communist Saturdays'?

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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