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Primary sourceBookSpring 1918

The Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government

Vladimir Lenin · Spring 1918

Lenin's programmatic work from spring 1918 outlining labor discipline, accounting, and management policies for the new Soviet state.

Lenin wrote this to set out his program for governing Soviet Russia once the Bolsheviks held power.

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Front cover of a 1953 Gospolitizdat book in Russian. Red title at top reads V. I. Lenin, followed by the black title Очередные задачи Советской власти, a small red star below, and the publisher Госполитиздат 1953 at the bottom. Cream-colored background.
Vladimir Lenin, The Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government, 1918 (1953 edition shown). Moscow: Gospolitizdat.

About this source

What it is

Written by Lenin in spring 1918, this work lays out his plans for organizing the economy and government of Soviet Russia after the Bolsheviks took power. It discusses labor discipline, accounting systems, and the idea of placing single managers in charge of enterprises.

Why it matters

This text shows Lenin grappling with the practical challenges of actually running a state once revolution had succeeded, moving from theory to governance. It reveals his priorities in the chaotic early months of Soviet rule, including concerns about organization and discipline among workers.

Look closer

  • Why might discipline and organization become urgent concerns right after a revolution?
  • What does Lenin's emphasis on 'one-man management' suggest about his views on efficiency versus worker democracy?
  • How might this document differ from Lenin's earlier revolutionary writings in tone and purpose?

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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