Primary sourceBook1918
The State and Revolution
Vladimir Lenin · 1918
Lenin's 1918 theoretical work on the state and revolutionary change, presented in its original Russian text.
Lenin's own theoretical work on revolution and the state, written during the Russian Revolution.
About this source
What it is
This is the original Russian text of Gosudarstvo i revolyutsiya (The State and Revolution), written by Vladimir Lenin in 1918. The full text is available through Wikisource.
Why it matters
Written around the time of the Russian Revolution, this work sets out Lenin's theory of the state, building on Marx's ideas and arguing for the revolutionary transformation of government. It is one of his most important theoretical texts and shows how he connected Marxist theory to the practical politics of revolution he was leading.
Look closer
- Why does Lenin open by discussing how revolutionary thinkers are treated during and after their lifetimes?
- What does this text suggest about how Lenin saw his own place in the history of Marxist thought?
- How might ideas written in the middle of a revolution differ from calm historical analysis?
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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