The State and Revolution

Why are Lenin’s fellow socialists a prime target in State and Revolution? How do Lenin’s views of revolution and communism contrast with those of some of his contemporaries?

What key principles or ideas does Lenin draw upon in the writings of Marx and Engels? In what ways does he adapt their writings to illustrate his own views and arguments?

How are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat characterized in State and Revolution? What is the wider significance of these characterizations? Are these characterizations still relevant today?

Research the Paris Commune and compare what you learn to Lenin’s portrait of it in State and Revolution. How does the Paris Commune function as a case study in Lenin’s analysis? How do his views compare with other contemporary assessments of the Commune’s rise and fall?

Compare State and Revolution to some of Lenin’s other notable writings. What key themes, ideas, and/or argumentative strategies does State and Revolution share in comparison to his body of work more generally? In what ways, if any, does State and Revolution represent a divergence or development of his political thought?

How, in Lenin’s estimation, does capitalism plant the seeds of its own destruction? What does it produce that leads to its complete negation? What are the strengths and weaknesses of his analysis?

Research some of the writings of the Russian anarchists, such as Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin. How do their conceptions of the state, class consciousness, and/or a post-state society compare with Lenin’s conceptions? What are some of the key differences and similarities between these thinkers?

What are some of the differences between social democracy and communism, as Lenin defines it? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Lenin’s assessment of social democracy?