Daniels, A Documentary History of Communism, vol. 1 (1984)
Study Questions for Week 1
pp. 7-13, selections from What Is To Be Done?
What is Lenin’s main criticism of Bernstein and other "evolutionary" socialists?
Why according to Lenin is a "vanguard party" necessary?
Why (a. t. Lenin) can’t workers reach revolutionary class consciousness on their own?
How does Lenin envision organization of the "economic struggle"?
How does Lenin envision organization for the "political struggle"?
Why (a. t. Lenin) is a highly centralized secret organization of revolutionaries necessary?
So what kind of party did Lenin propose building, and why?
pp. 14-18, Lenin on the Party Split (from One Step Forward…)
How does Lenin explain the causes of the Bolshevik-Menshevik split?
For Lenin, what is at the heart of this conflict over party organization?
pp. 25-29, Lenin on the Revolution of 1905 (from Two Tactics…)
Was Lenin against the idea of a bourgeois revolution in 1905? Explain.
Was Lenin in favor of bourgeois reform? Explain.
According to Lenin, what role should the proletariat play in the "bourgeois revolution" in Russia? Explain.
With whom (a. t. Lenin) must the proletariat ally itself in order to make the revolution? Why?
p. 33, Lenin on Democratic Centralism (from "Freedom of Criticism…")
Based on this selection, explain what Lenin meant by "democratic centralism"?
pp. 46-48, Lenin on National Self-Determination (from "The Rights of Nations…")
Did Lenin support the idea of Russian nationalism? Explain.
Did he approve of nationalism in general?
What did he mean by "national self-determination"?