Thread by @sovietstern

"SOCIALISM IN ONE COUNTRY"

was theorised by LENIN in 1915

explicitly and publically

as INTERNATIONALIST STRATEGY FOR REVOLUTION based on Marx/Engels theory🤩

and NOT as "nationalist deviation" "invented" by Stalin.

This thread provides some Lenin quotes proving the point. ->

4 links to interesting texts where Lenin EXPLICITLY speaks about the possibility or even unfortunate necessity of victory of SOCIALISM IN ONE COUNTRY:

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

More to follow later on😊

Huge polls and studies on twitter showed a disturbing confusion regarding the question,

who again exactly "invented" the theory of socialism in one country?🤔

NOT Lenin? Or NOT Stalin?

EVEN DEEPER studies though reveal the fact: IT WAS NOONE BUT LENIN😊

https://twitter.com/sovietstern/status/1391735879186722816

"Uneven economic and political development is an absolute law of capitalism. Hence, the victory of socialism is possible first in several or even in one capitalist country alone."

Lenin in: "On the Slogan for a United States of Europe", August 1915

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"The war of highly developed capitalism can ... be opposed only with a war against the bourgeoisie ... only under certain special conditions, a war to defend the socialist state against bourgeois states is possible."

Lenin in "The Junius Pamphlet", 1916

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"Revolution cannot be the united action of the proletarians of ALL countries... to dream of the 'united action of the proletarians of ALL countries' means postponing socialism to the Greek calends, i.e. for ever."

Lenin, "A Caricature of Marxism", 1916/24 marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"The victory of socialism in one country does not at one stroke eliminate all wars in general. On the contrary, it presupposes wars. ... Socialism cannot achieve victory simultaneously in all countries."

Lenin: Mil.Programme of Prol.Revolution, 1916/17

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

Lenin 1916: "Engels was perfectly right when, in his letter to Kautsky (Sep12 1882) he clearly stated that it was possible for ALREADY VICTORIOUS socialism to wage 'defensive wars'. What he had in mind was defense of victorious proletariat against bourgeoisie of other countries."

"Only after we have overthrown, finally vanquished and expropriated the bourgeoisie of the whole world, and not merely in one country, will wars become impossible."

Lenin 1916

Lenin 1916: "Polish or Finnish [peasants and workers] ... will in all likelihood very soon convince their peoples that it is unwise to extend their present legitimate hatred of the Great Russians, for their role of hangman, to the socialist workers and to a socialist Russia."

"It cannot be denied that in individual cases, by way of exception, for instance, in some small country after the social revolution has been accomplished in a neighbouring big country, peaceful surrender of power by the bourgeoisie is POSSIBLE."

Lenin, 1916

"All nations will arrive at socialism – this is inevitable, but all will do so in not exactly the same way. Each will contribute something of its own to some form of democracy, some variety of DotP, to varying rate of socialist transformations in different aspects of social life"

"The fact is that we do not know, and cant know, how many of the oppressed nations will in practice require secession in order to contribute something of their own to the different FORMS of democracy, the different FORMS of transition to socialism."

Lenin marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"Civil wars of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie for socialism are inevitable. Wars are possible between one country in which socialism has been victorious and other, bourgeois or reactionary, countries."

Lenin, "On the 'Disarmament' Slogan", 1916
marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"These steps [1-8] will mark the TRANSITION TO SOCIALISM, which cannot be achieved in Russia directly, at one stroke, without transitional measures, but is quite achievable + urgently necessary as a result of such transitional measures."

Lenin-letter 1917
marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"'Russia is a backward country, a peasant, petty-bourgeois country, therefore there can be no question of a social revolution'. People forget, however, that the war has placed us in extraordinary circumstances, and that side by side with petty bourgeoisie we have Big Capital." ->

-> "But what are the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies to do when they assume power? Should they go over to the bourgeoisie? Our answer is – the working class will continue its class struggle."

Lenin-Speech 1917
marxists.architexturez.net/archive/lenin/…

"'This is a bourgeois revolution, it is therefore useless to speak of socialism,' say our opponents. But we say just the opposite... [masses] must take over the syndicates... When all such measures are carried out, Russia will be standing with one foot in socialism."

Lenin 1917

"Can We Go Forward If We Fear To Advance Towards Socialism?"

A whole chapter of a Lenin text written and published in 1917 is dedicated to the POSSIBILITY AND NECESSITY to advance towards socialism in Russia:

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

You gotta be kidding me! Stuff is – based😎

Lenin 1917: "It seems to say that we are not ripe for socialism, that it is too early to 'introduce' socialism, that our revolution is a bourgeois revolution and therefore we must be the menials of the bourgeoisie."

1/3

Lenin 1917: "Pseudo-Marxist lackeys of bourgeoisie... do not understand... what imperialism is, what capitalist monopoly is, what the state is, and what rev.democracy is. For anyone who understands this is bound to admit that there can be no advance except towards socialism."
2/3

Lenin 1917: "Socialism is merely the next step forward from state-capitalist monopoly. Or, in other words, socialism is merely state-capitalist monopoly WHICH IS MADE TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE WHOLE PEOPLE and has to that extent CEASED to be capitalist monopoly."

3/3

Lenin 1917: "Either we are revolutionary democrats in fact, in which case we must not fear to take steps towards socialism. Or we fear to take steps towards socialism, condemn them... by arguing that our rev. is a bourgeois revolution, that socialism cannot be 'introduced', etc."

Lenin 1917: "It is IMPOSSIBLE in twentieth-century Russia, which has won a republic + democracy in a revolutionary way, to go forward without ADVANCING towards socialism, without taking steps towards it (steps conditioned and determined by the level of technology and culture...)"

Lenin 1917: "Universal labour conscription, introduced, regulated and directed by the Soviets of Workers, Soldiers and Peasants Deputies, will STILL NOT be socialism, but it will NO LONGER be capitalism. It will be a tremendous STEP TOWARDS socialism..."🤩
marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"We have never set ourselves 'insoluble' social problems, and as for the PERFECTLY soluble problem of taking immediate steps towards socialism, which is only way out of the exceedingly difficult situation, that will be SOLVED ONLY by dictatorship of proletariat + poor peasants."

Last quote was from Lenins "Can the Bolsheviks Retain State Power?", october 1917, focussing on Russia.

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

Certainly debatable quotes! but lets certainly put them on here firstly. For investigation purposes😊

And there are some more to follow, i fear.

Lenin 1917: "In taking power, we are not at all afraid of stepping beyond the bounds of the bourgeois system; on the contrary, we declare clearly, directly, definitely, and openly that we shall step beyond those bounds, that we shall fearlessly march towards socialism, that our->

->road shall be through a Soviet Republic, nationalisation of banks + syndicates, workers' control, universal labour conscription, nationalisation of land, confiscation of landowners livestock...etc. In this sense we drafted our programme of measures for transition to socialism."

"We do not know how soon after our victory revolution will sweep the West. We do not know whether or not our victory will be followed by temporary periods of reaction and the victory of counter-revolution."

Lenin 1917: Revision of the Party Programme
marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

Lenin 1917: "FEAR of marching towards socialism is the most contemptible TREASON to the proletariats cause. We all agree that most important of first steps to be taken must be such measures as nationalisation of banks+syndicates. Let us first realise this +... THEN WE SHALL SEE."

Lenin 1918: "For the success of socialism in Russia a certain amount of time... will be necessary, during which the hands of socialist govt must be absolutely free to achieve victory over bourgeoisie first in our own country + to launch far-reaching mass organisational work ..."

"It would be a mistake, however, to base the tactics of the Russian socialist government on attempts to determine whether or not the European, and especially the German, socialist revolution will take place in the next six months (or some such brief period). ->

"Inasmuch as it is quite impossible to determine this [date of Revolution in Europe / Germany], all such attempts, objectively speaking, would be nothing but a blind gamble."

Lenin: "On The History Of The Question Of The Unfortunate Peace", 1918

marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"The moment a socialist government triumphed in any one country, questions must be decided [...] exclusively from the point of view of the conditions which best make for the development and consolidation of the socialist revolution which has already begun." Lenin in January 1918

"principle of our tactics must not be, which of 2 imperialisms it is more profitable to aid at this juncture, but rather, how socialist revolution can be... ensured possibility of consolidating [or at least] maintaining itself in 1 country until it is joined by other countries."

"It would be absolutely impermissible tactics to stake the fate of socialist revolution, which has already begun in Russia, merely on the chance that German revolution may begin in immediate future... Such tactics would be a reckless gamble. We have no right to take such risks."

"A socialist Soviet Republic in Russia will stand as living example to peoples of all countries, and propaganda + revolutionising effect of this example will be immense. There: the bourgeois system +... war between 2 groups of marauders. Here: peace + socialist Soviet Republic."

"Reorganisation of Russia on basis of dictatorship of the proletariat, and [nationalisation+stuff😊], is quite feasible economically [and] will render socialism invincible both in Russia and all over the world ..."

Lenin 1918, in favour of building socialism firstly in Russia.

"I have no illusions about our having only just entered the period of TRANSITION to socialism, about not yet having reached socialism. But if you say that our state is a socialist Republic of Soviets, you will be right."

Lenin, Report, January 1918
marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

"When we are told that the victory of socialism is possible only on a world scale, we regard this merely as an attempt, a particularly hopeless attempt, on the part of the bourgeoisie and of its voluntary and involuntary supporters to distort the irrefutable truth. ->

-> The final victory of socialism in a single country is of course impossible. Our contingent of workers and peasants which is upholding Soviet power is one of the contingents of the great world army, which at present has been split by world war, but which is striving for unity->

-> and every piece of information, every fragment of a report about our revolution, every name, the proletariat greets with [...] cheers, because it knows that in Russia the common cause is being pursued, the cause of proletariat’s uprising, international socialist revolution. ->

-> A living example, tackling the job somewhere in one country is more effective than any proclamations and conferences; this is what inspires the working people in all countries."

Longer Lenin quote, 4 tweets, from that January-1918-Report again: marxists.org/archive/lenin/…

so far i found 18 more nice Lenin quotes just for 1918 regarding issues of "building socialism firstly in one country". gonna try to present them neatly.

Aim of this thread is to provide at least all quotes where Lenin somehow indisputably speaks of "socialism in one country".