Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin were the most important leaders in the Russian Revolution. Their strong beliefs and determination to their convictions motivated both men. They greatly influenced the political and philosophical outcomes of the Russian Revolution.
Karl Marx was a brilliant man. He would analyze the thoughts and publications of the philosophers of his time. Intellectuals were not overly impressed by him. It wasn’t until after his death that his political, social, and economic writings and philosophies were sought after. This was especially true in the socialist movement. His peers considered his thoughts radical.
While living in France, Marx became a communist. His writings told of terrible labor in capitalism, and the success of communism which promoted cooperation. He was asked to leave Paris. Marx then moved to Brussels where he followed communism ("Karl Heinrich Marx - Biography"). He studied the economy from a political point of view. In London where he lived for the rest of his life, Marx wrote a paper “The German Ideology” which was not published until he passed away ("Karl Marx, 1818-1883"). The main point of the paper was that capitalism would fall and communism would be embraced. Social reform would take place by making the working class stronger. The new ruling class would be the workers.
Marx joined the Communist League in London. His writings repeated how essential it was that ideas must incorporate both the life conditions and the history of the people who would uphold these ideas ("Karl Marx - The Sociology of Knowledge"). He stated that ideas change throughout a period of time and these changes must be taken into account.
Karl Marx died before the revolution. His thoughts...
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... He lived in Finland for a while. He wrote a letter to the Bolsheviks Executive Committee demanding an armed uprising. He secretly returned to Russia and was able to give power to the Bolsheviks. He used intellectuals as the leaders for the revolution. Using Marxist teachings, Lenin created the Russian Communist Party.
After civil war in Russia, the economy was broken, poor people were distressed. Lenin made one exception to his rules. He put into effect the New Economic Policy to boost up the failing economy. The New Economic Policy allowed capitalists from foreign countries to trade so that the poor people would have an open market. Lenin was a Bolshevik revolutionary, creating the Communist International.
So, all in all, while many people were involved in the Russian Revolution, nobody shaped the Revolution as strongly as Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin did.
During the 19th century, Russia was experiencing a series of changes with its entire nation and society overall. The government was trying to adapt themselves to them at the same time. It was not an easy time period for Russia whatsoever. Vladimir Lenin helped change this.
...ectively work with him. But he was an industrious worker and a talented person, and for Lenin, that was the main thing’ . Trotsky, despite his nuances and arrogance, was hugely significant in the short term through his brilliant tactics throughout the October Revolution where the Bolsheviks took control of Russia. Furthermore his coordination of the Red Army was definitive in Bolshevik victory in the civil war, removal of opposition in the terror, and he played an under appreciated role in reclaiming of occupied Russian lands following the world war. Trotsky’s final years in the Bolsheviks also saw him have a huge impact on the direction the communist party in Russia would take. So, in the short term, Leon Trotsky was undoubtedly significant, as he helped the Bolshevik’s propagate power and ultimately left them in a strong position, albeit on a changing course.
Karl Marx 's writing of ‘The Communist Manifesto’ in 1848 has been documented by a vast number of academics as one of the most influential pieces of political texts written in the modern era. Its ideologically driven ideas formed the solid foundation of the Communist movement throughout the 20th century, offering a greater alternative for those who were rapidly becoming disillusioned and frustrated with the growing wealth and social divisions created by capitalism. A feeling not just felt in by a couple of individuals in one society, but a feeling that was spreading throughout various societies worldwide. As Toma highlights in his work, Marx felt that ‘capitalism would produce a crisis-ridden, polarized society destined to be taken over by
From the very beginning Lenin felt that Russia did not need to participate in World War I because it was the main cause for Russia problems Lenin`s belief were developed from Karl Marx, the father of communism. Lenin believed that a government should really represent the people of Russia, therefore he aimed to overthrow the Russian government because it was said to be the cause of misery in Russia. After being put in exile for sedition, Lenin returns to Russia after news of the February Revolution. The revolution was created from built up tension and Russia being under repression and unrest for a long period time. As a result the Tsar abdicated from the Russian Empire and the making of a Provisional Government. This made Lenin's plan to overthrow the government much simpler.
Karl Marx is living in a world he is not happy with, and seems to think that he has the perfect solution. I am a strong believer in his ideas. We are living in a time period with a huge class struggle. The Bourgroise exploits and the proletariat are being exploited. Marx did not like the way this society was and searched for a solution. Marx looked for “universal laws of human behavior that would explain and predict the future course of events" (36). He saw an unavoidable growth and change in society, coming not from the difference in opinions, but in the huge difference of opposing classes. He speaks of his ideal society and how he is going to bring about this utopia in his book The Communist Manifesto. I am going to share with you more on his ideas of this “world-wide revolution” (36) that would put an end to social classes and allow people to live with equal sharing which would result in a harmonious and much peaceful world.
But both of them caused famines and wars that caused the deaths of millions of people, not to mention the horrible lives of those who survived. I do not believe that Lenin and especially not Stalin realized the goal of the Revolution as they had promised it, and I think that the people of Russia would have been better off if neither Lenin nor Stalin had come to power, and they continued to live under the Tsar. “One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic” -Joseph Stalin.
Karl Marx was a nineteenth century, German philosopher, economist, a revolutionary socialist whose philosophy known as Marxism became the foundation of communism. ”Despite Karl Marx stating social classes are the
was necessary in order for communism to work and promised that in time there would be no need to have any leader at all. It is clear that Under the rule of both Lenin and the Tsar, the people were unable to... ... middle of paper ... ...and economic collapse. Although it seems to me despite the obvious corruption in Lenin's leadership (people getting shot for opening up).
The Russian Revolution was the most important revolution in the 20th century. This revolution is one of the most important in history. This revolution was against economic oppression meaning the class higher lower and middle were being affected. The main causes of the Russian revolution were the wars that Russia was in which affected the economy. Russia lost most of the wars except for one. These wars caused workers to riot because there pay was low due to the fact most of the money was used for the war. Tsar Nicholas was the leader of Russia during that time was thinking more about his family then about leading his country to success. Which caused citizens to riot then Russia was in anarchy everyone fighting each other. Then, was rise of Lenin who took over Russia and created the Bolshevik party. The Russian revolution is the most important event in history due to the wars, the crash of
The Russian Revolution was two revolutions. One was in "March of 1917" (Llewellyn, 2012) and the other one was in "October of 1917" (Llewellyn, 2012). The first revolution happened because "the Russian people wanted change" (Llewellyn, 2012). Tsar Nicholas II, the autocratic ruler of Russia. He clung stubbornly to his power and he believed that the power was to be his divine birthright. The people on the other hand would change the future of Russia, not God. The first revolution started as a peaceful march in Russia’s capital city. The march then grew into a torrent of protest. Within a week of the protest, Tsar Nicholas II had been toppled from power and replaced by an interim government. This government was filled with liberals and moderates. The new government lasted barely six months before the government was overthrown and replaced, this time by radical socialists. "This group, known as the Bolsheviks, struggled to keep their power by suppressing dissent and eliminating their opponents" (Llewellyn, 2012) The Bolsheviks also began planning Russia’s transformation which was from a backward economic state organized on medieval principles into a modern industrial and technological superpower. "This transformation alone made the Russian Revolution one of the most significant events in modern history for all countries" (Llewellyn, 2012).
After the death of Lenin, his chief lieutenant Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin fought for control of the country. Stalin was able to win out over Trotsky and gain control of the Russian government. He felt that Lenin and Trotsky’s socialistic ideas were flawed in that they were to wait for other countries to revolt and become socialistic as well. Staling believed that a single country could make socialism .
Marxism is a philosophy coined by Karl Marx with the help of Friedrich Engles in the early nineteenth century. Marx’s writings inspired many progressive thinkers throughout the European continent and the United States. The Marxist doctrine stated that first a bourgeoisie revolution, which will ignite a capitalist fire. The political philosopher believed that communism could only thrive in a society distressed by “the political and economic circumstances created by a fully developed capitalism” With industry and capitalism growing a working class develops and begins to be exploited. According to Marx, the exploiting class essentially is at fault for their demise, and the exploited class eventually comes to power through the failure of capitalism:
Vladimir Lenin was the founder of Party, leader of the 1917 Revolution, and the architect, builder, and the Russian Communist first head of the Soviet Union. Lenin did not like the way Russia was governed and wanted to reshape the country by having one Soviet government that would be ruled directly by soldiers, peasants and workers. His ideas caused a revolution and made Russia a communist country in which he was the leader.
Karl Marx had very strong viewpoints in regards to capitalism, making him a great candidate for this assignment. People constantly debate over whether his ideologies held any grain of truth to them. I believe that although not everything Marx predicted in his writings has come true (yet), he was definitely right on about a lot of issues. As a matter of fact, his teachings can definitely be applied to today’s society. This paper will give a summary of Marx’s political philosophy. It will also discuss a contemporary issue: the current economic crisis— and how Marx believed racism played a crucial a role in it. Finally, through the lens he has developed, I will explain how Marx would analyze this issue and how one can argue that it spurred the current movement known as Occupy Wall Street.
He is known worldwide for his numerous theories and ideas in regards to society, economics and politics. His outlook on these subjects is known as Marxism. Marxism focuses on the imbalance and struggle between classes and society. Marx’s theories stem from the concept of materialism based society and the implications thereof. These concepts leads to the Marxist theory of the failure of capitalism. Marx had a number of specific reasons for the downfall of capitalism yet capitalism remains very real and successful. Marxism covers a wide range of topics and theories, but an in depth analysis of his criticism to capitalism and how it is not relevant to modern day will be explored.