Rick Spence

probably the Soviets would come somewhat ahead of that.

probably the Soviets would come somewhat ahead of that.

probably the Soviets would come somewhat ahead of that.

Well, there's an interesting question for me. I mean, there are all kinds of questions about this. I mean, one of the questions is whether or not Lenin was an Okhrana agent. Okay, I've just said heresy. I'll do that quite often because I am a heretic and proud of it. Great. Why would you possibly say that Lenin could have been an Okhrana agent? Well, let's look what he managed to do.

Well, there's an interesting question for me. I mean, there are all kinds of questions about this. I mean, one of the questions is whether or not Lenin was an Okhrana agent. Okay, I've just said heresy. I'll do that quite often because I am a heretic and proud of it. Great. Why would you possibly say that Lenin could have been an Okhrana agent? Well, let's look what he managed to do.

Well, there's an interesting question for me. I mean, there are all kinds of questions about this. I mean, one of the questions is whether or not Lenin was an Okhrana agent. Okay, I've just said heresy. I'll do that quite often because I am a heretic and proud of it. Great. Why would you possibly say that Lenin could have been an Okhrana agent? Well, let's look what he managed to do.

So you had, coming into the 20th century, nominally a single Marxist movement, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. And Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, majorityites and minorityites, are merely factions of that party. And they always agreed that they were all Marxists and We all believe in dialectical materialism and the rise of... We're all socialists, comrade.

So you had, coming into the 20th century, nominally a single Marxist movement, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. And Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, majorityites and minorityites, are merely factions of that party. And they always agreed that they were all Marxists and We all believe in dialectical materialism and the rise of... We're all socialists, comrade.

So you had, coming into the 20th century, nominally a single Marxist movement, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. And Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, majorityites and minorityites, are merely factions of that party. And they always agreed that they were all Marxists and We all believe in dialectical materialism and the rise of... We're all socialists, comrade.

The difference was the tactical means by which one would attain this. And what Lenin wanted was a militant, small-scale vanguard party. He wanted a revolution. He wanted to seize power, seize control of the state. And once you have the state, then you induce socialism from above.

The difference was the tactical means by which one would attain this. And what Lenin wanted was a militant, small-scale vanguard party. He wanted a revolution. He wanted to seize power, seize control of the state. And once you have the state, then you induce socialism from above.

The difference was the tactical means by which one would attain this. And what Lenin wanted was a militant, small-scale vanguard party. He wanted a revolution. He wanted to seize power, seize control of the state. And once you have the state, then you induce socialism from above.

Whereas the majority of the people, the so-called Mensheviks, the minorityites, who are, oddly enough, the vast majority of the party, that's one of the first things. How do you lose that argument? How does the minority get to grab the name majorityites? But Lenin did that.

Whereas the majority of the people, the so-called Mensheviks, the minorityites, who are, oddly enough, the vast majority of the party, that's one of the first things. How do you lose that argument? How does the minority get to grab the name majorityites? But Lenin did that.

Whereas the majority of the people, the so-called Mensheviks, the minorityites, who are, oddly enough, the vast majority of the party, that's one of the first things. How do you lose that argument? How does the minority get to grab the name majorityites? But Lenin did that.

So what Lenin wanted was a conspiratorial party of committed revolutionaries that would plot and scheme and undermine and eventually seize control of the state and induce socialism from above. There were other Russian Marxists who thought that that sounded vaguely totalitarian and not really democratic and not even terribly socialist. And they opposed that, ineffectively, from the beginning.

So what Lenin wanted was a conspiratorial party of committed revolutionaries that would plot and scheme and undermine and eventually seize control of the state and induce socialism from above. There were other Russian Marxists who thought that that sounded vaguely totalitarian and not really democratic and not even terribly socialist. And they opposed that, ineffectively, from the beginning.

So what Lenin wanted was a conspiratorial party of committed revolutionaries that would plot and scheme and undermine and eventually seize control of the state and induce socialism from above. There were other Russian Marxists who thought that that sounded vaguely totalitarian and not really democratic and not even terribly socialist. And they opposed that, ineffectively, from the beginning.

Outmaneuvered every step of the way. The Mensheviks are a case study in failure of a political organization. That, too, will be heresy to some people. But look, they lost. Now, so what Lenin managed to do, starting around 1903, continuing on to this, is he managed to divide Russia. to take what had been a single Marxist party and split it into angry, contending factions.

Outmaneuvered every step of the way. The Mensheviks are a case study in failure of a political organization. That, too, will be heresy to some people. But look, they lost. Now, so what Lenin managed to do, starting around 1903, continuing on to this, is he managed to divide Russia. to take what had been a single Marxist party and split it into angry, contending factions.