Talk:Vladimir Lenin

May I suggest some minor changes to the English here, which seems to have been written by someone whose first language is Russian. (And who better to write on this topic?)

Change "the frigid Siberia" to "frigid Siberia" (or better yet just to "Siberia"). Change "after czar" to "after the Czar".

More generally, there should be links to a much more extensive history of Russia, especially the development of the Revolution from the late 1880s to 1917, and to events after the Revolution.

These would bring out that Lenin actually created the Bolshevik Party by leading a split within Russian Marxism; that the Bolsheviks considered themselves a faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, not a separate party themselves, until 1912; and that Russia, under Lenin's rule, underwent some great variations in economic organization prior to Stalin's final full socialization of the economy beginning in 1928 -- from the extremes of "War Communism" during the Civil War, to the "New Economic Policy" after 1921, none of them successful in squaring the circle of how a country led by thorough socialists can experience all-round sustainable economic growth to match and exceed that achievable under a system of ordered liberty.

Changes

Firstly saying someone destroyed everything is subjective. Secondly saying Stalin destroyed Marxism-Leninism (communism) ignores the fact the USSR continued after Stalin died in 1953.

I'm confused, what was wrong with saying that Marxism-Leninism lasted until the fall of the U.S.S.R.? Sayingt that Stalin destroyed everything seems kind of unencyclopedic.NSmyth 01:22, 22 March 2007 (EDT)

You're right, Nsmyth. MountainDew 01:27, 23 March 2007 (EDT)

Lenin set the country off in a Marxist-Leninist direction. Upon Lenin's death, Trotsky (Lenin's protoge) and Stalin competed for power, with Stalin eventually gaining the upper hand. Stalin's policies were extremely un-Leninistic. Marxism-Leninism did not last until the fall of the USSR. It was eclipsed by Stalinism during the purges. GodlessLiberal 18:01, 23 March 2007 (EDT)