Lenin’s Conception of the Party

Abstract

The chapter analyses Lenin’s ideas regarding the Party as a strategic political organization within the context of pre-revolutionary Russia, when the Russian Social Democratic Party was illegal and its leaders were in exile. His theoretical approach to organization from a left Marxist perspective is explored and contrasted with Rosa Luxemburg’s critical views and reservations concerning centralism. The chapter describes how Lenin’s ideas were received and adapted to meet contemporary political realities in Cuba and Latin America.