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Definition of “Leninism” Proposed by Stalin

The term “Leninism” was first used by the Mensheviks in 1904 to attack Lenin. After the October Revolution, the Mensheviks, the Socialist Revolutionary Party, and some others misinterpreted and belittled Leninism in different ways, accusing it of being idealistic, without international character and without new theoretical developments. In addition, after Lenin’s death, the top leadership of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) was faced with various theoretical and practical problems, consequently, there were serious differences in the line, guidelines, and policies of socialist construction. It was, therefore, urgent to sort out the precious theoretical heritage left by Lenin and find ways and means to solve these problems in order to eliminate the differences. Thus, the understanding of what Leninism is became the focus of an intense debate. In this debate, Stalin, with his unique insight, scientifically clarified the definition and basic issues of Leninism, which later became the leading interpretation of Leninism in the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)…

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