One of the great paradoxes of Communism is that in the end, the state is supposed to "wither away," leaving a stateless, classless society in which there is high functioning and little or no want. This circumstance is presented as different to the other stages of history, which are said to proceed through revolutionary overthrow of the existing system. In particular, socialism is meant to be born out of capitalism through a violent proletarian revolution that seizes the means of production and establishes itself as an all-powerful "dictatorship of the proletariat." But this absolute totalitarian state is also exactly what's supposed to "wither away" to make room for Communism. How can that be? In this episode of the New Discourses Podcast, host James Lindsay takes you through the fifth chapter of Vladimir Lenin's The State and Revolution, written in 1917, to show you Lenin's vision for socialism and his vague but terrifying plan for this magical transition. Join him on this maiden voyage into Leninism on the New Discourses Podcast.
Lenin and the Brutal Magic of Communism