Editing Marxism–Leninism

[[File:Marxism-leninism symbol.png|thumb|Image representing [[Karl Marx]], [[Friedrich Engels]] and [[Lenin|Vladimir Lenin]], the main contributors to Marxism–Leninism]]
<onlyinclude>'''Marxism–Leninism''' is an ideological framework that originated in the application of [[Marxism|Marxist]] theory to [[revolution|revolutionary]] practice by [[Vladimir Lenin]] and the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]]. It is based on [[dialectical materialism]], the [[Historical materialism|materialist conception of history]], and [[Marxism|Marxist political economy]] including the Leninist conception of [[imperialism]].

After the success of the [[October Revolution|Russian revolution in 1917]] and the establishment of the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]] in 1922, many [[Communist party|communist parties]] around the world began to adopt Marxism–Leninism as their political line, and Marxism–Leninism was the main theoretical framework which guided the [[Korean revolution|Korean]], [[Vietnamese revolution|Vietnamese]], [[Cuban Revolution|Cuban]], [[Laotian Civil War|Laotian]] and [[Chinese Revolution|Chinese]] revolutions as well as other successful national liberation and revolutionary movements in [[Africa]] and [[Asia]].

Today, Marxism–Leninism is one of the theoretical foundations of governing [[communist parties]] in already existing socialist ([[Actually Existing Socialism|AES]]) states, including [[Communist Party of China|China]], [[Communist Party of Cuba|Cuba]], [[Workers' Party of Korea|Korea]], [[Lao People's Revolutionary Party|Laos]] and [[Communist Party of Vietnam|Vietnam]]. This is the political line of [[Communist parties|many communist parties]] waging [[class struggle]].</onlyinclude>

==Development==
=== Origin of the term ===
In the 1920s, the term Marxism–Leninism was first formulated and defined by [[Joseph Stalin]] based on his synthesis of orthodox [[Marxism|Marxist theory]] and [[Leninism|Lenin's thought]].

Lenin never used the terms "Leninism" or "Marxism–Leninism"; however, his ideas, which developed upon classical Marxist thought, were viewed by the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Bolsheviks]] and many later communists as a major advance in Marxism.

===Early texts===
Major founding texts of Marxism–Leninism are Stalin's ''[[Library:The foundations of Leninism|The Foundations of Leninism]]'' (1924) and ''[http://www.marx2mao.com/Stalin/CQL26.html Concerning Questions of Leninism]'' (1926), these two are the most important texts from the compilation of ''[http://www.marx2mao.com/Stalin/POLtc.html Problems of Leninism]'', a compilation of texts written by Stalin that synthesize almost completely Marxism with Leninism; and ''[[Library:History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|The History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolshevik)]]'', which was produced by a commission of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1938.<ref>Ferenc Feher (1991), "Soviet Marxism", in Tom Bottomore, [https://comun.ourproject.org/documents/tom_b_dict/bottomore-a-dictionary-of-marxist-thought.pdf ''A Dictionary of Marxist Thought''] . (Anti-Soviet but informative).</ref>

== "Stalinism" ==
The term "Stalinism" is often in various contexts an erroneous and pejorative term used by left-anticommunists and rightists. The term within some usage can refer to a time-period or style i.e. "Stalinist architecture," music, or era. It can also refer to Stalin's specific policies and actions in leadership, whereas, Marxism-Leninism primarily refers primarily to his theoretical contributions, and has been interpreted and utilized as a predominant ideology by many different countries varying based upon the material conditions of these countries.

== Characteristics ==

=== Dialectical and historical materialism ===
{{Main article|Dialectical materialism}}
By virtue of being a Marxist ideology, Marxism–Leninism concurs with the core Marxist tenets of [[dialectical materialism]]. Dialectical materialism serves as an essential form of analysis for any Marxist ideology and thus is a core component of Marxism–Leninism.

=== Critique of imperialism ===
{{Main article|Imperialism}}
Imperialism as seen and described by Lenin is the highest stage of [[capitalism]],<ref>[[Library:Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism|Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism]]</ref> 
involving the domination of the economy by [[monopoly capital|monopolies]] and the [[export of capital]] as the principal form of [[exploitation]] and [[capital accumulation|accumulation]] engaged in by the leading capitalist countries.
[[Imperialism]] in the Leninist sense is essentially limited to the capitalist era.

Imperialism entails savage competition between the leading capitalist countries for colonies and spheres of influence, culminating in imperialist wars (such as the First World War, which Lenin witnessed).

=== Party organization principles ===
{{Main article|Democratic centralism}}
Marxist–Leninist parties usually adhere to the principle of [[democratic centralism]] which involves free debate within the party and democratic development of party policies by the party members and their elected committees and leaders, but strict adherence by party members to those policies once the policies have been chosen.

=== Strategy and tactics of revolution ===
{{Main article|Revolution}}
Marxist–Leninists hold that successful revolutions involve more than spontaneous, elemental action by the masses but require a [[vanguard party]] to provide them theoretical guidance and, in the revolutionary moment, tactical leadership. The vanguard (communist) party is based on full-time revolutionaries and is a repository of revolutionary experience.

=== Theory and practice of the dictatorship of the proletariat ===
{{Main article|Dictatorship of the proletariat}}
Marxist–Leninists adhere to Marx's two-stages model of communism, involving an initial, "lower" stage, often termed "[[socialism]]", which is transitional between capitalism and "higher" stage [[communism]] in which the state, money, and other vestiges of capitalism and class society no longer exist. In the lower stage a state, controlled by the [[proletariat]], remains necessary to defend against [[Counterrevolution|counter-revolution]] and to guide society away from capitalistic behaviors and toward cooperation and the "free association of the producers" which characterize true or higher-stage communism. The lower stage is also known as the ''dictatorship of the proletariat'' since it involves control of society by the proletariat.

Belief in the necessity of the dictatorship of the proletariat distinguishes Marxism–Leninism from more [[anarchism|anarchistic]] tendencies within social liberation theory.

==Classification==
The term Marxism–Leninism generally includes parties which took the [[Russian revolution|Russian Revolution of 1917]] as foundational, while other socialist formations, usually those are [[Opportunism|opportunist]] and reject the Russian Revolution including but not limited to [[libertarian socialism]], [[eurocommunism]], [[Austro-Marxism]], [[Bernsteinianism]], [[syndicalism]], [[Anarcho-communism]], [[Daniel De Leon|DeLeonism]], and [[social democracy]].

== See also ==

* [[Marxism-Leninism-Maoism|Marxism–Leninism–Maoism]]
* [[Hoxhaism]]
* [[Anti-revisionism]]
* [[Quotes:Marxism–Leninism|Quotes on Marxism–Leninism]]

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Marxism]] [[Category:Communism]]
[[Category:Left-wing ideologies]]
[[Category:Marxism–Leninism]]
[[Category:Communist ideologies]]