Question

Explain Lenin's 'April Theses'. - 3 mark question

Answer 1

Lenin wrote his theses in 1917, at which time Russia was involved in World War I. He said the peasants and the workers should not support any war effort that did not include the overthrow of capitalism. He also argued that they needed to be taught that fighting in World War I was not in their interests.  Lenin was of an uncompromising bent: He called for no support of the Provisional government then in power, which he characterized as capitalist and imperialist in nature. He demanded that the entire state's power be turned over to the Soviets of Workers Deputies (i.e., the communists) and rejected parliamentary democracy.  He called for the abolition of the state bureaucracy, the police, and the army.  He called for the nationalization of all landed estates and the end of private land ownership. He demanded the consolidation of all banks into one state bank to be run by the workers. He said the first step was not immediately to introduce socialism but to put production and distribution of all products under the control of the Soviets of Workers Deputies. His writings show he wanted no compromise with the more centrist social democrats, because he thought they were or would be betrayed by the capitalists