Lars T. Lih > Quotes

“In the Social Democratic jargon of the time, the term ‘propaganda’ had connotations that were very different from those it later acquired. It did not mean simplistic messages used to bombard passive targets, but rather an intensive and wide-ranging education that was initiated by the workers. ‘Propagandized worker’ was therefore a title of honour, an indication of potential leader status.”
― Lars T. Lih, Critical Lives: Lenin

“(...) the interaction of Social Democratic ideals with the realities of Russian society lead to the creation of a new social type, the praktik, the activists who actually ran local organizations. This new type was something of a hybrid, made up of both plebeian intellectuals and ‘intelligentnye workers’ (workers who adopted intelligentsia ideals).”
― Lars T. Lih, Critical Lives: Lenin

“As I wrote in Bread and Authority, “we who live in normal times can have little conception of what is required to restore the structure of everyday life and return efficacy and meaning to social activity. We should be more ready than we often are to extend our compassion and admiration.” Or, to put it in more social-sciency terms, we need to be aware of the powerful constraints, the daunting cost-benefit choices, and the meagre alternatives before we judge. Or, to put it more colloquially, if we walk imaginatively a mile or two in their shoes, we might be inclined to cut these guys more slack.”
― Lars T. Lih, What Was Bolshevism?

“Armand’s role in Lenin’s life should not be reduced to her alleged stint as ‘Lenin’s mistress’.”
― Lars T. Lih, Critical Lives: Lenin