Lenin - Genesis And Development Of A Revolutionary

by H. W. Theen

This study shows how Lenin's life was permanently altered at the age of seventeen by the execution of his brother Alexander, his transformation from a model student in secondary school into a revolutionary at the university, his fascination with Chernyshevsky, and his long involvement with the Jacobin wing of the revolutionary movement.Originally published in 1980.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this expecting it to be somewhat anti-communist, but overall it is very fair and Theen is an engaging writer. Communists will enjoy this, and liberals could probably tolerate it. Theen is clearly well read in terms of history as well as theory, which helps make it more engaging for me.
The book mainly focuses on Lenin's childhood until the time of the October revolution, with a brief chapter focused on the aftermath of the revolution up to Lenin's death. He highlights the execution of Lenin's brother, Alexander, as the turning point which led Lenin to socialism. I think this would be a great intro for any communist into Lenin's early life. It doesn't really require you to have read any of Lenin's works, though some context is helpful.