Building the Party: Lenin 1893-1914

Lenin #1

by Tony Cliff

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the pivotal events in world history, and the Russian Bolshevik Party played a central role in that revolution. This book by British socialist Tony Cliff (1917-2000) traces the building of that party and, in particular, the work of its main architect, Lenin.

Genres: History, Biography, Politics, Russian Revolution, Lenin, Nonfiction, Russia

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Born in Palestine to Zionist parents in 1917, Ygael Gluckstein became a Trotskyist during the 1930s and played a leading role in the attempt to forge a movement uniting Arab and Jewish workers. At the end of of the Second World war, seeing that the victory of the Zionists was more and more inevitable, he moved to Britain and adopted the pseudonym Tony Cliff.

In the late 1940s he developed the theory that Russia wasn’t a workers’ state but a form of bureaucratic state capitalism, a theory which has characterised the tendency with which he was associated for the remaining five decades of his life. Although he broke from “orthodox Trotskyism” after being bureaucratically excluded from the Fourth International in 1950, he always considered himself to be a Trotskyist although he was also open to other influences within the Marxist tradition.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Building the party is a good general outline of the development of the Bolsheviks and Lenin’s thought. I think the main strengths are the lengthy Lenin quotes put into context and the description of how Menshevik and Bolshevik politics differ. Cliff’s chapters on the significance of 1905 are also good.

However, it has its drawbacks. The chapters on the splits in the RSDLP leave me confused with a lot of questions. I think his bending the stick analogy doesn’t make sense and Cliff uses it to avoid saying he disagrees with Lenin. (E.g. Cliff says what is to be done is a ‘mechanical overemphasis on organisation’ and then cliff says it was correct because it was ‘operationally useful’ for Lenin to ‘bend the stick’ in that direction instead of actually making an explicit argument about why he thinks Lenin is wrong). It’s such a brief history which is very limiting. Sometimes he just goes on romantic rambles about Lenin that aren’t very political.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

se lee más fácilmente de lo que parece, solo que no nos daba la vida para más estos meses

[Augusto Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a very peculiar biography, and a very impressive one.

Thoroughly documented and referenced, comrade Cliff accomplished an amazing task in reconstructing biographically how Lenin built the Bolshevik party. That's the purpose of this book, to familiarize the reader with the political acts and events during Lenin's life which through struggles, persecutions, revolutions and his relentless leadership, provided a route and a method to successfully have a mass party for the workers.

My only complain is that the Lenin quotes and references are exclusively from the dozens of tomes of his Collected Works, not always the author is specifying the book or pamphlet published separately that us skint proles barely possessed and read.

Can't wait to read the crucial years 1914 -1917 in the next tome.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding work, charting the history both of Lenin's political evolution to become a Marxist, and the formation and growth of the Bolshevik party into a mass, working class, revolutionary party on the eve of the first world war. By examining the events occurring, decisions made, and debates had over 100 years ago, ad the contexts of these, there are many lessons to be learnt by activists today wanting to change the world for the better.

[Dan Sharber · Rating 4 out of 5]

first volume in the lenin bio. this one is a little slow but explains the genesis of lenin's ideas and his vision for a fighting social democratic party that could beat the czar and install a workers govt

[Brenmlaws · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an important if limited look at Lenin's life and his efforts in honing the politics and action needed to build a revolutionary policy. Cliff has some gaps in his analysis of theory, bending the stick for his own ends in writing this during the workers upturn in Britain, that his party was being built out of, but he does a great job at analysing Lenin's dogged party building.

[Jacob Woocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative but also quite dry examination of Lenin's thoughts and organizing -- and, just as importantly, the conditions in which these occurred -- during the years covered. What a guy.

[James Benni Brookfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing xx

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure this is just a bit too complimentary but so well written and exciting and good vibes. I love this book.

[Becca]

And this time... I am actually discussing it!

[Shane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a boring, mundane, and mind numbing exercise in ideological masturbation.

[Kaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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