Imperialism and War: Classic Writings by V.I. Lenin and Nikolai Bukharin

by Phil Gasper (Editor), Nikolai Bukharin (Contributor), Vladimir Lenin (Contributor)

Here, with critical notes and context, are V.I. Lenin’s Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism and Nikolai Bukharin’s Imperialism and World Economy. They are both essential for understanding the nature of imperialism and war historically—and today.

V.I. Lenin (1870–1924) was a leader of the Russian Revolution and wrote extensively on the issues facing the working-class movement of his time.

Nikolai Bukharin (1888–1938) was a Bolshevik leader and intellectual, and later a Soviet politician until his execution at the hands of Stalin’s government.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Lenin

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

Phil Gasper is a professor of philosophy at Notre Dame de Namur University in California. He writes extensively on politics and the philosophy of science and is a frequent contributor to CounterPunch.

Reviews

[LaMarx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colonial policy? BTFO
Third-Worldism? BTFO
Class collaboration? BTFO
Social patriotism? BTFO
Nationalism? BTFO
Social democracy? BTFO
Protectionism? BTFO
Militarism? BTFO
Dengism? Retroactively BTFO
Fascism? Retroactively BTFO
Honestly, Bukharin’s might be better than Lenin. Lenin’s really is a popular outline. Bukharin gets into the weeds and tends the garden.

[Cesar Baez · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Capitalism has increased the power of militarism enormously. It has brought to the historic arena millions of armed men. The arms, however, begin to turn against capitalism itself. The masses of the people, aroused to political life and originally tame and docile, raise their voices ever higher. Steeled in battles forced upon them from above, accustomed to look into the face of death every minute, they begin to break the front of the imperialist war with the same fearlessness by turning it into civil war against the bourgeoisie. Thus capitalism, driving the concentration of production to extraordinary heights, and having created a centralized production apparatus, has therewith prepared the immense ranks of its own grave- diggers. In the great clash of classes, the dictatorship of finance capital is being replaced by the dictatorship of the revolutionary proletariat. “The hour of capitalist property has struck. The expropriators are being expropriated.”

[lena ∵ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lenin's and Bukharin's works compliment each other really well, though Lenin's work seems to me a little more simplistic in its language and links to Marx, while Bukharin cites long passages from Capital and does, in my opinion, a better, more rigorous job explaining the minute details.
Both authors spend a great deal critiquing Kautsky (Lenin more so than Bukharin) which is kinda funny, because Kautsky's idea of "peaceful capitalism" just about prevailed - ever since the introduction of the possibility of nuclear warfare, there hasn't been a direct conflict between the various imperialist powers, only indirect, proxy warfare.
If I were to choose between the two works, I'd choose Bukharin's, because Lenin's seems a bit too "evolutionary" (he follows the progression of capitalism linearly and, in my opinion, simplisticly). Both are still great books and worth a read as a starting point in the study of imperialism

[Justin T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really phreaked my understanding of the world economy and international relations.

[Eran · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because I haven't read anything by Lenin and because I saw it on the drunk captain's desk in the movie Triangle of Sadness. Not sure what I was hoping for, but it was a snooze fest. Lenin's essay is an ad hominem attack on Karl Kautsky. If Lenin doesn't like something, he says it's bourgeois. Capitalism bad. Imperialism more bad.

[Soph Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and lucid analysis that I think will take a while to sink in but very glad I took the time to read both Lenin and Bukharin's classic works.