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Collected Works #3
Works, Volume 3: March-October 1917
The third volume contains the major works of J. V. Stalin relating to the preparatory period of the Great Socialist Revolution of October 1917.
J. V. Stalin worked in 1917 in close fellowship with V. I. Lenin, directing the Bolshevik Party and the working class in its struggle for the conquest of governmental power.
An important place in the works contained in the volume is given to the question of Bolshevik leadership of the masses at the time of the June and July demonstrations and of the elections to the Petrograd district and city Dumas (the appeal “To All the Toilers, to All the Workers and Soldiers of Petrograd,” and the articles “Against Isolated Demonstrations,” “The Municipal Election Campaign,” “What Has Happened?” “Close the Ranks!” “This Is Election Day,” etc.), at the time of the action to defeat Kornilov's counter-revolutionary attempt (“We Demand!” “The Conspiracy Continues,” “Foreigners and the Kornilov Conspiracy,” etc.), and in the period of direct preparation for the armed uprising, September- October 1917 (“The Democratic Conference,” “Two Lines,” You Will Wait in Vain!” “The Counter-revolution Is Mobilizing—Prepare to Resist!” “Forging Chains,” “A Study in Brazenness,” etc.).
A number of the works in the volume deal with the struggle of the Party to convert the Soviets from organs for the mobilization of the masses into organs of revolt and of proletarian rule (reports at the Emergency Conference of the Petrograd organization of the R. S. D. L. P. (B.) and at the Sixth Congress of the Party, and the articles “All Power to the Soviets!” “Soviet Power,” “Blacklegs of the Revolution,” “What Do We Need?”).
Most of the articles in this volume were reprinted in the book, On the Road to October, published in 1925 in two editions. They were first printed in the Central Organ of the Bolshevik Party, Pravda, which also appeared under other names—Proletary, Rabochy, Rabochy Put—as well as in the Bolshevik papers, Soldatskaya Pravda, Proletarskoye Delo, Rabochy i Soldat, etc.
J. V. Stalin worked in 1917 in close fellowship with V. I. Lenin, directing the Bolshevik Party and the working class in its struggle for the conquest of governmental power.
An important place in the works contained in the volume is given to the question of Bolshevik leadership of the masses at the time of the June and July demonstrations and of the elections to the Petrograd district and city Dumas (the appeal “To All the Toilers, to All the Workers and Soldiers of Petrograd,” and the articles “Against Isolated Demonstrations,” “The Municipal Election Campaign,” “What Has Happened?” “Close the Ranks!” “This Is Election Day,” etc.), at the time of the action to defeat Kornilov's counter-revolutionary attempt (“We Demand!” “The Conspiracy Continues,” “Foreigners and the Kornilov Conspiracy,” etc.), and in the period of direct preparation for the armed uprising, September- October 1917 (“The Democratic Conference,” “Two Lines,” You Will Wait in Vain!” “The Counter-revolution Is Mobilizing—Prepare to Resist!” “Forging Chains,” “A Study in Brazenness,” etc.).
A number of the works in the volume deal with the struggle of the Party to convert the Soviets from organs for the mobilization of the masses into organs of revolt and of proletarian rule (reports at the Emergency Conference of the Petrograd organization of the R. S. D. L. P. (B.) and at the Sixth Congress of the Party, and the articles “All Power to the Soviets!” “Soviet Power,” “Blacklegs of the Revolution,” “What Do We Need?”).
Most of the articles in this volume were reprinted in the book, On the Road to October, published in 1925 in two editions. They were first printed in the Central Organ of the Bolshevik Party, Pravda, which also appeared under other names—Proletary, Rabochy, Rabochy Put—as well as in the Bolshevik papers, Soldatskaya Pravda, Proletarskoye Delo, Rabochy i Soldat, etc.
465 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Joseph Stalin
596 books455 followersJoseph Stalin, originally Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, was a Soviet revolutionary, politician and statesman who became the leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953).
Initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he consolidated power to become an informal dictator by the 1930s. Ideologically adhering to the Leninist interpretation of Marxism, he formalised these ideas as Marxism–Leninism, while his own policies are called Stalinism.
Initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he consolidated power to become an informal dictator by the 1930s. Ideologically adhering to the Leninist interpretation of Marxism, he formalised these ideas as Marxism–Leninism, while his own policies are called Stalinism.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 13, 2023
Must read for Lenin and peasantry tables enjoyers
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September 12, 2019Lenin published his book "The Development of Capitalism in Russia" in 1895 when he was 25. Lenin's book is one of the most detailed history books about the history of capitalism in Russia. Lenin wrote the development of agriculture, industry, trade, international commercial relations and technology of capitalist Russia in 19. Century. Lenin says he is writing the history of capitalism in Russia with Marxist methodology, his book contain his approachs and understanding of Marxism for explanation of Russian development of capitalism. For Lenin, Russia is a modern capitalist society in 1895 although the differences between Russian and European capitalisms, Lenin writes the possibilities of the formation of modern socialism in Russia.
January 17, 2020
In this work Lenin attacks narodnik economists. He attempts to prove that
A) agriculture in Russia was not a viable basis for communism
B) that capitalism is a progressive force
And in doing so hopes to differentiate himself from the agricultural revolutionaries in the Russia of the period.
Somewhat interesting from a historical perspective.
A) agriculture in Russia was not a viable basis for communism
B) that capitalism is a progressive force
And in doing so hopes to differentiate himself from the agricultural revolutionaries in the Russia of the period.
Somewhat interesting from a historical perspective.
November 11, 2025
Among Lenin’s earliest works, The Development of Capitalism in Russia describes in great detail and with copious statistics how Russia was transformed from a feudal economy to a largely capitalist one (although retarded by feudal survivals) after the emancipation of the serfs in the 1860s (centuries after the same developments occurred in England and Western Europe). After an initial chapter on the Marxist theory, the first half of the book deals with the growth of capitalist agriculture, while the second half deals with industry.
As with most of Lenin’s writings, the book is polemical, refuting the theories of the Narodniks, who idealized pre-capitalist institutions such as particularly the village communities and denied that capitalism was developing or even possible in Russia. This purpose explains why the book puts the emphasis on the progressive historical role of capitalism, while his later writings emphasize the inability of the Russian capitalists to carry the process to completion, and the need for the proletariat in alliance with the small peasants to take control of the state and economy (although the book explicitly recognizes the contradictions of capitalism). Of course today when the Narodniks and their theories are largely forgotten, the polemics are irrelevant and what is important about the book is the historical analysis of the rise of capitalism.
This is not an easy book to read, and I would recommend that it be read after Marx’s Capital which both provides the theoretical background for it and describes the process for England and Western Europe (although in less detail). I would also recommend Perry Anderson’s Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism and Lineages of the Absolutist State for the history of how Russia became feudal in the first place.
I read this from the Marxists Internet Archive, which has a great selection of the fundamental Marxist writings (along with much that isn’t particularly worthwhile.)
As with most of Lenin’s writings, the book is polemical, refuting the theories of the Narodniks, who idealized pre-capitalist institutions such as particularly the village communities and denied that capitalism was developing or even possible in Russia. This purpose explains why the book puts the emphasis on the progressive historical role of capitalism, while his later writings emphasize the inability of the Russian capitalists to carry the process to completion, and the need for the proletariat in alliance with the small peasants to take control of the state and economy (although the book explicitly recognizes the contradictions of capitalism). Of course today when the Narodniks and their theories are largely forgotten, the polemics are irrelevant and what is important about the book is the historical analysis of the rise of capitalism.
This is not an easy book to read, and I would recommend that it be read after Marx’s Capital which both provides the theoretical background for it and describes the process for England and Western Europe (although in less detail). I would also recommend Perry Anderson’s Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism and Lineages of the Absolutist State for the history of how Russia became feudal in the first place.
I read this from the Marxists Internet Archive, which has a great selection of the fundamental Marxist writings (along with much that isn’t particularly worthwhile.)
March 7, 2026
Lenin writes this book as a contestation to the Narodnik's reactionary and unscientific proposition of building socialism without even going through an establishment of capitalism in Russia. They failed to notice that in the late 19th century work and class division was already taking place given by the Tsarist's reforms, like eliminating the constitutional assignment of parcels to peasants, slowly fading away those traces of feudalism. Then they broke their feudal lords' chains, and were given the choice of choosing somebody else's chains; this created the material conditions for the peasants to reorganize and change classes. A few of them began to accumulate huge amount of wealth and became peasant bourgeois (kulaks), and most of them had to either sell their force of labor to the kulaks or move to where the factories were beginning to settle.
Moreover, he argues that the development of capitalism in Russia was bringing some sort of progress in the society development, like the elimination of the patriarchal institution which subjugated the women in the household to the will of the working men. Then, women gained a chance of independence by being incorporated into the labor market (also the children were dragged on the labor market, so not that progresist in that regard).
The way Lenin writes his observations is one of the masterly classes of how his way of thinking works, which deservedly constitutes one of the reasons of the "L" in ML (Marxism-Leninism): historical materialism.
This is a good book if you want to understand the last period of the Tzarist empire and how they were adopting capitalism.
Moreover, he argues that the development of capitalism in Russia was bringing some sort of progress in the society development, like the elimination of the patriarchal institution which subjugated the women in the household to the will of the working men. Then, women gained a chance of independence by being incorporated into the labor market (also the children were dragged on the labor market, so not that progresist in that regard).
The way Lenin writes his observations is one of the masterly classes of how his way of thinking works, which deservedly constitutes one of the reasons of the "L" in ML (Marxism-Leninism): historical materialism.
This is a good book if you want to understand the last period of the Tzarist empire and how they were adopting capitalism.
July 6, 2025
I came to this book looking to learn from and what to watch out for authoritarian red flags. Specifically, I though this book, due to its agrarian subject matter, would give hints to the Dekulakization that was to come. However, Lenin rightly criticized the flaws of post-serfdom Russia and made clear his plans for land reform, which was popular in a country where the nobility and church still held most of it. The authoritarian red flags did not wave proudly here, or if they did I missed them. If you're also looking, anything by Alexander Solzhenitsyn shows the problems with Lenin's and Stalin's Russia. I just wanted it straight from the horses mouth and I didn't find it here in the slog of late 19th century census data. The one good thing this book can do is to argue for why we need labor unions and labor laws.
September 10, 2024
bit of a slog but very incisive. lenin is so fucking bitter and done with the romanticism of the narodnik economists and this whole book exists out of his sheer frustration with their lack of historical and economic consciousness
really important in understanding the nature of pre-revolution russian industry and the common misconceptions surrounding its form. it also gives a magnified view on how feudal relations are broken down at the start of the capitalist epoch! Lots of tables and economics, tho, but i stuck with it as my little commute book because it felt very incisive in covering industrial russian history
really important in understanding the nature of pre-revolution russian industry and the common misconceptions surrounding its form. it also gives a magnified view on how feudal relations are broken down at the start of the capitalist epoch! Lots of tables and economics, tho, but i stuck with it as my little commute book because it felt very incisive in covering industrial russian history
October 16, 2022
Full of statistics about the price of various good in Russia at the time. I found it rather boring reading, without any big ideas
September 22, 2023
If you love tables and charts, let me tell you, this is the text for you. Bedrock of Lenin's strategy in the coming decades, a monumental work worth sitting with.
May 19, 2023
This volume includes the works of Stalin in the days leading up to the Great Socialist October Revolution in 1917 after his return from exile.
There isn't too much to say as there aren't really any significant theoretical works of note in this volume. That said, this volume does offer an excellent insight into the events unfolding in Petrograd and Russia overall in 1917 from one of the October Revolution's greatest leaders, second only to Lenin, with articles and speeches dealing with the growing Kornilov counter-revolution, the counter-revolutionary bourgeois allegiances of Kerensky and his allies, the elections and protests in Petrograd, and the assumption of power by the Soviets.
There isn't too much to say as there aren't really any significant theoretical works of note in this volume. That said, this volume does offer an excellent insight into the events unfolding in Petrograd and Russia overall in 1917 from one of the October Revolution's greatest leaders, second only to Lenin, with articles and speeches dealing with the growing Kornilov counter-revolution, the counter-revolutionary bourgeois allegiances of Kerensky and his allies, the elections and protests in Petrograd, and the assumption of power by the Soviets.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews