POLS 3125 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Workers Vanguard, Proletariat
20 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Instrumental: representing interests of most powerful (capitalists) who have greatest influence in state institutions: structural (functional): acts in interests of capitalist system", no matter who influences or exercises power. Vladimir lenin (russian revolutionary: a small group of intellectuals to lead in place of the workers. Vanguard of the proletariat": revolution might then spark world revolution. Lenin and bolshevik party: take over power, establish new state. The soviet experiment: a command economy: 1928. New leader: joseph stalin: new goals: socialism in one country". Command economy: first priority: industrialization (heavy industry) Setting productions targets for enterprises (5-year plans) Incurred massive human costs (millions die of starvation) Soviet success and the west: gains attention from many in the west which is caught in the great depression, soviet union as main organization force of international movement (comintern) In many western states, a variety of communist and socialist political parties were formed, especially around the support of workers and worker unions.
