On the Foundations of Leninism

Officially published in 1924 (in Moscow) as lectures, this work was aimed at party and academic audiences. The content systematically defines “Leninism” as it stood in Stalin’s view. Stalin asserts that Leninism is built on Marxism but adds emphasis on dictatorship of the proletariat as a weapon to suppress counter-revolution. He affirms that socialism must be internationalist yet tactically flexible in national questions. He also declares Marxist philosophy to be dialectical materialism (with Lenin’s contributions as supplementary). No comprehensive English title predated Soviet collections, but later translations often use “The Foundations of Leninism.” The book reads like an educational primer: it states its theses up front and then elaborates with examples from recent history.

The importance of this work is twofold. First, it signaled Stalin’s authority in defining official ideology in the post-Lenin period. By putting “Leninism” into formal language, Stalin positioned himself as the chief interpreter of Lenin’s legacy. Second, as a historical document, it reveals Stalin’s early 1920s priorities: for instance, chapters on philosophy and party organization show he regarded these as core. The lectures were republished widely in the USSR and became part of Leninist textbooks. They later served as a source of doctrine within the Communist International. In short, On the Foundations of Leninism helped solidify Stalin’s doctrinal leadership just as the Party was wrestling with Lenin’s funeral and succession struggles.

This modern Critical Reader’s Edition includes an illuminating afterword tracing Stalin's intellectual relationships with revolutionary philosophers and politicians (including Hegel, Feuerbach, Engels, and Ricardo), containing unique research into his intellectual development and economic-metaphysical theories, religious impulses masquerading as materialism, a comprehensive timeline of his life and works, a glossary of Lenin-Stalinist terminology, and a detailed index of his work works. Combined with the scholarly amplifying material, this professional translation is an indispensable exploration of Stalin’s world-changing philosophy which he manifested into one of the most terrifying authoritarian regimes ever created.