General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: My family and I are in Holland on a visit [View all]KingCharlemagne
(7,908 posts)that I disagree with you in your assessment of Lenin. He did an enormous amount to advance our understanding of Marxist theory and, with his notion of a 'Vanguard' party to lead the proletariat, provided a significant addition to Marxist theory. In my opinion, Lenin is a great Communist, certainly equal in stature to Fidel, Ho and Mao.
I would also note that 'anarchism' and 'communism' are essentially one and the same, in that communism -- with its ultimate withering away of the state - arrives after a transitional period of socialism wherein all forms of oppression of and discrimination against workers are overcome (to paraphrase John Smith).
If you get a chance, read Smith's sobering interview in Truth-Out: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/39786-globalization-is-just-a-contemporary-word-for-financial-colonialism