It is impossible to predict the time and progress of revolution. It is governed by its own more or less mysterious laws.
Under socialism all will govern in turn and will soon become accustomed to no one governing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lenin suggests that in a socialist society, everyone will share governance which may lead to a lack of respect for authority.
In this quote, Vladimir Lenin expresses a critical perspective on socialism’s approach to governance. He suggests that the principle of collective governance in socialism will eventually teach individuals to operate without centralized authority, implying a potential challenge to the idea of leadership and the functioning of organized society. This reflects on the broader implications of governance in a socialist framework, where the cyclical nature of leadership might risk diminishing individuals' appreciation for the need for governance itself.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about political systems in a classroom setting.
More from Vladimir Lenin
All quotes →For the complete extinction of the state, complete Communism is necessary.
Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism.
A democracy is a state which recognizes the subjection of the minority to the majority, that is, an organization for the systematic use of violence by one class against the other, by one part of the population against another.
We are not utopians, we do not “dream” of dispensing at once with all administration, with all subordination. These anarchist dreams, based upon incomprehension of the tasks of the proletarian dictatorship, are totally alien to Marxism, and, as a matter of fact, serve only to postpone the socialist revolution until people are different. No, we want the socialist revolution with people as they are now, with people who cannot dispense with subordination, control, and "foremen and accountants".
The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
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