History 10 Diploma Prep: Historical Investigation

How Did Karl Marx and His Theory of Marxism Influence

Lenins Efforts to Over Throw the Provisional Government,
Eventually Leading to the Russian Revolution of 1917?


Name: Haneen Noori
Class: History 10 DP
Date: November 23, 2012
Word Count: 2,057
Number of Pages: 13
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Table of Contents
A. Plan of Investigation.................................................................................................. 3
B. Summary of Evidence................................................................................................ 4-5
C. Evaluation of Sources................................................................................................ 6-8
D. Analysis..................................................................................................................... 9-11
E. Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 12
F. Bibliography............................................................................................................... 13
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Part A: Plan of Investigation
The Russian Revolution took place in 1917 and dismantled the Tsarist monarchy, paving the way
for the creation of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, commonly referred to as the
Soviet Union or USSR. Historians largely credit Karl Marxs works, published 35 years prior,
for influencing the key figures who went on to lead the Russian Revolution. Marx was a German
philosopher, journalist and revolutionary socialist whose famous works include The Communist
Manifesto and Das Kapital. This investigation will examine how Marx and his developed theory
of Marxism played a role in influencing Lenins efforts to over throw the Provisional
Government. Although there were many factors that contributed to the Russian Revolution of
1917 and the rise of the Bolshevik Party, Marxs works played a vital role in introducing the idea
of Socialism.
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Section B: Summary of Evidence
Karl Marx and Marxism
Karl Marx was born May 5, 1818 in Germany and died March 14, 1883 in London, England.
Marx is considered to be the founder of modern scientific socialism.
1
Marx wrote about how he wanted to banish the causes of oppression, poverty, and suffering
from this earth.
His developed theory is referred to as Marxism and his followers called Marxists.
In 1844 while in France, Marx met Friedrich Engels who became his collaborator, assisting
him with research, editing and writing.
In 1845 Marx was expelled by the French government because of his writings urging the
working class to rise against the upper class.
He was also deported from Germany and Belgium for his revolutionary writings and remained
living in London for the duration of his life.
2
Engels accompanied Marx to London where they worked on The Communist Manifesto.
It was published in 1848 and is recognized as one of the world's most influential political
manuscripts.
By the time Russia became communist, Karl Marx had been dead for approximately 35 years.
The revolution of 1905 was the introduction to the communist revolution of 1917.
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1
Leone, Bruno. Capitalism: Opposing Viewpoints. Minessota: Greenhaven Press, 24. Print.
2
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 41-42. Print.
Lenin and Leninism
Vladimir Lenin was born April 10, 1870 and died January 21, 1924.
Lenin was strongly influenced by Karl Marxs theories and was a convinced Marxist.
3
His ongoing philosophical developments of Marxism produced Leninism.
The Bolshevik party was founded by Lenin in 1904.
It was formed after the second Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party.
It was a mass organization under a democratic hierarchy that consisted of 22 workers who
considered themselves the leaders of the revolutionary working class of Russia.
4
Their goal was to over throw the Provisional Government that had taken over after the
abdication of Tsar Nicholas II on March 15 1917.
The Provisional Government lasted a total of 8 months until Lenin and the Bolshevik Party
succeeded in overthrowing it after the October Revolution.
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3
Daniels. V. , Robert. A Documentary History of Communism. 1. New York: Random House, 1960. 3-5. Print.
4
Daniels. V. , Robert. A Documentary History of Communism. 1. New York: Random House, 1960. 22-24. Print.
Section C: Evaluation of Sources
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New York,
United States: Oxford University Press, 1992. Print.
Origin: This type of document is a political manuscript written by Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels, making it a primary source. The original German copy was published in London,
England in 1848.
5
Purpose: The purpose of this document is to share Marxs beliefs of societys class struggles and
the problems with capitalism. Marx uses this document to show humanity that the working class,
referred to as the proletariat, can rise up against the upper class, the bourgeoisie. The intended
audience for this document is the working class.
Values: This piece of document is extremely valuable to historians as it directly introduces the
reader into the mind of Karl Marx. It provides a better understanding of what he believed to be
the problem with society. The first chapter of the Manifesto, Bourgeois and Proletarians
analyzes class struggle by stating that the proletariat must fight against the owners of the means
of production, known as the bourgeoisie. It states that the history of all hitherto existing
societies is the history of class struggles and that the oppressor and oppressed stood in constant
opposition to one another.
6
It proclaimed that society as a whole was splitting up into two great
hostile camps: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.
7
His belief is that if social classes no longer exist in
society, there would be no class struggle, therefore putting all of humanity under equal value.
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5
Hysell, Patricia. "The Communist Manifesto was published." examiner.com. N.p., 21 2010. Web. 21 Nov 2012.
<http://www.examiner.com/article/the-
6
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. 3-5. Print.
7
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. 3-5. Print.
The document goes on to state that the the proletariat are being exploited by the bourgeois
through constant revolutionising of production [and] uninterrupted disturbance of all social
conditions".
8
Seeing that the proletariat are the ones working for the means of production, Marx
believes that it is unjust for the bourgeoisie to benefit more. As a primary source, this document
is valuable to historians as it provides Marxs ideas and beliefs in his own words.
Limitations: The Communist Manifesto was originally published in German. The first English
translation was made by Helen Macfarlane in 1850, and was published in the Chartist newspaper
The Red Republican.
9
Mcfarlanes version was a much more fanciful version than that of other
editions. Through the translation and number of editions, the text had been misinterpreted and
some phrases translated inaccurately in some cases. This can be a crucial limitation as not all the
information may have stayed true to the original German copy. Another limitation important to
note while reading Marxs document is that he had a particular point of view. He focused more
on the negative sides of the capitalist ideology and the positive sides of communism but did not
recognize that there could be merits and weaknesses to both.
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002.Print.
Origin: This type of document is a book written by Ted Gottfried. It was published in 2002 in
Connecticut, USA.
Purpose: This book addresses the events leading up to the Russian Revolution. Its purpose is to
educate readers about communism and how the 1917 Russian Revolution came about. The
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8
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, edited by David McLellan. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. 5-6. Print.
9
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, edited by David McLellan. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. xix. Print.
intended audience are those looking to learn about communism and how a tsarist Russia became
the leading communist power in the 20th century.
Values: This piece of document is valuable to both historians and anyone looking to learn about
the Russian Revolution. It discusses many valuable figures such as Tsar Nicholas II, Karl Marx,
Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. In the book, Gottfried states that Karl Marx
was writing about poverty under capitalism, and he was living in the horror he was writing
about.
10
This gives the reader an insight into what Marxs life was like and what inspired him to
write his works, most importantly The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. It also gives
readers valuable information about Lenin, noting: Lenin pointed out that the dissatisfaction of
workers would always be defused by better wages and working conditions.
11
This is a vital
point because it provides the reader with a transition between a Lenin who was very inspired by
Marx and a Lenin that grew into his own theories.
Limitations: Although this book provides useful information about the events leading up to the
Russian Revolution, it was very brief. The document is only over 100 pages, therefore not
providing every piece of detail. For example, the October Revolution is a time where there were
many events occurring day by day and this document does not cover every aspect of it. If the
reader is looking to learn about specific details, this document is limited in that aspect. To fully
understand the change Russia went through, it is important to realize the state that the country
was in before in great detail.
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10
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 44. Print.
11
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 20. Print.
Section D: Analysis
Karl Marx did not live to see his theories become a reality, as he died approximately 35
years before the Russian Revolution of 1917 took place. When Marx met Friedrich Engels in
1844 they agreed on all theoretical matters, which led to the writing of The Communist
Manifesto, published in London, England on February 2, 1848. Within weeks of the Manifesto
publication, revolutions coincidentally broke out in France, Italy, and Austria.
12
This indicated
that at that time, throughout many countries in Europe, the working class opposed the way their
government ran and were striving for a revolution and a different way of life. Marx was
convinced that a revolution had to take place in an industrialized country, and that it could only
be brought on by workers seizing control of the means of production. When Marx later went on
to write the first volume of Das Kapital, the Russian translation was not reviewed by the tsars
censors until March 1872
13
. They assumed that very few Russians would read it, and even fewer
would understand it
14
so they did not prevent its publication. However, the censors were
mistaken as the first print run of Das Kapital sold three thousand copies within a year. It is
believed that Das Kapital indeed led to revolution in Russia.
15
The Communist Manifesto was a condensed and insightful summary discussing the
world-view that Marx and Engels had expanded during their political involvement over the past
years. The first section summarizes the political aspects of history portraying it to be driven by
the constant conflict between those who control the means of production, and those who do not.
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12
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 42-43. Print.
13
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 44-45. Print.
14
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 44-45. Print.
15
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 44-45. Print.
This section of the Manifesto establishes the Bourgeois as being the employers of wage labour
and owners of means of social production, labeling them as modern Capitalists, while the
Proletarians, having no means of production of their own, are forced into reducing their labour
power in order to live.
16
The second section explains that the communists did not oppose other
working-class parties, as the proletariats were their interest as a whole. There were two factors
that distinguish the communists from other working class groups: they were international and
they understood the importance of the proletarian movement. Critics who object communism
claim that it deprives people the right of acquiring their own property through means of hard
work. Marx and Engels respond by saying that the proletariat do not have property anyway and
that the capital, which is a result of united actions of all society, should be owned collectively.
17

The third section discusses the particular position for the Communist League by exposing the
rivalries of socialism - the reactionary, the bourgeois, and the utopian. It is important to note that
the reactionary were the main rivals of the Communist League.
18
In the fourth and final section
of the Manifesto, Marx and Engels deal with how communists perceive opposition parties in
various European countries. It distinctively predicted that an approaching bourgeoisie revolution
would be followed instantly by a proletarian revolution in Germany. This demonstrated Engels
and Marxs view that history moved in insistent stages and that conditions for socialism had to
develop within a bourgeois society.
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16
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. 61. Print.
17
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. xiv. Print.
18
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New York, United States:
Oxford University Press, 1992. xiv-xv. Print.
Vladimir Lenin was a convinced Marxist and his ongoing philosophical developments
produced Leninism - an application of Marxism. It suggested that a revolutionary movement
could not depend on the working class and would have to consist of professional full time
revolutionaries.
19
This is a very different approach than Marx calls for: that the working class,
as a whole, must rise up against the upper class.
20
When the Bolshevik party was formed in 1904,
with Lenin as the leader, their goal was to overthrow the Provisional Government and set up a
government for the proletariat. They had established themselves as the only party which opposed
maintaining the war efforts, so the Bolshevik workers had to unite and work together to fight
against the military. The need for a revolution in Russia was clear to the members as they agreed
on the ultimate end: to establish Socialism.
21
During the October Revolution phase of 1917 the
Bolsheviks came to power in Russia. Lenin convinced the Bolshevik Party to form an instant
rebellion against the Provisional Government. The revolution of 1905 was the introduction to the
communist revolution of 1917. Both of these revolutions and the government of the Soviet
Union were influenced by Marxs theories.
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19
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 21. Print.
20
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002. 21. Print.
21
. "MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of Organisations." Marxist.org. N.p.. Web. 5 Nov 2012. <http://
www.marxists.org/glossary/orgs/b/o.htm>.
Section E: Conclusion
To conclude, Karl Marx and his developed theory of Marxism played a large role in influencing
Lenins efforts to over throw the Provisional Government, which later lead to the Russian
Revolution of 1917. Marxs publication of The Communist Manifesto discussed what he believed
to be wrong with society as it introduced his theory of Marxism. The Russian publication of Das
Kapital was a catalyst to Russian civilians as it introduced a new ideology of life to them,
contrary to the tsarist monarchy. Vladimir Lenin was influenced greatly by Marxism as his
ongoing philosophical developments produced Leninism. He was convinced that a revolutionary
movement could not depend on just the working class, taking a much different approach than
Marx. As Lenin formed The Bolshevik party, his goal was to overthrow the Provisional
Government. The revolution of 1905 was the introduction to the communist revolution of 1917.
Both of these revolutions and the government of the Soviet Union were influenced by Marxs
theories. The Bolsheviks founded the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic which would
later become the Soviet Union ruled under Joseph Stalin for the majority of its existence.
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Section F Bibliography
Works Cited:
Daniels. V. , Robert. A Documentary History of Communism. 1. New York: Random House,
1960. Print.
Gottfried, Ted. The Road To Communism. Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books, 2002.
Print.
Leone, Bruno. Capitalism: Opposing Viewpoints. Minessota: Greenhaven Press. Print.
Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich edited by McLellan, David. The Communist Manifesto. New
York, United States: Oxford University Press, 1992. Print.
Websites:
Hysell, Patricia. "The Communist Manifesto was published." examiner.com. N.p., 21 2010.
Web. 21 Nov 2012. <http://www.examiner.com/article/the-
"MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of Organisations." Marxist.org. N.p.. Web. 5
Nov 2012. <http://www.marxists.org/glossary/orgs/b/o.htm>.
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