The Historical Status of Leninism and Its Contemporary Significance

In the long practice of leading socialist revolution and construction, Lenin continuously opened up new realms in the adaptation of Marxism to the Russian context and the needs of the times, advancing Marxism to the new stage of Leninism. Lenin’s ideas and theories on socialist revolution and construction made original contributions to the forward development of Marxism, injected powerful impetus into the development of world socialism and the progress of human civilization, and provided important theoretical support for the reform practices of contemporary socialist countries. Inheriting, defending, and developing Leninism is a major issue of the times bearing on the prospects of world socialist development, and it also has far-reaching significance for promoting the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times [n1] and advancing Chinese-path modernization [n2]. Faced with the turbulent and complex international situation, correctly evaluating the historical status of Leninism and profoundly elucidating its contemporary significance undoubtedly have very important theoretical value and practical inspiration.

列宁在领导社会主义革命和建设的长期实践中，不断开辟马克思主义俄国化时代化新境界，把马克思主义推进到列宁主义新阶段。列宁关于社会主义革命和建设的思想理论为推进马克思主义向前发展作出了原创性贡献，为世界社会主义发展和人类文明进步注入了强大动力，为当今社会主义国家的改革实践提供了重要理论支撑。继承、捍卫和发展列宁主义，是攸关世界社会主义发展前景的重大时代课题，对推动马克思主义中国化时代化、推进中国式现代化亦具有深远意义。面对波谲云诡的国际局势，正确评价列宁主义的历史地位，深刻阐释列宁主义的当代意义，无疑具有十分重要的理论价值和现实启迪。

I. The Historical Status of Leninism

一、列宁主义的历史地位

Throughout his magnificent revolutionary career, Lenin never ceased to contemplate the major issues of the socialist revolution and cause. The most valuable intellectual legacy Lenin left us is the scientific theory named after him—Leninism. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, in the long practice of leading the Russian revolution and construction, Lenin made outstanding contributions to inheriting, defending, and developing Marxism, establishing immortal achievements in the world socialist movement and the process of human civilization.

在波澜壮阔的革命生涯中，列宁从未停止对社会主义革命与事业重大问题的思考。列宁留给我们的最宝贵思想财富，就是以他名字命名的科学理论——列宁主义。19世纪末20世纪初，列宁在领导俄国革命和建设的长期实践中，为继承、捍卫和发展马克思主义作出了卓越贡献，在世界社会主义运动和人类文明进程中建立了不朽功绩。

(A) Leninism Is Marxism Adapted to the Needs of the Times

（一）列宁主义是时代化的马克思主义

Keeping pace with the times is the most distinctive theoretical quality of Marxism; Marxism always stands at the forefront of the times. In his 1913 article “The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism,” Lenin emphasized that Marxism “is by no means a doctrine that is self-complacent, rigid, and unchanging, standing outside the highroad of the development of world civilization.” [n3] With a profound strategic vision, Lenin discerned the developmental trends of the times, keenly recognizing that “world capitalism has now (approximately from the beginning of the 20th century) developed to the stage of imperialism. Imperialism, or the era of finance capital, is a highly developed capitalist economy.” Stalin pointed out: “Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and the proletarian revolution. More precisely, Leninism is the theory and tactics of the proletarian revolution in general, and the theory and tactics of the dictatorship of the proletariat in particular.” Comrade Mao Zedong also pointed out: “Lenin is Marxism of the era of imperialism.” [n4]

与时俱进是马克思主义最鲜明的理论品质，马克思主义始终站在时代前沿。列宁在1913年发表的《马克思主义的三个来源和三个组成部分》中强调，马克思主义“绝不是离开世界文明发展大道而产生的一种故步自封、僵化不变的学说”。列宁以深邃的战略眼光洞悉时代发展趋势，敏锐地认识到“世界资本主义现在（约从20世纪初开始）已发展到帝国主义阶段。帝国主义，或金融资本时代，是高度发展的资本主义经济”。斯大林指出：“列宁主义是帝国主义和无产阶级革命时代的马克思主义。确切些说，列宁主义一般是无产阶级革命的理论和策略，特别是无产阶级专政的理论和策略。”毛泽东同志也指出：“列宁是帝国主义时代的马克思主义。”

From the perspective of the history of human social development, Lenin accurately grasped the epochal changes of capitalism on a global scale, demonstrated that imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism and the eve of the proletarian social revolution, and laid a solid theoretical foundation for the victory of the October Revolution. In his 1897 work *The Tasks of the Russian Social Democrats*, Lenin emphasized the important significance of revolutionary theory for the proletariat’s struggle for liberation. In his 1904 book *One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (The Crisis in Our Party)*, Lenin refuted the opportunism of the Mensheviks on organizational questions, elucidated the organizational principles of the Bolshevik Party, and developed the Marxist theory on proletarian parties. His 1916 theoretical work *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (A Popular Outline)* (abbreviated as *Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism*), using a large amount of statistical data and field investigation materials, profoundly expounded the formation process, essential characteristics, and fundamental contradictions of imperialism, greatly enriching Marxist political economy and the theory of scientific socialism, and can be regarded as a brilliant chapter in the adaptation of Marxism to the needs of the times. The book discusses the economic essence of imperialism, pointing out that to re-divide the world and carry out external expansion, the imperialist powers formed various alliances and engaged in fierce struggles, leading to the outbreak of the First World War. On the eve of the October Revolution, Lenin pointed out in *The Impending Catastrophe and How to Avert It*: “The war has extraordinarily accelerated the transformation of monopoly capitalism into state-monopoly capitalism, thus bringing humanity extraordinarily close to socialism. Such is the dialectics of history.” [n5] *The State and Revolution* elaborated in detail on the Marxist theory of the state, especially the theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat, clearly revealed the class nature of the state, systematically demonstrated the necessity of the dictatorship of the proletariat, shattered the distortions and attacks of the Second International revisionists on Marxist state theory, and had far-reaching enlightening and guiding significance for the victory of the October Revolution and the proletarian movements in various countries.

列宁从人类社会发展史角度，准确把握资本主义在全球范围内的时代变化，论证了帝国主义是资本主义的最高阶段，是无产阶级社会革命的前夜，为十月革命的胜利奠定了坚实的理论基础。列宁于1897年撰写的《俄国社会民主党人的任务》强调革命理论对于无产阶级解放斗争的重要意义。列宁于1904年撰写的《进一步，退两步（我们党内的危机）》一书批驳了孟什维克在组织问题上的机会主义，阐明了布尔什维克党的组织原则，发展了马克思主义关于无产阶级政党的学说。列宁于1916年完成的理论著作《帝国主义是资本主义的最高阶段（通俗的论述）》（简称《帝国主义论》），运用大量统计数字和田野调查材料，深刻阐述了帝国主义的形成过程、本质特征与基本矛盾，极大丰富了马克思主义政治经济学和科学社会主义学说，堪称马克思主义时代化的光辉篇章。全书论述了帝国主义的经济实质，指出为了重新瓜分世界和对外扩张，帝国主义列强结成各种联盟并展开激烈斗争，导致第一次世界大战的爆发。十月革命前夕，列宁在《大难临头，出路何在？》中指出：“战争异常地加速了垄断资本主义向国家垄断资本主义的转变，从而使人类异常迅速地接近了社会主义，历史的辩证法就是如此。”《国家与革命》一书则详尽阐发了马克思主义国家学说特别是无产阶级专政学说，鲜明揭示了国家的阶级本质，系统论证了无产阶级专政的必要性，粉碎了第二国际修正主义者对马克思主义国家学说的歪曲和攻击，对十月革命的胜利乃至各国无产阶级运动具有深远的启发和指导意义。

(B) Leninism Is Marxism Adapted to the Russian Context

（二）列宁主义是俄国化的马克思主义

After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, Russia embarked on the path of capitalism. However, until the end of the 19th century, Russia still had a large number of remnants of serfdom, and its economy and culture lagged far behind advanced capitalist countries such as the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. The Narodniks, who were quite influential in the Russian revolutionary movement, advocated that Russia could directly enter socialism through the village commune system (община) and that the leadership of the Russian revolution should belong to the peasantry. In his 1894 work *What the “Friends of the People” Are and How They Fight the Social-Democrats*, Lenin refuted the idealist historical view of the Narodniks, first proposed that the worker-peasant alliance was the main means to overthrow the Tsarist autocracy and the rule of the landlords and bourgeoisie, and pointed out the basic tasks of Russian Marxists. In 1895, Lenin united the Marxist circles in St. Petersburg into the League of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class, pioneered the integration of socialism with the Russian workers’ movement. In the process of continuously contemplating the strategic and tactical issues of the Russian revolutionary struggle, Lenin creatively applied Marxist economic theory to conduct in-depth research on Russian economic and social issues. From 1897 to early 1900, while in exile in Siberia, Lenin completed the monumental work *The Development of Capitalism in Russia*, comprising 400,000 Chinese characters. This book is a major innovative achievement of Marxist political economy and is hailed as a “direct continuation of Marx’s *Capital*.” [n6] It profoundly elaborated on the process and basic characteristics of the development of the capitalist economy in Russia, analyzed in detail the interrelationships among various classes, provided powerful theoretical support for the formulation of strategies and tactics by the proletarian party, and played a huge guiding role in the practice of the Russian revolution. After the failure of the first bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia (1905–1907), using Marxist theory as a weapon and combining it with Russia’s specific realities, Lenin engaged in fierce polemics and resolute struggles against various kinds of revisionism, including the Economists, Legal Marxists, Liquidators, Conciliators, and Bundists.

1861年废除农奴制后，俄国走上资本主义道路。然而，直到19世纪末，俄国仍存在大量农奴制残余，经济文化远远落后于美、英、法、德等先进资本主义国家。在俄国革命运动中颇具影响力的民粹派主张，俄国可通过村社制度直接进入社会主义，俄国革命的领导权应属于农民阶级。列宁在1894年发表的《什么是“人民之友”以及他们如何攻击社会民主党人？》中对民粹派的唯心史观予以批驳，首次提出工农联盟是推翻沙皇制度和地主资产阶级统治的主要手段，并指明了俄国马克思主义者的基本任务。1895年，列宁把彼得堡的马克思主义小组联合成工人阶级解放斗争协会，开辟了社会主义与俄国工人运动相结合的先河。列宁在不断思考俄国革命斗争的战略策略过程中，创造性地运用马克思主义经济理论，深入研究俄国经济社会问题。1897年至1900年年初，列宁在西伯利亚流放地完成了40万字鸿篇巨制《俄国资本主义的发展》。该书是马克思主义政治经济学的重大创新性成果，被誉为马克思“《资本论》的直接继续”。书中深刻阐述了俄国资本主义经济发展的进程及基本特点，详尽分析了各阶级之间的相互关系，为无产阶级政党制定战略策略提供了强大理论支撑，在俄国革命实践中发挥了巨大指导作用。俄国第一次资产阶级民主革命（1905年—1907年）失败后，列宁以马克思主义理论为武器，结合俄国具体实际，同经济派、合法马克思主义、取消派、调和派、崩得分子等形形色色的修正主义展开了激烈论战和坚决斗争。

During the First World War, the Russian people, like those of all belligerent nations, harbored a strong desire for world peace. After the February Revolution of 1917, the bourgeois Provisional Government pursued a policy of continuing the war to "final victory," which led to an unprecedented intensification of social contradictions in Russia. At this critical historical juncture, Lenin ended his long years of exile in April 1917, returning to his homeland from Switzerland via Germany. He published the famous "April Theses," [7]7 The "April Theses" (1917) were a set of directives issued by Lenin upon his return to Russia, calling for a transition from the bourgeois-democratic February Revolution to a proletarian socialist revolution, opposing support for the Provisional Government and its continuation of World War I. calling for the transformation of the bourgeois-democratic revolution into a socialist revolution, thereby pointing out the correct direction for the Russian revolution. On November 7, 1917 (October 25 in the Russian calendar), Lenin led the Bolsheviks in launching an armed uprising, overthrowing the bourgeois Provisional Government and founding the world's first proletarian dictatorship — the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies adopted the Decree on Land and the Decree on Peace, both drafted by Lenin. The Decree on Land stipulated the immediate abolition of landlord ownership of land, with all land nationalized and placed at the disposal of the working peasants. The Decree on Peace exposed the imperialist nature of the war and proposed that all belligerent nations immediately begin negotiations for a just peace without annexations or indemnities. In March 1918, Soviet Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, [8]8 The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918) was a separate peace treaty between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (led by Germany), ceding vast territories in exchange for Russia's exit from World War I. winning a respite for the fledgling Soviet regime. Lenin led the peoples of Soviet Russia in smashing the imperialist encirclement and the offensives of domestic counterrevolutionary forces. Lenin offered many incisive expositions on historical issues of Soviet Russia such as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the literacy campaign, leaving behind a vast body of classic works, including *What Heritage We Reject*, *The National Question in Our Program*, *The Right of Nations to Self-Determination*, *What Is to Be Done?*, *The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Fall of Serfdom*, *The "Peasant Reform" and the Proletarian-Peasant Revolution*, *From the History of the Workers' Press in Russia*, *In Memory of Herzen*, and many others. On December 30, 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was proclaimed in accordance with the plan proposed by Lenin. History shows that Leninism is the creative application and development of Marxism in Russia, a correct theory of the Russian socialist revolution and construction proven by practice, the theoretical outcome of a historic leap in the Sinicization [9]9 Here "Sinicization" renders the original Chinese text's phrase "马克思主义俄国化" (Russianization of Marxism), directly paralleling the standard term "马克思主义中国化" (Sinicization of Marxism). The author applies this framework analogously to Leninism's adaptation of Marxism to Russian conditions. of Marxism, and a chapter of Marxism written in Russia.

第一次世界大战期间，俄国人民同所有作战国家的人民一样，对世界和平怀有强烈愿望。1917年二月革命后，资产阶级临时政府推行将战争进行到“最后胜利”的政策，导致俄国社会矛盾空前激化。在历史转折关头，列宁于1917年4月结束漫长的流亡岁月，从瑞士取道德国回到祖国。他发表著名的《四月提纲》，号召把资产阶级民主革命转变为社会主义革命，从而为俄国革命指明了正确方向。1917年11月7日（俄历10月25日），列宁领导布尔什维克发动武装起义，推翻资产阶级临时政府，创建了世界上第一个无产阶级专政国家——俄罗斯苏维埃联邦社会主义共和国。全俄工兵代表苏维埃第二次代表大会通过了列宁草拟的《土地法令》《和平法令》。《土地法令》规定立即废除地主土地所有制，全部土地收归国有，交予劳动农民使用。《和平法令》揭露了战争的帝国主义性质，建议一切交战国立即进行谈判，缔结不割地不赔款和约。1918年3月，苏俄与德国签订了《布列斯特和约》，为新生苏维埃政权赢得了喘息时间。列宁领导苏俄各族人民粉碎了帝国主义围剿和国内反革命势力进攻。列宁对《布列斯特和约》、扫盲运动等苏俄历史问题不乏精辟论述，为后人留下了卷帙浩繁的经典之作，如《我们究竟拒绝什么遗产？》《我们纲领中的民族问题》《论民族自决权》《怎么办？》《农奴制崩溃五十周年》《“农民改革”和无产阶级农民革命》《俄国工人报刊的历史》《纪念赫尔岑》，等等。1922年12月30日，按照列宁提出的方案，苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟（简称苏联）宣告成立。历史表明，列宁主义是马克思主义在俄国的创造性运用和发展，是被实践证明了的关于俄国社会主义革命和建设的正确理论，是马克思主义俄国化历史性飞跃的理论成果，谱写了马克思主义的俄国篇章。

(III) Leninism is a Marxism of Practice

（三）列宁主义是实践性的马克思主义

Lenin repeatedly emphasized that Marxism is not a dead dogma, not an immutable doctrine, but a living guide to action. The publication of Thomas More's *Utopia* in 1516 marked the emergence of utopian socialism. The publication of Marx and Engels's *Communist Manifesto* in 1848 marked the birth of scientific socialism. The October Revolution led by Lenin in 1917 successfully turned socialism from theory into reality, transforming the principles of the Paris Commune, as elucidated by Marx and Engels, into living facts on one-sixth of the earth's landmass. The October Revolution was a landmark event of world-historical significance, achieving the great leap of socialism from theory and movement to practice and system, fundamentally shaking the capitalist world and exerting a profound historical influence. Lenin's victory in leading the October Revolution was a full manifestation of the practical character of Leninism, marking the entry of world socialism into a brand-new stage.

列宁多次强调，马克思主义不是死的教条，不是一成不变的学说，而是活的行动指南。1516年英国人托马斯·莫尔《乌托邦》的发表标志着空想社会主义的产生。1848年马克思恩格斯《共产党宣言》的发表标志着科学社会主义的诞生。1917年列宁领导的十月革命成功将社会主义从理论变为现实，将马克思恩格斯阐明的巴黎公社原则首先在地球1/6的土地上变成鲜活的事实。十月革命是世界历史划时代的重大事件，实现了社会主义从理论、运动到实践、制度的伟大跨越，从根本上震撼了资本主义世界，产生了深远的历史影响。列宁领导十月革命取得胜利，正是列宁主义实践性的充分体现，标志着世界社会主义进入一个崭新阶段。

From the very inception of the Soviet regime, Lenin emphasized in *How to Organize Competition?*: "Everything now turns on practice; the moment has come when theory is being transformed into practice, theory is vitalized by practice, corrected by practice, tested by practice; the saying of Marx that 'one step of real movement is worth a dozen programs' becomes particularly true." The New Economic Policy (NEP) is one of the classic examples of the practical character of Leninism. After the end of the civil war, Lenin decided to abolish the requisitioning of grain, which harmed the interests of the peasants, and implemented a major strategic adjustment shifting from the policy of War Communism to the New Economic Policy. Lenin's more than ten articles, including *On the Grain Tax*, *The Fourth Anniversary of the October Revolution*, and *On Cooperation*, comprehensively and profoundly expounded the background, objectives, guiding ideology, and significance of implementing the NEP. By adopting a comprehensive set of anti-crisis measures, the Soviet Union extricated itself from severe political and economic difficulties and international isolation within just a few years. By 1925, the Soviet Union had established diplomatic relations with many countries across all continents, including major capitalist powers such as Britain, Italy, France, and Japan. The NEP holds significant theoretical value and practical significance in the history of Marxist economic thought, contributing Russian wisdom and Russian experience to the economic construction and economic reform of socialist countries. Lenin's "political testament," dictated in his later years — including *Letter to the Congress*, *The Question of Nationalities or "Autonomization"*, *On Cooperation*, *On Our Revolution*, *How We Should Reorganize the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection (Proposal to the Twelfth Party Congress)*, and *Better Fewer, But Better* — profoundly summarized the practical experience of early Soviet socialist construction, elaborating on a series of major theoretical issues such as proletarian party building, political system reform, the nationality question, industrialization, and cultural revolution, pointing the correct direction for the Soviet Union's economic, political, and cultural development.

苏维埃政权成立伊始，列宁在《怎样组织竞赛？》中强调：“现在一切都在于实践，现在已经到了这样一个历史关头：理论在变为实践，理论由实践赋予活力，由实践来修正，由实践来检验；马克思说的‘一步实际运动比一打纲领更重要’这句话，显得尤其正确了。”新经济政策是列宁主义实践性的典型范例之一。国内战争结束后，列宁决定取消损害农民利益的余粮收集制，实行从战时共产主义政策转向新经济政策的重大战略调整。列宁的《论粮食税》《十月革命四周年》《论合作社》等十余篇文章全面深刻地阐释了实施新经济政策的背景、目的、指导思想及意义。由于采取了一整套反危机措施，苏联在短短几年内摆脱了严重的政治经济困境和国际孤立地位。至1925年，苏联同世界各大洲的许多国家建立了外交关系，其中包括英、意、法、日等主要资本主义国家。新经济政策在马克思主义经济思想史上具有重大的理论价值和实践意义，为社会主义国家经济建设与经济改革贡献了俄国智慧和俄国经验。列宁晚年口授的《给代表大会的信》《关于民族或“自治化”问题》《论合作社》《论我国革命》《我们怎样改组工农检查院（向党的第十二次代表大会提出的建议）》《宁肯少些，但要好些》等“政治遗嘱”，深刻总结了苏俄早期社会主义建设实践经验，阐述了无产阶级政党建设、政治体制改革、民族问题、工业化、文化革命等一系列重大理论问题，为苏联的经济建设、政治建设、文化建设指明了正确方向。

(IV) Leninism is a Marxism of Foresight

（四）列宁主义是前瞻性的马克思主义

Lenin pointed out that the core level of the Marxist methodological system is the concrete analysis of concrete conditions. In his article *Communism*, he emphasized that the very essence of Marxism, the living soul of Marxism, is the concrete analysis of concrete conditions. Concrete analysis of concrete conditions means analyzing the specificity of contradictions under the guidance of the principle of the universality of contradictions. Marx and Engels once envisioned that socialist revolution would triumph at least in several developed countries simultaneously. In 1915, in his article *On the Slogan for a United States of Europe*, Lenin pointed out the unevenness of capitalist economic and political development, foreseeing that "socialism may first triumph in a few countries, or even in a single capitalist country." In 1916, he reiterated this view in *The Military Programme of the Proletarian Revolution*. Lenin possessed extraordinary insight and foresight concerning the historical position, era characteristics, and developmental trends of the Russian revolution, skilled at seizing the historical initiative amidst international changes. He believed that under the favorable circumstance where Russia had become the focal point of all contradictions, and with the correct leadership of the Russian proletarian party, a socialist revolution could be the first to triumph in Russia. Lenin's "theory of the victory of socialism in one country" was an innovative development of the Marxist theory of revolution and a typical example of the forward-looking character of Leninism.

列宁指出，马克思主义方法论体系中的核心层次是具体问题具体分析。他在《共产主义》一文中强调，马克思主义的精髓，马克思主义的活的灵魂，就是对具体情况作具体分析。具体问题具体分析，即在矛盾普遍性原理的指导下具体地分析矛盾的特殊性。马克思恩格斯曾设想社会主义革命至少在几个发达国家同时胜利。1915年，列宁在《论欧洲联邦口号》一文中指出了资本主义经济和政治发展的不平衡性，预见到“社会主义可能首先在少数甚至在单独一个资本主义国家内获得胜利”。1916年，他又在《无产阶级革命的军事纲领》一文中重申了这一观点。列宁对俄国革命所处的历史方位、时代特征及发展趋势具有超凡的洞察力与远见卓识，善于在国际风云变幻中把握历史主动。他认为，在俄国已成为各种矛盾的焦点这一有利形势下，有俄国无产阶级政党的正确领导，社会主义革命有可能在俄国率先取得胜利。列宁的“一国胜利论”是对马克思主义革命理论的创新性发展，是列宁主义前瞻性的典型例证。

Lenin's "April Theses" stirred up a huge uproar both inside and outside the Party. The Mensheviks accused Lenin of ignoring the country's conditions. Plekhanov declared that Russian history had not yet ground the flour to bake the socialist pie. The revisionists of the Second International, represented by Karl Kautsky, constantly repeated the argument that "Russia's productive forces have not yet reached a level to implement socialism" as a mantra. Even within the Bolshevik Party, some believed that transforming the bourgeois-democratic revolution into a socialist revolution was a "utopian" plan. Relying on his political prestige and conviction, Lenin overrode all dissenting views, ultimately enabling the Bolshevik Party to decide on immediately seizing power through armed uprising, thereby channeling the broad masses' struggle for "peace, land, and bread" toward socialist revolution. Lenin led the victory of the October Revolution, opening a new era of proletarian revolution and inaugurating a new epoch in human history, the transition from capitalist society to socialist society. In July 1920, in the preface to the French and German editions of *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism*, Lenin stated: "Imperialism is the eve of the social revolution of the proletariat. This has been confirmed since 1917 on a world scale."

列宁的《四月提纲》曾在党内外掀起轩然大波。孟什维克指责列宁不顾国情。普列汉诺夫宣称，俄国的历史还没有磨出能够烤制社会主义馅饼的面粉。以卡尔·考茨基为代表的第二国际修正主义者，把“俄国生产力还没有发展到可以实行社会主义的高度”这一论点当作口头禅。布尔什维克内部也有人认为，把资产阶级民主革命转变为社会主义革命是“乌托邦式”计划。列宁凭借自己的政治威望和底气力排众议，使布尔什维克党最终决定，立即通过武装起义夺取政权，从而将广大民众争取“和平、土地、面包”的斗争及时引向社会主义革命。列宁领导十月革命取得胜利，开辟了无产阶级革命新时代，开启了人类历史从资本主义社会向社会主义社会过渡的新纪元。1920年7月，列宁在《帝国主义是资本主义的最高阶段》法文版和德文版序言中指出：“帝国主义是无产阶级社会革命的前夜。从1917年起，这已经在全世界范围内得到了证实。”

(V) Leninism is an International Marxism

（五）列宁主义是国际性的马克思主义

Internationalism is an important principle in both the theory and practice of the international communist movement. The proletarian revolution is an international cause, requiring the proletariat of all countries to unite and support one another. Lenin inherited Marx and Engels’ theory of world revolution, adhered to the international character of the proletarian revolution, and closely linked the fate of the Russian revolution with that of the world revolution. Lenin placed great importance on the national liberation movements of oppressed countries, and Leninism opened the path for the unity of the proletariat of the world with oppressed nations. Thus, it is not difficult to understand that *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism* [n], as a landmark theoretical work in the treasure house of Leninism, was regarded as a classic by the proletariat of all countries as soon as it appeared, and also exerted considerable influence among the bourgeoisie.

国际主义是国际共产主义运动理论与实践的重要原则。无产阶级革命是国际性的事业，需要各国无产阶级联合起来、相互支援。列宁继承马克思恩格斯的世界革命理论，坚持无产阶级革命的国际性，将俄国革命的命运同世界革命紧密联系在一起。列宁高度重视被压迫国家的民族解放运动，列宁主义为全世界无产者与被压迫民族联合起来开辟了道路。因此，不难理解，作为列宁主义思想宝库中具有划时代意义的理论著作，《帝国主义论》甫经问世，即被各国无产阶级奉为经典，在资产阶级中间亦颇具影响。

Lenin was deeply concerned with the revolutionary cause of the Chinese people. In 1900, Lenin wrote his first article on China, “The War in China” [n], pointing out that the greedy hands of European capitalists had already reached into China, implementing a colonial policy of plundering and carving up China, in which the Russian autocratic government also participated. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 [n], Lenin turned more of his theoretical attention to the East, writing important works such as “Democracy and Narodism in China,” “Regenerated China,” “The Awakening of Asia,” and “Backward Europe and Advanced Asia” [n]. With extraordinarily rich political imagination, Lenin discerned the new dawn of socialism about to break in the East. He pointed out: “All nations will arrive at socialism — this is inevitable, but all nations will not arrive at it in exactly the same way; each will introduce its own specific features in one or another form of democracy, in one or another variety of the dictatorship of the proletariat, in the varying tempo of socialist transformations in the different spheres of social life.” [n] According to Lenin’s line of thinking, there were at least three paths to socialism: first, the path of socialism in the advanced capitalist countries of Western Europe, a typical socialist path; second, the path of socialism in a semi-civilized country like Russia, a new path of socialism that emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century; and third, the path of socialism in the backward Asiatic countries of the East, a brand-new socialist path that would inevitably emerge in the future, differing from both Western Europe and Russia. Lenin believed that the general laws of development of world history are premised on the manifestation of particularities in the forms or order of development of individual stages. The countries of the East would display even more particularities than Russia. In guiding the revolutionary movements of colonial and semi-colonial countries, Lenin pointed out that the tasks to be accomplished by the communists of the East were uniquely arduous, and that these tasks could only be resolved on the basis of their own experience. It is undeniable that without Lenin and Leninism, one could not understand the national liberation movements of China, India, and other Asian countries, nor the anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movements of Latin America.

列宁十分关心中国人民的革命事业。1900年，列宁撰写了第一篇有关中国问题的文章《对华战争》，指出欧洲资本家贪婪的魔掌已伸向中国，实行瓜分中国的殖民掠夺政策，俄国专制政府也参与其中。1911年辛亥革命爆发后，列宁将理论视线更多地转向东方，撰写了《中国的民主主义和民粹主义》《新生的中国》《亚洲的觉醒》《落后的欧洲和先进的亚洲》等重要篇章。列宁以极其丰富的政治想象力，洞见了东方将露的社会主义新曙光。他指出：“一切民族都将走向社会主义，这是不可避免的，但是一切民族的走法不会完全一样，在民主的这种或那种形式上，在无产阶级专政的这种或那种形态上，在社会生活各方面的社会主义改造的速度上，每个民族都会有自己的特点。”按照列宁的思路，走向社会主义至少有三条道路，其一是西欧发达资本主义国家的社会主义道路，是典型的社会主义道路；其二是像俄国这种半文明国家的社会主义道路，这是20世纪初出现的社会主义新道路；其三是东方落后的亚细亚国家的社会主义道路，这是今后必将出现的一条既不同于西欧又不同于俄国的社会主义崭新道路。列宁认为，世界历史发展的一般规律，是以个别发展阶段在发展的形式或顺序上表现出特殊性为前提的，东方国家将比俄国带有更多的特殊性。在指导殖民地半殖民地国家革命运动的过程中，列宁指出，东方共产主义者要完成的任务特殊而艰巨，这些任务只能根据自己的经验来解决。不可否认，如果没有列宁和列宁主义，人们就无法理解中国、印度等亚洲国家的民族解放运动，也无法理解拉丁美洲的反帝反殖运动。

II. Criticizing Erroneous Trends of Thought and Defending Leninism

二、批判错误思潮，捍卫列宁主义

On an international scale, trends of historical nihilism [n] have long persisted around the question of Lenin and Leninism. Especially around the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, anti-Leninist trends of thought ran rampant, and Lenin’s image was arbitrarily distorted and slandered, inflicting extremely serious consequences on the world socialist movement.

在国际范围内，围绕列宁和列宁主义问题长期存在着历史虚无主义思潮。特别是苏联解体、东欧剧变前后，反列宁主义思潮甚嚣尘上，列宁形象被肆意歪曲和诋毁，给世界社会主义运动带来极其严重的后果。

Lenin and Leninism are focal issues that cannot be avoided in Russian-Soviet political circles, academia, and public opinion. After the July Days incident of 1917 [n], the Russian bourgeois Provisional Government spread rumors, falsely accusing Lenin of being a German spy who had received huge financial subsidies from the German government to engage in anti-Russian activities upon his return. During the Soviet period, after Stalin’s death, Leninism faced increasingly severe challenges. In February 1956, Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, delivered a “secret speech” at the closed session of the 20th Congress of the CPSU titled “On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences” [n], in which he attacked Stalin, essentially also negating Lenin and Leninism. Khrushchev unilaterally emphasized “peaceful coexistence,” “peaceful competition,” and “peaceful transition,” which had obvious negative impacts on the ideological sphere and foreign policy front of the Soviet Union, and became one of the important ideological sources for Gorbachev’s later “new thinking” in foreign policy. Khrushchev negated class struggle and the dictatorship of the proletariat, advocating a series of theoretical positions contrary to Marxism-Leninism, such as the “party of the whole people” and the “state of the whole people” [n], thereby confusing the thinking of the Party and the people. During the Brezhnev period, formalism and corruption flourished, the ideals and convictions of the CPSU and the populace were severely shaken, and historical nihilism grew and spread. After Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he put forward slogans such as “glasnost,” “democratization,” and “new thinking,” [n] “supporting a so-called ‘re-evaluation of history’ movement, engaging in a large-scale historical nihilism, thereby completely negating Stalin, and then negating and attacking Lenin, negating and attacking Marx and Engels, negating the entire Communist Party of the Soviet Union, thus completely distorting and vilifying the entire history of Soviet socialist revolution and construction.” [n] The erroneous line pushed by Gorbachev precipitated a comprehensive crisis in the Soviet Union, ultimately leading to the collapse of the CPSU and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

列宁和列宁主义是俄苏政界、学界和舆论界无法回避的焦点问题。1917年“七月流血事件”后，俄国资产阶级临时政府散布谣诼，诬陷列宁是德国间谍并接受德国政府巨额资助，回国从事反俄活动。苏联时期，自斯大林逝世后，列宁主义受到日益严峻的挑战。1956年2月，苏共中央第一书记赫鲁晓夫在苏共二十大内部会议上做了题为《关于个人崇拜及其后果》的“秘密报告”，对斯大林展开抨击，实质上也是否定列宁和列宁主义。赫鲁晓夫片面强调“和平共处”“和平竞赛”“和平过渡”，对苏联意识形态领域和外交战线造成明显的负面影响，成为日后戈尔巴乔夫外交“新思维”的重要思想来源之一。赫鲁晓夫否定阶级斗争和无产阶级专政，鼓吹“全民党”“全民国家”等一系列违背马克思列宁主义的理论观点，把党和人民的思想搞乱了。勃列日涅夫时期，形式主义和腐败主义盛行，苏共和民众的理想信念严重动摇，历史虚无主义滋生蔓延。1985年戈尔巴乔夫当政后，提出“公开性”“民主化”“新思维”等口号，“支持开展所谓‘重新评价历史’的运动，大搞历史虚无主义，从而彻底否定斯大林，进而否定和攻击列宁、否定和攻击马克思和恩格斯、否定整个苏联共产党，从而彻底歪曲和丑化苏联社会主义革命和建设的整个历史”。戈尔巴乔夫推行的错误路线引发苏联全面危机，最终导致苏共垮台、苏联解体。

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russian President Boris Yeltsin held an anti-communist and anti-socialist stance. Influenced by this, some Russians ignored historical facts and completely negated Lenin’s historical achievements. In 2009, a two-volume work titled *A History of Russia: 1894–2007* [n], edited by Professor A. B. Zubov of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, was published. This book had a distinct anti-communist coloring, completely negating Lenin and the Bolsheviks he led, wantonly obliterating the achievements of the 20th-century Russian-Soviet revolutionary struggle, Soviet socialist construction, and the victory in the anti-fascist war.

苏联解体后，俄罗斯总统叶利钦持反共反社会主义立场。受此影响，部分俄罗斯人罔顾历史事实，全盘否定列宁的历史功绩。2009年，莫斯科国际关系学院教授安·鲍·祖波夫（А.Б.Зубов）主编的两卷本《俄罗斯史：1894—2007》出版。该书带有鲜明的反共色彩，全盘否定列宁及其领导的布尔什维克，肆意抹杀20世纪俄苏革命斗争、苏联社会主义建设成就及反法西斯战争胜利成果。

President Vladimir Putin, however, believes that “Lenin was not a politician, but a revolutionary, and the state model he proposed implanted ‘points of pain’ that still exist today.” [n] On January 21, 2016, President Putin chaired a consultative meeting of the Russian Council for Science and Education, stating that Lenin’s idea of national self-determination “ultimately led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union; it was like a nuclear bomb placed under the edifice of ‘Russia,’ and later that nuclear bomb exploded.” [n] President Putin’s statements on the relationship between Lenin and the dissolution of the Soviet Union undoubtedly attracted considerable attention from the media and academia in Russia and other countries.

而普京总统认为，“列宁并非一位政治家，而是一名革命家，他所提出的国家模式埋下了‘痛点’，这些‘痛点’至今依然存在”。2016年1月21日，普京总统主持召开俄罗斯科学教育委员会咨询会议时谈到，列宁的民族自决思想“最终导致苏联解体，它像是被安放在‘俄罗斯’大厦下的核弹，后来这枚核弹爆炸了”。普京总统对列宁及其与苏联解体关系的表态无疑备受俄罗斯及其他国家媒体和学界的关注。

The Western bourgeoisie has gone to great lengths to slander Lenin and Leninism. The American philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm interpreted the October Revolution as the result of Lenin forcefully advancing it using political means according to his own self-defined political logic, and affixed the labels of anti-humanism and authoritarianism to Lenin and Leninism. Some scholars, represented by the German philosopher Karl Korsch, argued that Leninist philosophy was superficial and crude, even considering it entirely an ideological tool and expedient. The “Western Leninology” [n] that emerged after the 20th Congress of the CPSU was also aimed at distorting and attacking Leninism.

西方资产阶级极力诋毁列宁和列宁主义。美国哲学家、心理学家埃里希·弗洛姆（ErichFromm）将十月革命解释成列宁依据自身设定的政治逻辑、利用政治手段强力推进的结果，并为列宁和列宁主义钉上了反人道主义和专制主义的标签。以德国哲学家卡尔·柯尔施（KarlKorsch）为代表的一些学者认为，列宁主义哲学是肤浅的、粗陋的，甚至认为它完全是一种意识形态工具和权宜之计。苏共二十大后浮出水面的“西方列宁学”也是旨在歪曲和攻击列宁主义。

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, some Chinese scholars, influenced by Russian and Western academic circles, have given unfair evaluations of Lenin and Leninism. Some scholars published articles introducing the two-volume *History of Russia: 1894–2007* edited by Russian scholar Andrei Zubov, and affirmed it as an “important work.” After publication, this article spread rapidly online; some people took the content out of context and spread misinformation, using it as an opportunity to attack Lenin and denigrate socialism. Other scholars argue that the October Revolution led by Lenin forcibly steered backward Russia onto the socialist road, resulting in Russian socialism being “congenitally deficient” and “postnatally maladjusted,” ultimately leading to the collapse of the Soviet party and state. They claim that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was the failure of the “Stalin model” and also the failure of Leninism.

苏联解体、东欧剧变后，一些中国学者受到俄罗斯和西方学界的影响，对列宁和列宁主义给予不公正评价。有学者发文介绍了俄罗斯学者安·祖波夫主编的两卷本《俄罗斯史：1894—2007》，并将该书作为“重要著作”予以肯定。此文发表后在网络迅速传播，有人断章取义、以讹传讹，借机攻击列宁、抹黑社会主义。还有学者认为，列宁领导的十月革命强行把落后的俄国引向社会主义道路，造成俄国社会主义“先天不足”“后天失调”，最终导致苏联亡党亡国，苏联解体是“斯大林模式”的失败，也是列宁主义的失败。

How to evaluate Lenin and Leninism is not merely a major academic question, but an even more important political question. It is necessary to adhere to the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method, to oppose and resist unambiguously and uncompromisingly various erroneous trends of thought such as historical nihilism and neoliberalism, and to examine Lenin and Leninism comprehensively and conduct a dialectical analysis within the specific context of the era — this is the scientific attitude that historical research ought to have. In the early days of the victory of the October Revolution, facing the rebellion of the White Army and armed intervention by fourteen countries including Britain, France, the United States, and Japan, the Soviet government adopted some radical tactics and means, about which Lenin also engaged in deep reflection. For example, in his article "The Fourth Anniversary of the October Revolution," he wrote: "We have not for a moment forgotten that we have had and still have very many defeats and mistakes. Could there be any defeats and mistakes in a new undertaking of world-historic importance, the founding of a new type of state system unprecedented in history? We shall strive stubbornly and unswervingly to correct these defeats and mistakes, and to change our practical application of the Soviet principles to a state far from perfect." Undoubtedly, the October Socialist Revolution led by Lenin had epoch-making historical significance, as assessed by contemporary Russian scholars: "Only the French Revolution of the late 18th century can be compared in world-historical significance with the Bolshevik Revolution... If the French Revolution was the turning point for the world's transition to bourgeois modernization, then the Russian Revolution predetermined the course of world historical development in the 20th century."

如何评价列宁和列宁主义，不仅是一个重大的学术问题，更是一个重大的政治问题。必须坚持马克思主义的立场、观点和方法，旗帜鲜明、毫不妥协地反对和抵制历史虚无主义、新自由主义等各种错误思潮，把列宁和列宁主义放在具体的时代环境下全面审视、辩证分析，这是历史研究应有的科学态度。十月革命胜利之初，面对白卫军叛乱和英、法、美、日等14国武装干涉，苏维埃政权采取了一些过激策略和手段，列宁对此也有深刻反思。例如，他在《十月革命四周年》一文中写道：“我们一分钟也没有忘记，我们过去和现在确实有很多的失利和错误。在缔造前所未有的新型国家制度这种全世界历史上新的事业中，难道能没有失利和错误吗？我们一定要百折不挠地努力纠正这些失利和错误，改变我们对苏维埃原则的实际运用远未达到尽善尽美的状况。”毋庸置疑，列宁领导的十月社会主义革命具有划时代的历史意义，诚如当代俄罗斯学者评价的那样：“可以同布尔什维克革命在世界历史意义上相提并论的仅仅是18世纪末的法国大革命……如果法国革命是世界向资产阶级现代化转变的转折点，那么俄国革命就预先决定了20世纪世界历史的发展进程。”

With regard to President Putin's evaluation of the relationship between Lenin and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, we should analyze it dialectically. Putin's comments on Lenin largely reflect the practical need and strong desire of contemporary Russia to maintain national unity, but viewed across the entire historical process of the Soviet Union from its founding to its dissolution, President Putin's claim of a "bomb" [n23] is untenable. At the end of 1922, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Transcaucasian Federation jointly formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In fact, Lenin at that time emphasized equal status among Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Transcaucasia with broad autonomous powers, advocated that the Russian nation make concessions to minority nationalities, and proposed establishing a genuine federal state based on the principle of voluntariness, whereby the various Soviet republics would not join the Russian Federation but rather form a new state together. This plan was primarily intended to ensure the survival of the newly born Soviet regime and to rapidly build a great socialist state capable of resisting foreign intervention and subversion. History proves that Lenin's conception of founding the Soviet Union was consistent with Russia's reality, met the demands of the era, and resonated with the people's aspirations; it was a major leap in adapting Marxism to the Russian context and the needs of the times, creating the necessary preconditions for the survival of the socialist system surrounded by capitalism. The founding of the Soviet Union defended the fruits of the proletariat's victory, strengthened the power of the world's first socialist state, and rescued the "red island" amid the capitalist ocean from the danger of destruction. The founding of the Soviet Union was one of the greatest achievements in the transformation of human social forms and systems, profoundly changing Russia's historical destiny. The Soviet Union eliminated the system of exploitation and unemployment, enabled the people to become masters of their own affairs, transformed from a backward agricultural country into a world industrial power, achieved brilliant accomplishments recognized worldwide in many fields such as science, technology, culture, education, music, drama, film, and sports, and made an indelible and enormous contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

对于普京总统有关列宁与苏联解体关系的评价，我们应当辩证地分析。普京对列宁的评论在很大程度上反映出当今时代俄罗斯维护国家统一的现实需要和强烈愿望，但纵观苏联从成立到解体的历史进程，普京总统的“炸弹”之说是站不住脚的。1922年年底，由俄罗斯联邦、乌克兰、白俄罗斯和外高加索联邦共同组成苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟。事实上，列宁当时强调的是具有广泛自主权的俄罗斯、乌克兰、白俄罗斯和外高加索之间享有平等地位，主张俄罗斯民族向少数民族作出让步，按照自愿原则建立真正的联邦制国家，各苏维埃共和国不加入俄罗斯联邦，而是组建一个新国家。该方案主要是为了新生的苏维埃政权能够存在下去，并迅速建立一个社会主义大国，以抵御外来干涉和颠覆。历史证明，列宁关于成立苏联的构想符合俄国实际，适应时代要求，契合人民心声，是马克思主义俄国化时代化的重大跃迁，为社会主义制度在资本主义包围中得以生存创造了必要前提。苏联的成立捍卫了无产阶级的胜利果实，壮大了世界第一个社会主义国家的力量，使资本主义汪洋大海中的“红色孤岛”摆脱了被摧毁的危险。苏联的成立是人类社会形态和社会制度变革的最重大成果之一，极大地改变了俄罗斯的历史命运。苏联消灭了剥削制度和失业现象，人民实现当家作主，由一个落后的农业国家一跃成为世界工业强国，在科技、文化、教育、音乐、戏剧、影视、体育等众多领域取得举世瞩目的辉煌成就，并为世界反法西斯战争的胜利作出不可磨灭的巨大贡献。

Leninism exerted a huge and profound influence on the Chinese revolution and construction, serving as an important ideological source for the theoretical leap in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. "The salvos of the October Revolution brought Marxism-Leninism to China. China's advanced elements saw the way out for solving China's problems from the scientific truth of Marxism-Leninism." [n24] The Communist Party of China creatively combined Marxism-Leninism with the concrete reality of the Chinese revolution, leading the Chinese revolution to victory. Comrade Mao Zedong sought from Lenin's relevant writings theories concerning democratic revolution in colonial and semi-colonial countries and the transition from democratic revolution to socialist revolution, learned Marxist philosophical thought from Lenin's works to explain China's revolutionary problems, guide the Chinese revolution, and led the Party and the people to creatively forge a path different from Russia's — "encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing state power by armed force." After reform and opening up, the establishment of the socialist market economy system was also deeply inspired by Lenin's New Economic Policy. Deng Xiaoping pointed out, "What socialism ultimately looks like, the Soviet Union had been working on it for many years but still hadn't fully figured it out. Perhaps Lenin's thinking was better; he came up with the New Economic Policy, but later the Soviet model became rigid." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It was Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought that guided the Chinese people out of the long night and established New China; it is socialism with Chinese characteristics that has enabled China to develop rapidly."

列宁主义对中国革命和建设产生了巨大而深远的影响，是马克思主义中国化时代化理论飞跃的重要思想来源。“十月革命一声炮响，给中国送来了马克思列宁主义。中国先进分子从马克思列宁主义的科学真理中看到了解决中国问题的出路”。中国共产党创造性地将马克思列宁主义与中国革命具体实际相结合，领导中国革命取得胜利。毛泽东同志从列宁相关论述中寻找关于殖民地半殖民地国家进行民主革命以及由民主革命向社会主义革命转变的理论，从列宁著作中学习马克思主义哲学思想，说明中国的革命问题，指导中国革命，并带领党和人民创造性地走出一条不同于俄国的“农村包围城市、武装夺取政权”的道路。改革开放以后，社会主义市场经济体制的建立也深受列宁新经济政策的启发。邓小平指出，“社会主义究竟是个什么样子，苏联搞了很多年，也并没有完全搞清楚。可能列宁的思路比较好，搞了个新经济政策，但是后来苏联的模式僵化了”。习近平总书记指出：“是马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想引导中国人民走出了漫漫长夜、建立了新中国，是中国特色社会主义使中国快速发展起来了。”

History has fully demonstrated that the victory of the October Revolution opened a new epoch in human history and opened up broad prospects for the world proletarian revolution and the national liberation movements of colonial and semi-colonial countries. Leninism not only guided the socialist revolution and construction in Soviet Russia, but also inspired and propelled the struggle for liberation of all oppressed classes and oppressed nations throughout the world, gaining recognition from vast socialist countries and communist parties worldwide. More than a century has passed since Lenin's death, but Leninism still possesses important guiding significance and remains a shining banner leading the advance of world socialism and the development of the international communist movement.

历史充分表明，十月革命的胜利开创了人类历史的新纪元，为世界无产阶级革命、殖民地半殖民地国家的民族解放运动开辟了广阔前景。列宁主义不仅指导了苏俄社会主义革命与建设，也鼓舞和推动了全世界一切被压迫阶级、被压迫民族争取解放的斗争，得到了广大社会主义国家和各国共产党的承认。列宁逝世已过百年，但列宁主义仍具有重要的指导意义，仍然是引领世界社会主义前进和国际共产主义运动发展的一面光辉旗帜。

III. The Contemporary Significance of Leninism

三、列宁主义的当代意义

Leninism is an open theoretical system that continually develops with the evolution of the era, practice, and science. From the perspective of world civilizational history, Leninism has greatly advanced the process of human civilization and remains a system of thought and discourse with significant international influence. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Leninism, as the guiding ideology of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, still has broad influence among the Russian left. Practical explorations such as Vietnam's reform and opening up and Cuba's updating of its economic model also reflect the contemporary continuation of Leninism's practical character. In particular, the Communist Party of China, armed theoretically with Marxism-Leninism, has united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, writing the most magnificent epic in the thousands of years of Chinese history with the heroic spirit of "daring to make the sun and moon shine in new skies," fully demonstrating the significant guiding significance of Leninism for the development of world socialism.

列宁主义是随着时代、实践、科学发展而不断发展的开放的理论体系。从世界文明史的角度看，列宁主义极大地推进了人类文明进程，至今依然是具有重大国际影响力的思想体系和话语体系。苏联解体以后，列宁主义作为俄罗斯联邦共产党的指导思想，在俄罗斯左翼中依然具有广泛的影响。越南的革新开放、古巴的经济模式更新等实践探索也体现了列宁主义实践性的当代延续。特别是以马克思列宁主义为理论武装的中国共产党团结带领全国各族人民，以“为有牺牲多壮志，敢教日月换新天”的豪迈气概，书写了中华民族几千年历史上最恢宏的史诗，充分说明了列宁主义对世界社会主义发展的重大指导意义。

(1) Leninism Laid the Theoretical Foundation for a Profound Understanding of the World Historical Process

（一）列宁主义为深刻认识世界历史进程奠定了理论基石

The inevitable demise of capitalism and the inevitable victory of socialism — this was the scientific judgment Marx and Engels made in February 1848 in the programmatic document of the Communist League, the *Manifesto of the Communist Party*. In 1917, Lenin led the October Revolution to victory; socialism turned from theory into reality, inaugurating a new era in which socialism and capitalism coexist. Gennady Zyuganov, Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, pointed out that under Lenin’s leadership humanity achieved a breakthrough in throwing off the yoke of capitalism, which will forever remain the greatest treasure in world history. “After the end of the Second World War, a large number of socialist states were born; the founding of the People’s Republic of China in particular greatly strengthened the forces of world socialism. Although world socialism may encounter twists and turns in its development, the general trend of human social development has not changed and will not change.” [25]25 The formulation “inevitable demise of capitalism and the inevitable victory of socialism” (the “two inevitables”) originates from the concluding section of the *Communist Manifesto*. In the present era, the “inevitable demise of capitalism and the inevitable victory of socialism” remains the general trend of world-historical development. In the early twenty-first century, China’s aggregate economic output surpassed that of Japan, making it the world’s second-largest economy after the United States. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the fine ideal of socialism has radiated powerful vitality on the ancient soil of China, and the Chinese nation has achieved a great leap from standing up, through growing prosperous, to becoming strong. The century-long struggle of the Communist Party of China has profoundly influenced the course of world history, answered the questions of China, of the world, of the people, and of the era, further proved the scientific validity of the “inevitable demise of capitalism and the inevitable victory of socialism,” and fully demonstrated the major practical significance of Leninism for the world socialist movement.

资本主义必然灭亡、社会主义必然胜利，这是1848年2月马克思和恩格斯在共产主义者同盟的纲领性文献《共产党宣言》中作出的科学论断。1917年，列宁领导十月革命取得胜利，社会主义从理论变为现实，开启了社会主义与资本主义并存的新时代。俄罗斯联邦共产党主席根纳季·久加诺夫（Г.А.Зюганов）指出，在列宁领导下，人类在摆脱资本主义压迫方面取得了突破，这永远是世界历史上最伟大的财富。“第二次世界大战结束后，一大批社会主义国家诞生，特别是中华人民共和国成立，极大壮大了世界社会主义力量。尽管世界社会主义在发展中也会出现曲折，但人类社会发展的总趋势没有改变，也不会改变”。当今时代，“两个必然”仍然是世界历史发展的大趋势。21世纪初，中国经济总量超过日本，成为仅次于美国的世界第二大经济体。尤其是党的十八大以来，社会主义的美好理想在古老的中华大地上焕发出强大生命力，中华民族迎来了从站起来到富起来再到强起来的伟大飞跃。中国共产党的百年奋斗深刻影响了世界历史进程，回答了中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问，进一步证明了“两个必然”的科学性，也充分表明列宁主义对世界社会主义运动的重大现实意义。

(2) Leninism Provides a Scientific Basis for Accurately Grasping the Evolution of the World Pattern

（二）列宁主义为准确把握世界格局演变提供了科学依据

After the victory of the October Revolution, a new pattern of coexistence of two systems — capitalism and socialism — emerged in the world. This pattern persisted even after the end of the Cold War. NATO under the leadership of the United States, clinging to Cold War thinking and disregarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, pursues hegemonism and power politics, fully exposing its imperialist true face. In the ideological domain, the Western great powers engage in activities such as “humanitarian intervention,” “color revolutions,” and “peaceful evolution.” [26]26 “Peaceful evolution” is the term used in Chinese political discourse for Western strategies aimed at subverting socialist systems through non-military means, such as ideological and cultural infiltration. “Color revolutions” refers to popular movements in various post-Soviet and other states, often seen by the CPC as orchestrated by Western powers to install friendly governments. After the “9/11” incident, the United States, under banners such as “human rights” and “counterterrorism,” unduly interfered in other countries’ internal affairs, wantonly trampled on weaker states, and adopted “double standards” toward the “three forces” of ethnic separatism, religious extremism, and violent terrorism. [27]27 “The three forces” (三股势力) is a standard designation in Chinese official discourse for ethnic separatism, religious extremism, and violent terrorism, particularly in the context of Xinjiang and Central Asia. At present, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating; changes of the world, of the era, and of history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. Lenin’s *Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism*, as a theoretical text that never fades from relevance, is of great importance for consolidating our theoretical cultivation, enhancing political discernment, and guiding practical work. In the twenty-first century today, digital capitalism, platform capitalism, surveillance capitalism, and emotional capitalism have given rise to multiple far-reaching crises: intensifying regional conflicts, looming ecological crises, the rise of populism, and the ubiquity of digital surveillance and manipulation. These phenomena awaken people from the delusion of the “end of history” and compel them to re-examine the nature and destiny of capitalism.

十月革命胜利后，世界上出现了资本主义与社会主义两制并存的新格局。冷战结束后，这种格局依然存在。以美国为首的北约抱守冷战思维，无视联合国宪章的宗旨和原则，奉行霸权主义和强权政治，其帝国主义的真面目暴露无遗。在意识形态领域，西方列强大搞“人道主义干预”“颜色革命”“和平演变”等活动。“9·11”事件发生以后，美国打着“人权”“反恐”等旗号，无端干涉别国内政，肆意践踏弱小国家，对民族分裂、宗教极端和暴力恐怖等“三股势力”采取“双重标准”。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，世界之变、时代之变、历史之变正以前所未有的方式展开。列宁的《帝国主义论》作为经久不衰的理论读本，对于我们夯实理论素养、提高政治辨别力、指导实际工作具有重要意义。在21世纪的今天，数字资本主义、平台资本主义、监控资本主义、情感资本主义造成了多种影响深远的危机，地区冲突加剧、生态危机迫近、民粹主义兴起、数字监控和操控无孔不入，促使人们从“历史终结”的假象中醒悟过来，开始重新追问资本主义的本质及其命运。

(3) Leninism Provides Theoretical Support for Rationally Constructing a New Type of International Relations

（三）列宁主义为合理构建新型国际关系提供了理论支撑

The Communist International led by Lenin made indelible historical contributions to the world socialist cause and the liberation movement of oppressed peoples, and possesses extremely important contemporary value in many fields — ideological, political, military, diplomatic, cultural, economic, and others. After the conclusion of the Second World War, a large number of nation-states that had won independence and liberation were established, thoroughly dismantling the colonial system of imperialism and laying the foundation for equal interaction and common development among all nations. At a time when global governance faces severe challenges, Lenin’s expositions on the essence of imperialism and on equality among nations retain their practical relevance. Lenin revealed that the expansion of monopoly capital is the root cause of international conflict; this judgment directly targets the current chaos of Western states undermining international cooperation and provides an important method for breaking the hegemony-dominated international order and establishing a fair and just world order. Lenin opposed colonialism and great-power chauvinism, advocated that each country should independently choose its own path of development — this is of great significance for promoting change in the international order and realizing genuine multilateralism.

列宁领导的共产国际为世界社会主义事业和被压迫民族的解放运动作出了不可磨灭的历史贡献，在思想、政治、军事、外交、文化、经济等诸多领域具有极其重要的当代价值。第二次世界大战结束后，一大批获得独立和解放的民族国家建立起来，彻底瓦解了帝国主义的殖民体系，为世界各民族平等交往、共同发展奠定基础。在全球治理面临严峻挑战的当下，列宁关于帝国主义本质、民族平等的论述仍具有现实意义。列宁揭示了垄断资本扩张是国际冲突的根源，这一论断直指当前西方国家破坏国际合作的乱象，为打破霸权主导的国际格局、建立公平公正的世界秩序提供了重要方法。列宁反对殖民主义和大国沙文主义，主张各国自主选择发展道路，对推动国际秩序变革，实现真正的多边主义具有重要意义。

(4) Leninism Provides a New Perspective for Comprehensively Advancing Chinese-Path Modernization

（四）列宁主义为全面推进中国式现代化建设提供了全新思路

Lenin constantly thought about, explored, and answered the major theoretical question, “What is socialism and how to build socialism?” Lenin’s thought on socialist construction — especially his late-life conception of socialist economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, and social construction — contains profound connotations and is rich in dialectical thinking, providing scientific worldview and methodology guidance for socialist states as they tackle practical difficulties. Lenin emphasized the importance of learning advanced foreign technology and managerial experience, and put forward a famous formula: “Be willing to take in the good things from abroad: Soviet power + Prussian railway order + American technology and trusts + American national education, and so on and so forth ++ = the sum = socialism.” [28]28 This formulation, frequently cited in Chinese discussions of Lenin’s economic policy, comes from his notes and articles of 1918–1922, especially “The Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government” and related drafts, where he advocated learning from capitalist technical and organizational methods while preserving socialist political power. This thought transcends the constraints of political system and ideology; with the character of proceeding from reality in everything and balancing principle with flexibility, it points the way for economically and culturally backward countries to learn foreign advanced science and technology and managerial experience with an open mind. On the new journey, we must continuously expand reform and opening up, vigorously develop the socialist market economy, make full use of all the outstanding civilizational achievements of countries around the world, comprehensively build socialism in all fields — economy, politics, culture, education, science and technology, society, ecology, and so on — and create a new model of human civilization superior in civilizational level to that of capitalism.

列宁一直在思考、探究和回答“什么是社会主义、怎样建设社会主义”这一重大理论问题。列宁社会主义建设思想，特别是其晚年关于社会主义经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设的构想包含着深刻的内涵要义，也蕴含着丰富的辩证思维，对社会主义国家破解现实难题提供了科学的世界观和方法论指导。列宁强调学习外国先进技术和管理经验的重要性，并提出了一个著名公式：“乐于吸取外国的好东西：苏维埃政权+普鲁士的铁路秩序+美国的技术和托拉斯组织+美国的国民教育等等等等++=总和=社会主义。”这一思想超越了政治制度和意识形态的束缚，以一切从实际出发、兼顾原则性与灵活性的品格，为经济文化落后国家以开放的心态学习国外先进的科学技术和管理经验指明了方向。新征程上，我们必须不断扩大改革开放，大力发展社会主义市场经济，充分利用世界各国一切优秀文明成果，在经济、政治、文化、教育、科技、社会、生态等各领域全面建设社会主义，创造比资本主义文明程度更高的人类文明新形态。

Leninism is broad and profound; studying it always yields new insights. Both in the past and at present, it contains values that never fade. Standing at a new historical starting point, we must take Lenin as our model, consciously apply the basic principles of historical materialism and materialist dialectics, persistently read the classics, study the original texts, and comprehend the principles, achieving genuine study, genuine understanding, genuine belief, and genuine application. We must grasp the worldview and methodology of Leninism, uphold and apply correctly the standpoints and views that run through it, and deeply excavate Lenin’s thought on socialist construction. Use the Leninism classics to cultivate integrity, refine thought, elevate one’s realm, and guide practice. Uphold and apply well the living soul of Leninism, continuously draw scientific wisdom and theoretical strength from it, answer the questions of China, of the world, of the people, and of the era, and open up new horizons in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

列宁主义博大精深、常学常新，无论过去还是现在，都蕴含着永不褪色的价值。站在新的历史起点上，我们要以列宁为榜样，自觉运用唯物史观和唯物辩证法的基本原理，持之以恒地读经典、学原文、悟原理，做到真学真懂真信真用。把握好列宁主义的世界观和方法论，坚持好、运用好贯穿其中的立场和观点，深入挖掘列宁社会主义建设思想。用列宁主义经典涵养正气、淬炼思想、升华境界、指导实践。坚持和运用好列宁主义活的灵魂，不断从中汲取科学智慧和理论力量，回答中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问，开辟马克思主义中国化时代化新境界。