• PugJesus@piefed.socialOPMEnglish
    27·
    8 days ago

    Explanation: Karl Marx was a foundational writer in socialist theory, and effectively the father of modern sociology as well. His work is… not always riveting, as anyone who has attempted to tackle Das Kapital can tell you… but was extremely innovative and remains cutting and insightful (if imperfect) as to the nature of capitalism and its problems even today.

    Lenin was the leader of the Soviet Union, the first lasting success of revolutionary socialism - though how successful (or socialist) one really wishes to count it is up for debate. His interpretation of Marxism - even when it contradicted Marx - became dominant largely because he controlled the country-sized megaphone that was the USSR - a single-party state which largely followed Lenin’s dictates.

    Stalin was the effective autocrat of the Soviet Union after Lenin’s death. His interpretation of Marx and Lenin - even when it contradicted them - became the standard for the next ~70 years of capitalist-socialist conflict, largely because he fucking shot every socialist who disagreed with him in the Soviet Union, and attempted to sabotage every socialist who disagreed with him outside of the Soviet Union.

    • trolololol@lemmy.world
      7·
      8 days ago

      And also shot a bunch of people who were not socialists, and another bunch that agreed with him but had potential to replace him, or agreed with him but not strongly enough, or agreed with him but had the wrong ethnicity, or agreed with him but lived in an area where everybody agreed with him and there was a quota of being shot that wouldn’t fulfil itself.

      The quota thing was quite real. Central state dictated how many traitors should be shot in each area. Occasionally quotas would increase just because.

    • chaogomu@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      Lenin had quite a few socialists shot as well.

      He’s the one who betrayed the revolution.

      If Lenin had lived long enough, he would have likely put Stalin’s death count to shame.

      • PugJesus@piefed.socialOPMEnglish
        1·
        8 days ago

        Yes to the first two, I think no to the last one.

        Stalin was… quite a character. I think Lenin’s brutality would be remembered clearer if it wasn’t for Stalin… but I also think Lenin wouldn’t have reached Stalin’s death toll.