The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin
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Episodes
- S1 E1 - The Locomotive of History
November 7, 201924minCome to see Lenin’s arrival at Petrograd’s Finland Station in April 1917 as one of the most important turning points in modern history: the establishment of a communist regime after decades of theory. Also, preview the themes you’ll explore in these episodes, and get solid definitions of terms such as communism and socialism. #HistoryFree trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E2 - Marx and Engels: An Intellectual Partnership
November 7, 201930minThe revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels would rock society and soon affect the lives of millions of people. Here, explore their body of theory (known as “dialectical materialism”) and learn how Marxism offered something different: a tableau of history with starring roles played by the toiling masses and economic forces.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E3 - The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital
November 7, 201927minFirst, unpack the meaning of the revolutionary messages in "The Communist Manifesto" and "Das Kapital." Then, use a basic vocabulary of Marxist concepts to better understand Marx’s model of history and economics. Last, examine how the revolutionary lives of Marx and Engels sought to unify theory with practice.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E4 - The 1871 Paris Commune as a Model of Revolt
November 7, 201925minInvestigate the violent upheaval of the Paris Commune in 1871: a political experiment that lasted a mere 10 weeks. The Paris Commune would make Marx one of the most feared and hated men in the world; although it failed, Marx considered it a living example of the “dictatorship of the proletariat.”Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E5 - Marxism after Marx
November 7, 201930minIn the decades following the death of Marx in 1883, the socialist movement grew, but it also became highly factional over arguments about theory and organizational tactics. In this episode, learn about the rise of political parties in Germany and America, the establishment of the Second International, and the struggle over “revisionism."Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E6 - Revolutionary Russias
November 7, 201927minWhy did a Marxist regime come to power in Russia of all places, especially when Marx considered it an unpromising place for a proletarian revolution? Professor Liulevicius tackles this question and also probes Russia’s revolutionary tradition and the ideas of Georgi Plekhanov, the figure who did the most to bring Marx’s teachings to Russia.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E7 - The Making of Lenin
November 7, 201925minTake a detailed look at the life of Lenin, whose ideas and actions propelled him to become the first man to bring communist theory into power in 1917. Here, focus on Lenin’s hardness in the face of the 1891-1892 famine, his manifesto "What Is to Be Done?", and the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E8 - World War I as a Revolutionary Opportunity
November 7, 201926minWith the outbreak of the First World War, Lenin (who called war an “accelerator of history”) had the world crisis he could turn to his advantage. Topics here include Marxist debates over the philosophies of defensism and defeatism, the arrival of Leon Trotsky and his theory of “permanent revolution,” and the widening rift between socialists and communists.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E9 - Red October: How the Bolsheviks Seized Power
November 7, 201929minThe Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917, a moment that would be celebrated afterward as Red October, or the Great October Socialist Revolution. Here, examine the formula for success behind the Bolshevik takeover, the mythologizing of Red October in film and music, and the dawn of a new secret police force: the Cheka.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E10 - Rosa Luxemburg: A Revolutionary Martyr
November 7, 201929minSpend time with one of the most famous women radicals in history: the Polish-German socialist Rosa Luxemburg. Follow her revolutionary activities throughout Switzerland, Poland, and Germany; her support of spontaneous revolt over centralized conspiracy; her struggles with the ambiguities of revolutionary devotion; and her ultimate martyrdom.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E11 - The Red Bridge to World Revolution
November 7, 201930minHow does a revolutionary regime build a bridge to world revolution? After a look at the Third International, or “Comintern,” created in 1919 to spread the message of global revolution, explore failed attempts at sovietizing Hungary and Bavaria and the Soviet-Polish War of 1920, which dashed remaining hopes for linking up with Germany.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy - S1 E12 - Toward a New Communist Civilization
November 7, 201933minFollow the trajectory of Bolshevik social experiments to inaugurate a new civilization up through the death of Lenin in 1924. You’ll learn about Lenin’s “monumental propaganda” plan, which changed the appearance of Russia; the nationalist program of “putting down roots”; party recruitment drives and purges; and even the mummification of Lenin’s body.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
Extras
Bonus
Go inside communism’s journey from a collection of political and economic theories to a revolutionary movement that rocked the world. Rich with historical insights, these 12 episodes zero in on the Bolsheviks rise to power and how communist ideas worked in theory and practice - offering a rewarding look at one of the most important economic and political philosophies of the modern age.
Go inside communism’s journey from a collection of political and economic theories to a revolutionary movement that rocked the world. Rich with historical insights, these 12 episodes zero in on the Bolsheviks rise to power and how communist ideas worked in theory and practice - offering a rewarding look at one of the most important economic and political philosophies of the modern age.
Go inside communism’s journey from a collection of political and economic theories to a revolutionary movement that rocked the world. Rich with historical insights, these 12 episodes zero in on the Bolsheviks rise to power and how communist ideas worked in theory and practice - offering a rewarding look at one of the most important economic and political philosophies of the modern age.
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