It is impossible to predict the time and progress of revolution. It is governed by its own more or less mysterious laws.
Vladimir LeninRead
The leaders of the petty bourgeoisie must teach the people to trust the bourgeoisie. The proletarians must teach the people to distrust the bourgeoisie.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the conflicting perspectives of different social classes regarding trust in the bourgeoisie.
Lenin's quote reflects the tension between the bourgeoisie (the capitalist class) and the proletariat (the working class). He suggests that leaders of the petty bourgeoisie, who are often caught between the two, have the responsibility to foster trust in the bourgeoisie while the proletarians, who represent the working classβs interests, must instill skepticism towards them. This highlights the ideological battle over power and influence in society.
Themes
BourgeoisieProletariatTrustDistrustLeadershipSocial Class
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate on class struggle, one might cite this quote to highlight the differing views on capitalism.
More from Vladimir Lenin
All quotes βFor the complete extinction of the state, complete Communism is necessary.
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Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism.
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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.
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We are not utopians, we do not βdreamβ 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".
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The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
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