A very relevant piece given how confused of a state the western left finds itself in at the moment. Lenin’s work cuts through the fog of opportunism and brings ideological clarity to the topic of revolutionary agitation and organization. If we want to succeed we must learn the lessons of history and creatively apply them to our own distinct conditions.
For those unfamiliar with early Marxist theory, please note that whenever Lenin talks of “social democracy” in his pre-October revolution works, and especially prior to the split in the Second International, he is referring to what we today would call communism or revolutionary socialism. At the time revolutionary Marxists called themselves “social democrats”. The term “social democracy” did not yet have the reformist meaning that we associate with it today.