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Showing posts from April, 2018

Naxalite Movement and the influence of Lenin

  Greetings, dear readers. As promised, I am writing about the Bengali Naxalite movement of the 1970s. This is based on a few texts written by level-headed historians and stories from the elders of my family across the spectrum of the political divide of that time. As a Bengali born in the 1970s, I find myself reflecting on the life and legacy of  Lenin and the profound impact his ideas had on my own homeland. Growing up in West Bengal during the tumultuous years of the Naxalite movement, my elder cousins witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of a revolution gone astray. Lenin, the mastermind behind the Bolshevik Revolution, was a figure who inspired many in our state. His call for the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and the establishment of a socialist state resonated with the disenfranchised and the marginalized. The Naxalite movement, which began as a peasant uprising in the village of Naxalbari in 1967, drew heavily from Lenin's ideas and tactics, including those of Mao

Vladimir Lenin: The Revolutionary Mastermind Behind the Bolshevik Revolution

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  Greetings, dear readers. Today, we embark on a journey through the annals of history to examine the life and legacy of one Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known to the world as Lenin. This legendary figure, whose very name evokes images of revolution and radical change, played a pivotal role in shaping the course of the 20th century and beyond. Born into a middle-class family in 1870, on 22nd April, Lenin's early life was marked by tragedy, with the execution of his elder brother for plotting to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. This event, one might argue, sowed the seeds of Lenin's revolutionary fervor. He immersed himself in the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, becoming a staunch advocate of their socialist ideals. Lenin's intellect and oratory skills were undeniable. He possessed a keen ability to galvanize the masses and inspire them to action. His famous slogan, "Peace, Land, and Bread," resonated with the downtrodden and disenfranchised, promising a