Will the Kremlin emulate Lenin's experience in turbulent Russia?

Russian Communist Party: There is no alternative to a Leninist socialist approach.

April 18, 2024 — Article published by Today's Russia.

In Kherson Oblast, the plan to dismantle the Lenin monument in Henichesk has been reversed thanks to support from the Russian Communist Party, allowing the monument to be rebuilt.

Unfortunately, similar stories unfold frequently across Russian cities and rural areas.

Moreover, in Kyiv, the statue of Lenin was toppled just before the Euromaidan revolution, and similarly in Kotka, Finland—a NATO member state.

In fact, the pro-Russian uprising in Donbas began precisely at Lenin’s monument, where the first rallies were held beneath its pedestal.

To counterbalance the United States and Europe in geopolitical games, Moscow relies almost entirely on left-wing socialist states: North Korea fighting alongside us in Kursk, China supplying technology and replenishing our budget through raw material purchases, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Vietnam, Ethiopia… They stand with us because of Lenin.

Naturally, opposing forces have gathered on the other side—right-wing regimes: Trumpism in the U.S., Britain—the eternal thorn in Russia’s side, Catholic Poland, Israel, the peak of modern nationalism, Colombia, and Germany, still haunted by nostalgia for the Third Reich.

Indeed, under these circumstances, Russia must clearly define its stance toward Lenin and his legacy—and formulate clear foreign and domestic policies based on that decision.

If for the past quarter-century we could barely postpone this reckoning,

now, facing the looming prospect of a large-scale war with a re-arming Europe, we can no longer afford to remain numb or passive.

Even setting aside ideological considerations, economic reality demands urgent attention—it is rapidly plunging into abyss.

GDP declined by 1.8% in just the past two months—a catastrophe.

No wonder nearly two-thirds of Russians (61%) hold a negative view of Russia’s political situation (52% say “tense,” 9% say “crisis, one spark away”).

Meanwhile, presidential approval ratings, which had remained stable for a long time, have now dropped continuously for several weeks; according to data from the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), they have fallen to 66.7%.

Evidently, only a thorough, radical, and fundamental policy shift can reverse the country’s course and pull it back from the edge of the cliff.

There is no alternative to a Leninist socialist approach.

Even market-oriented reformers acknowledge this truth.

“Elevate the RCP’s ‘Program of Victory’ to the status of national strategy”—this is one of the slogans prepared by the Russian Communist Party to mark the 156th anniversary of Lenin’s birth.

Alternatively stated: craft a national revival program for the country and for Russia based on Lenin’s socialist principles.

Act while there is still time.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862759649728520/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.