The year 1917 stands out as a turning point in human history. For the first time, the downtrodden, toiling masses fought back – and won! But we can say with certainty that that victory was only possible because of the presence of a theoretically trained and practically steeled party, the most revolutionary party in history, the Bolshevik Party. But even that party would have failed to achieve such a task without the crystal-clear and razor-sharp leadership of Lenin. We publish here the introduction to a brand new selection of Lenin’s invaluable 1917 writings.

Last time in Lenin in a Year, we looked at the foundation of the Third (Communist) International. The Communist International was not built overnight. The newly created national sections lacked the hard-won revolutionary experience that had enabled the Bolsheviks to conquer power, and were plagued with immature, anarchistic impatience, which Lenin called 'ultra-leftism'.
To overcome this immaturity, Lenin wrote his 1920 masterpiece on communist strategy and tactics 'Left-wing' communism: An infantile disorder. Below, we republish an introduction to Wellred Books' new edition of this classic. Get your copy of 'Left-Wing' Communism now!