Marxism–Leninism is one of the main communist ideologies. It was the official state ideology of the Soviet Union and other ruling parties of the Eastern Bloc as well as the Communist International after Bolshevisation.[1] The goal of Marxism–Leninism is the transformation of a capitalist state into a one-party socialist state, commonly referred to by Western academics as communist state,[2][3][4][5] to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.[6] This would be achieved by a revolution led by a vanguard party, who would be organized hierarchically and make decisions through democratic centralism.[7][8][9] The state would control the economy and means of production,[10] promote collectivism in society, suppress political dissent[9][10] and pave the way for an eventual communist society which would be both classless and stateless.[7] Marxist–Leninists generally support internationalism and oppose capitalism, fascism, imperialism and liberal democracy. As an ideology, it was developed by Joseph Stalin in the late 1920s based on his understanding and synthesis of both orthodox Marxism and Leninism.[11] Today, Marxism–Leninism is the ideology of Stalinist and Maoist political parties and remains the official ideology of the ruling parties of China, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam.[7]
After the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, Marxism–Leninism became a distinct philosophical movement in the Soviet Union when Stalin and his supporters gained control of the party. It rejected the common notions among Western Marxists of world revolution, as a prerequisite for building socialism, in favour of the concept of socialism in one country. According to its supporters, the gradual transition from capitalism to socialism was signified by the introduction of the first five-year plan and the 1936 Soviet Constitution. The internationalism of Marxism–Leninism was expressed in supporting revolutions in other countries (e.g. initially through the Communist International or through the concept of socialist-leaning countries after de-Stalinisation). By the late 1920s, Stalin established ideological orthodoxy among the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the Soviet Union and the Communist International to establish universal Marxist–Leninist praxis.[12][13] In the late 1930s, Stalin's official textbook History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) (1938) popularised the term Marxism–Leninism among communists and non-communists.[14]
Marxism–Leninist philosophy has been criticised by a broad political spectrum both on the left and right. Marxist–Leninist rule has been especially criticised, including by other socialists such as anarchists, communists, democratic socialists, libertarian socialists and Marxists. Marxist–Leninist states have been described as authoritarian, or accused of being totalitarian, for enacting repressions and killings of political dissidents and social classes (so-called "enemies of the people"), religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, forced collectivisation and use of forced labor in concentration camps.[15][8][16] Such states have been accused of genocidal acts in China, Poland and Ukraine.[17][18][19][20] Anti-Stalinist left and other left-wing critics see it as an example of state capitalism[21][22] and have referred to it as a "red fascism" contrary to left-wing politics.[23][24][25] Other leftists, including Marxist–Leninists, have criticised it for its repressive state actions while recognising certain advancements such as egalitarian achievements and modernisation under such states.[26][27] The socio-economic nature of Marxist–Leninist states has also been much debated, varyingly being labelled a form of bureaucratic collectivism, state capitalism, state socialism, or a totally unique mode of production