The State and Revolution is Vladimir Lenin’s classic analysis of sociopolitical revolution under a Marxist framework。 It is not just a defense of classical Marxism， it is a vigorous attack of the various strains of political philosophy that Lenin believed distorted Marxism （i。e。 Social Democracy and Opportunism）。 Lenin defines the “state” as an instrument of class oppression and exploitation。 The state facilitates capitalist exploitation and imperialist domination by monopolizing legitimate， org The State and Revolution is Vladimir Lenin’s classic analysis of sociopolitical revolution under a Marxist framework。 It is not just a defense of classical Marxism， it is a vigorous attack of the various strains of political philosophy that Lenin believed distorted Marxism （i。e。 Social Democracy and Opportunism）。 Lenin defines the “state” as an instrument of class oppression and exploitation。 The state facilitates capitalist exploitation and imperialist domination by monopolizing legitimate， organized force and violence for the purpose of protecting the interests of the capitalist ruling class。 To Lenin， the “state” （in the form of a Democratic Republic， in this case） is a “shell” of capitalism， thus maintaining and institutionalizing class antagonism and oppression。 Thus， the state must be abolished。 This is the overarching goal of socialism / communism。Lenin repeatedly stresses throughout the text that Marxist revolution must break capitalism’s “shell” （i。e。 the state） by smashing the rule of capitalist elites （and all their institutions） and establishing the “dictatorship of the proletariat。” Lenin acknowledges that this “class struggle” where the workers take over the state doesn’t immediately result in the abolition of the state， as the workers must use the state’s repressive forces to suppress the counterrevolutionary aims of the capitalist class。 Once such suppression is successful， the state will have no reason to exist （as class antagonisms will be no more）， and will essentially “wither away。” Lenin contends that state power during the era of revolutionary socialism is only temporary， and will evaporate once the workers have successfully suppressed the capitalist reactionaries and have established a society that no longer needs the formal organization of force and violence。Lenin’s understanding and discussion of “democracy” is fascinating。 He distinguishes capitalist democracy （where a small elite concentrate all “democratic” power） with real proletarian democracy， which he claims will dominate during the transitional stage between capitalism and communism （i。e。 “socialism”）。 However， interestingly， he states that once communism has been achieved， democracy will “wither away” along with the state， as it will no longer be necessary due to the fact that the masses of people will have internalized all of the means of running a society in a manner that ensures that everyone’s basic needs are met。 This is a difficult vision to imagine， to say the least。The major weakness of Lenin's analysis is that it assumes all states are the same， despite differences in culture and governance among the various peoples across the globe。 There is no mention of the various states throughout continental African and Native American history， nor is there any reference to Asia。 Such omissions give justifiable fodder to the people who critique Marxist-Leninism as "Eurocentric。" Nevertheless， this work is a classic piece of Marxist text because it breaks down and articulates Marxian thought in a manner that is easily understood by readers from any generation， whether you agree with the ultimate aim and ideology or not。 。。。more