{"product_id":"the-state-lecture-delivered-at-sverdlov-university-july-11-1919-by-v-i-lenin","title":"'The State: Lecture Delivered at Sverdlov University, July 11, 1919' by V. I. Lenin","description":"\u003ch4\u003eDelivered during the Russian Civil War to students at Sverdlov Communist University, this lecture is Lenin asking; what is the state, where did it come from, and why do revolutionaries seek not merely to capture it but ultimately to abolish it?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on Marx and Engels, Lenin presents the state as an instrument of class rule rather than a neutral arbiter of social life. The lecture condenses many of the arguments developed more fully in \u003cem\u003eThe State and Revolution\u003c\/em\u003e, making it one of the clearest introductions to the political foundations of Marxism-Leninism. Whatever one's political commitments, it remains a significant historical document: a revolutionary leader explaining his theory of power while actively engaged in building a new state.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished by Beijing's Foreign Languages Press during the Cold War, this edition belongs to a fascinating period of international communist publishing, when Chinese state presses produced inexpensive English-language editions of Marxist classics for global circulation. These pamphlets travelled widely through activist networks, student organisations and labour movements, and have become increasingly collectible as artefacts of twentieth-century political history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeign Languages Press, Beijing, 1965. Stapled pamphlet. Good condition with age toning, light creasing and handling wear consistent with age.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45725711892563,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/thebowerbooker-2026-06-22T192525.675.png?v=1782120358","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/the-state-lecture-delivered-at-sverdlov-university-july-11-1919-by-v-i-lenin","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}