FREE IGNOU MPS-01 SOLVED ASSIGNMENT 2022-23
(b) Party as Vanguard of the Proletariat (V. I. Lenin):
The concept of the “Party as the Vanguard of the Proletariat” was developed by Vladimir Lenin, a prominent figure in the Russian Revolution and a key leader of the Bolshevik Party. Lenin’s idea is rooted in Marxism and his belief in the need for a disciplined and centralized revolutionary party to guide the working class towards a socialist revolution.
According to Lenin, the working class (proletariat) on its own may not achieve the necessary class consciousness to overthrow the existing capitalist system. He argued that the working class might be susceptible to the influence of bourgeois ideologies or lose focus due to economic struggles. As a result, Lenin believed that a dedicated and educated group of revolutionary activists, organized into a vanguard party, was required to lead the working class in its struggle for socialism.
The vanguard party, composed of professional revolutionaries, would possess a clear understanding of Marxist theory and act as the driving force behind the revolutionary movement. It would maintain a strict hierarchical structure and democratic centralism, meaning that decisions made by the leadership should be followed by all members without dissent.
Critics of Lenin’s concept argue that it can lead to an authoritarian and elitist approach to revolution, where power is concentrated in the hands of a few. They suggest that this concentration of power may undermine true democratic participation and lead to the emergence of a new ruling elite.
