- 1. What Is to Be Done? is a seminal political pamphlet written by Vladimir Il’ich Lenin in 1902 that outlines his vision for the organization and strategy of the revolutionary socialist movement in Russia. In this work, Lenin argues for the necessity of a centralized, disciplined party of professional revolutionaries to lead the working class towards the overthrow of the bourgeoisie. He emphasizes the importance of revolutionary theory and critique of the prevailing political conditions, advocating for a clear ideological framework that would unite diverse socialist movements under the banner of Marxism. Lenin critiques the spontaneity of worker movements and calls for a more structured approach to revolution, where the vanguard party educates and guides the proletariat in their struggle for liberation. Additionally, he discusses the role of propaganda and agitation, the need for a unified strategy, and the imperative of fostering class consciousness among workers, which he believes is essential for successful revolutionary action. This work has had a profound influence on socialist movements worldwide and remains a critical text for understanding Leninist political theory and the dynamics of revolutionary action.
What year was 'What Is To Be Done?' written by Lenin?
A) 1902
B) 1924
C) 1917
D) 1895
- 2. What is the primary subject of Lenin's pamphlet?
A) The economic policies of the NEP
B) The philosophy of dialectical materialism
C) The organization of a revolutionary party
D) A critique of the Tsarist agricultural system
- 3. Lenin's polemic was primarily directed against which tendency in Russian Marxism?
A) Economism
B) Anarchism
C) Menshevism
D) Populism
- 4. What did the 'Economists' argue should be the main focus of the socialist movement?
A) Economic struggles for better wages and conditions
B) Terrorist acts against government officials
C) Preparing for an immediate armed insurrection
D) Alliance with the liberal bourgeoisie
- 5. Lenin championed the idea of a party composed of what?
A) Professional revolutionaries
B) All sympathetic workers
C) Elected parliamentary representatives
D) Military generals
- 6. What type of organization did Lenin argue for?
A) A centralized, disciplined vanguard party
B) A party focused solely on winning elections
C) A mass party open to all supporters
D) A loose, decentralized network of study groups
- 7. The title 'What Is To Be Done?' is a reference to an earlier novel by which Russian author?
A) Fyodor Dostoevsky
B) Leo Tolstoy
C) Nikolai Chernyshevsky
D) Ivan Turgenev
- 8. Lenin insisted that the party newspaper must serve as what?
A) A platform for open debate with liberals
B) A source of entertainment for workers
C) A financial profit center for the party
D) A collective organizer
- 9. What concept did Lenin use to describe the necessary secrecy and security of the revolutionary organization?
A) Opaqueness
B) Clandestineness
C) Invisibility
D) Conspiracy
- 10. What was the name of the newspaper Lenin planned to use to unify the party?
A) Zvezda (Star)
B) Vperyod (Forward)
C) Iskra (The Spark)
D) Pravda (Truth)
- 11. Lenin's ideas in this pamphlet became a foundation for what type of party organization?
A) Laissez-faire Association
B) Direct Democracy
C) Democratic Centralism
D) Parliamentary Democracy
- 12. Lenin argued that without revolutionary theory, there can be no what?
A) Revolutionary movement
B) Economic development
C) Successful strike
D) Political debate
- 13. The pamphlet was a key text in the split between the Bolsheviks and which other faction?
A) The Mensheviks
B) The Kadets
C) The Socialist-Revolutionaries
D) The Anarcho-Communists
- 14. What did Lenin believe was the historical role of the proletariat?
A) To support the bourgeoisie in its revolution
B) To remain neutral in political struggles
C) To focus solely on its own economic betterment
D) To be the vanguard revolutionary class
- 15. Lenin cited the teachings of which two thinkers as the foundation of revolutionary theory?
A) Kautsky and Plekhanov
B) Bakunin and Kropotkin
C) Marx and Engels
D) Hegel and Feuerbach
- 16. Lenin accused his opponents of committing what error in their understanding of history?
A) Ignoring the peasantry
B) Bowing to spontaneity
C) Fetishizing armed struggle
D) Over-estimating the party's role
- 17. The pamphlet is considered a foundational text for what?
A) Anarcho-syndicalism
B) Soviet art theory
C) Marxist economics
D) Leninism
- 18. Against which group was Lenin's polemic in 'What Is To Be Done?' primarily directed?
A) The Economists
B) The Kadets
C) The Socialist-Revolutionaries
D) The Bolsheviks
- 19. What does Lenin insist must have 'primacy' over spontaneity?
A) Violence
B) Consciousness
C) Mass protest
D) Economic demands
- 20. According to Lenin, what should be the primary focus of Social-Democratic activity?
A) Charity work
B) Political agitation
C) Cultural events
D) Economic strikes
- 21. Lenin argues that trade-unionism means the ideological enslavement of the workers by the what?
A) Peasantry
B) Aristocracy
C) Bourgeoisie
D) Intelligentsia
- 22. What is a necessary quality for a member of Lenin's proposed revolutionary organization?
A) Religious faith
B) Noble birth
C) Wealth
D) Professionalism
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