Lenin

This biography is much more than an interesting story. Tony Cliff wrote it as a strategic political contribution when the left sorely needed guidance.The only volume of this that you're likely to find is the first one, _Building the Party_. (The second and third ones are out of print, and the fourth one might not even exist.) Still, the first volume, covering Lenin's activity from 1893 to 1914, is more than good enough. This era is often ignored by academic studies of the Russian Revolution, but it is vitally important for the socialists of today.Cliff, a founding member of the Socialist Workers Party in Britain, wrote this biography in the late '70s during a downturn in class struggle. By analyzing Lenin's dynamic party-building, Cliff and his comrades were able to use the downturn to their advantage, building cadres and affiliated groups in many countries. As a result, Cliff's International Socialist tendency survived, and grew stronger, after the '80s and the fall of the Stalinism, and now exists in over 20 nations.Tony Cliff died early in 2000, and the leaders of IS groups around the world credit his guidance -- especially this book -- for building such a powerful, influential tendency under difficult circumstances. Today's socialists should read this biography not only to learn about their past, but to prepare for the future.

If you want to know the true story of Lenin and how he build the Bolshevik party, there is no better book than Tony Cliffs biography. Cliff examines closely how Lenin became a marxist and his struggle to build a strong revolutionary party. By reading this book it is clear, that Lenin wasn't a ruthless dictator, but a very intelligent man dedicated to the struggle for the rights of the working class in all countries, and that the politics of Lenin had NOTHING to do with the later terror regime developed during the Stalin period. An excellent book.