According to award-winning historian Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, to understand the inner dynamics of communist thought and rule (and why they linger in Cuba, North Korea, and China), you have to go back to the beginnings of communism.
The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin
Delve into a political and economic philosophy that changed the world forever with an award-winning historian.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Lyonness from
Excellent
A very informative summary of a complicated time in history. I wish more people would view this and see its echos in today's political landscape.
Date published: 2024-10-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
El Castigador from
If you want to know more about Communism watch
I watched all 3 of Vejas series on Communism and found this one to be the most interesting for me. I enjoyed them all, but like this as it covered Marx and Engels. One learned all the true character of each as other than their ideology they were very different. So much more than that learning about Lenin, Stalin, Karl Radek, and all the others as the ones closest to the center go to the gulag first.
Date published: 2024-09-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
OmRK from
Useful Course
Another excellent lecture series by Professor Liulevicius. It is interesting to compare the Russia of 1924 with that of today, and probably a good thing Lenin's body was mummified because otherwise he might have turned in his grave.
Date published: 2024-09-13
Rated 4 out of
5
by
JPM54 from
Good course
A good overview of the roots of the communist revolution towards the end of WWI, the rise of Stalin to power and his dreams for worldwide expansion.
Date published: 2024-08-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Thanuja from
Excellent course!
It is another excellent course by Prof Liulevicius. Maxism, Socialism and Utopian ideals explained in informative, detailed and unbiased manner. Professor's presentation style is easily one of the best in The Great Courses faculty and can't wait for the next!
Date published: 2024-08-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Slow Runner from
Excellent course on history of communism
Prof. Liulevicius is one of my favorite lecturers of the Great Courses, I have already taken several by him and was never disappointed. His delivery has the right tempo: not too fast, not too slow and he presents the material in a very entertaining way, it is not a recitation of facts. He is also evenhanded and tries to explain why people and leaders react in a certain way.
Although I was familiar with most of the material, Prof. Liulevicius presents the way Marx and Engels develop the theory of communism, how it gains acceptance in the second half of the 19th century and how it culminates with the October revolution of 1917 and the creation of the Soviet Union. He describes in detail the new contributions of people like Lenin, since Marx and Engels did not explain the way the proletariat would take power. Lenin proposes a heavily centralized revolutionary party, and improbably he managed to conduct the Bolsheviks to take over the empire of the Tsars. It was an amazing event that changed human history. All this is perfectly illustrated in this course, as well as variants from other revolutionaries (like Rosa Luxemburg) that had a completely different vision from Lenin. Strongly recommended.
Date published: 2023-12-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Reza K from
Loved it!
Refreshing to see in this day & age, of vilifying anything anti-/non-capitalist, an American company can produce an unbiased course like this. Thank U professor Liulevicius. I wish it were longer. Only 12 half-hours is too short. Pls consider doing a much longer course.
Date published: 2023-10-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
joe155555 from
Fantastic Lecturer!
One can feel Professor Liulevicius's passion for his work as he explicates the rise of communism with crystal clarity and erudition. His presentation style will keep you engaged from start to finish.
There are many terrific lecturers on this indispensable platform, but none I have seen so far surpass Prof. Liulevicius's depth of insight and enthusiasm for the topics he covers.
Date published: 2023-09-25
Overview
About
Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius is a Professor of History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He received his PhD in European History, specializing in modern German history, from the University of Pennsylvania. He has published numerous articles and two books: The German Myth of the East: 1800 to the Present and War Land on the Eastern Front: Culture, National Identity, and German Occupation in World War I. He won the top two teaching awards at the University of Tennessee and was awarded a prestigious research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Trailer
01: The Locomotive of History
Come to see Lenin’s arrival at Petrograd’s Finland Station in April 1917 as one of the most important turning points in modern history: the establishment of a communist regime after decades of theory. Also, preview the themes you’ll explore in these lectures, and get solid definitions of terms such as communism and socialism.
24 min
02: Marx and Engels: An Intellectual Partnership
The revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels would rock society—and soon affect the lives of millions of people. Here, explore their body of theory (known as “dialectical materialism”) and learn how Marxism offered something different: a tableau of history with starring roles played by the toiling masses and economic forces.
30 min
03: The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital
First, unpack the meaning of the revolutionary messages in The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. Then, use a basic vocabulary of Marxist concepts to better understand Marx’s model of history and economics. Last, examine how the revolutionary lives of Marx and Engels sought to unify theory with practice.
27 min
04: The 1871 Paris Commune as a Model of Revolt
Investigate the violent upheaval of the Paris Commune in 1871: a political experiment that lasted a mere 10 weeks. The Paris Commune would make Marx one of the most feared and hated men in the world; although it failed, Marx considered it a living example of the “dictatorship of the proletariat.”
25 min
05: Marxism after Marx
In the decades following the death of Marx in 1883, the socialist movement grew—but also became highly factional over arguments about theory and organizational tactics. In this lecture, learn about the rise of political parties in Germany and America, the establishment of the Second International, and the struggle over “revisionism.”
30 min
06: Revolutionary Russias
Why did a Marxist regime come to power in Russia of all places—especially when Marx considered it an unpromising place for a proletarian revolution? Professor Liulevicius tackles this question and also probes Russia’s revolutionary tradition and the ideas of Georgi Plekhanov, the figure who did the most to bring Marx’s teachings to Russia.
27 min
07: The Making of Lenin
Take a detailed look at the life of Lenin, whose ideas and actions propelled him to become the first man to bring communist theory into power in 1917. Here, focus on Lenin’s hardness in the face of the 1891¬¬-1892 famine, his manifesto What Is to Be Done?, and the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions.
25 min
08: World War I as a Revolutionary Opportunity
With the outbreak of the First World War, Lenin—who called war an “accelerator of history”—had the world crisis he could turn to his advantage. Topics here include Marxist debates over the philosophies of defensism vs. defeatism, the arrival of Leon Trotsky and his theory of “permanent revolution,” and the widening rift between socialists and communists.
26 min
09: Red October: How the Bolsheviks Seized Power
The Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917, a moment that would be celebrated afterward as Red October, or the Great October Socialist Revolution. Here, examine the formula for success behind the Bolshevik takeover, the mythologizing of Red October in film and music, and the dawn of a new secret police force: the Cheka.
29 min
10: Rosa Luxemburg: A Revolutionary Martyr
Spend time with one of the most famous women radicals in history: the Polish-German socialist Rosa Luxemburg. Follow her revolutionary activities throughout Switzerland, Poland, and Germany; her support of spontaneous revolt over centralized conspiracy; her struggles with the ambiguities of revolutionary devotion; and her ultimate martyrdom.
29 min
11: The Red Bridge to World Revolution
How does a revolutionary regime build a bridge to world revolution? After a look at the Third International, or “Comintern,” created in 1919 to spread the message of global revolution, explore failed attempts at sovietizing Hungary and Bavaria and the Soviet-Polish War of 1920, which dashed remaining hopes for linking up with Germany.
30 min
12: Toward a New Communist Civilization
Follow the trajectory of Bolshevik social experiments to inaugurate a new civilization up through the death of Lenin in 1924. You’ll learn about Lenin’s “monumental propaganda” plan, which changed the appearance of Russia; the nationalist program of “putting down roots”; party recruitment drives and purges; and even the mummification of Lenin’s body.
33 min
