Vladimir Illyich Lenin (1870–1924) A Russian revolutionary and leader of
the Soviet Union, 1917–24, Lenin was the most influential Marxist theorist of
the twentieth century. He was primarily concerned with the issues of
organisation and revolution, emphasising the central importance of a tightlyorganised
‘vanguard’ party to lead and guide the proletarian class. Lenin
analysed colonialism as an economic phenomenon and highlighted the