At the beginning of the 1990s, the revisionist-reformist bloc, led by the Soviet Union, collapsed. Fukuyama, the spokesman for American monopolies, declared “the end of history.” They said, “Farewell proletariat… Socialism is dead.” History was over; capitalism had no alternative; peoples were destined to live forever under the domination of imperialism!
Of course, Marxist-Leninists gave the necessary response to these ideologues of imperialism. But an answer also came from within their own ranks — from NATO. In a meeting held in 1996, NATO declared that “the 21st century will be the century of popular uprisings,” and began to prepare accordingly.
So, where was this “end of history”? Were revolutions not supposed to be over? Was the legacy of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Che no longer valid? Fukuyama’s thesis was thrown into the garbage heap of history in less than six years.
Nothing had died: socialism was real and alive. Marxist-Leninist leaders were once again the guides of revolutions. The only path was revolution; the only salvation was socialism. MarxismLeninism remained our unchanging, undefeated guide. When the imperialist masters said, “We will never again allow Marxism-Leninism to become a hope in the world,” they were merely expressing their fear.
Imperialists and their mouthpieces continue their physical and ideological liquidation attacks without interruption, to alienate the masses from revolution and socialism and distort their consciousness. This is the reality of class war.
They still spread incredible lies to discredit the leaders of socialism and revolution, to render them ineffective.
But they have not been able to erase the leaders and their ideals from the minds and hearts of those who fight for revolution and the resisting peoples.
This book is one of the living proofs of that.
Our book is the product of the collective work of Free Prisoners. From Edirne to Van, free prisoners from about twenty prisons put their heads together and sought answers to these questions:
WHAT IS LENIN’S PLACE IN YOUR REVOLUTIONARY UNDERSTANDING? A HUNDRED YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE LENIN’S DEATH. WE ARE IN THE 2000s. ARE LENIN’S THESES STILL VALID TODAY?
Some were revolutionaries in their twenties with only a few years of experience; others were in their fifties, revolutionaries of decades. They all took up their pens to answer these questions.
Their answers are found in the following pages of this book.
Amid intense restrictions and bans on books in prisons, ideas matured, knowledge accumulated. Despite arbitrary bans on correspondence, information was shared. A letter that one prison administration, after a detailed review, deemed “harmless” and sent, was found “objectionable” by the receiving administration and never delivered. Book covers and illustrations prepared to enrich the book were confiscated as “organisational codes” or “organisational propaganda.” Yet the book overcame all visible and invisible obstacles and reached your hands.
The book consists of four parts:
1. A general assessment of Leninism.
2. A brief biography of Lenin.
3. The answers of free prisoners to certain questions about Lenin. Unfortunately, since these responses would far exceed the size of the book, we had to include only selected portions. We apologize to our comrades whose full accounts we could not include.
4. The final section, titled “Drawing History Toward Oneself,” discusses Lenin’s contributions to Marxist theory and examines whether his theses remain valid in today’s realities.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the dozens of prisoners who contributed to the preparation of this book. Each took on the task with full commitment. Some filled 30–35 A4 pages, front and back. Letters went back and forth busily between prisons.
The Free Prisoners declare in unison:
LENIN LIVES!
He lives in our people’s war of liberation.
He lives in the resistance of the free prisoners.
With his theory, practice, belief in socialism, hatred of imperialism, uncompromising stance, love for the people and comrades — he continues to illuminate our path.
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