Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism

By Vladimir Lenin

Book Overview

2011 Reprint of 1939 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism", by Lenin, describes the function of financial capital in generating profits from imperial colonialism, as the final stage of capitalist development to ensure greater profits. The essay is a synthesis of Lenin's modifications and developments of economic theories that Karl Marx formulated in "Das Kapital". Lenin's book greatly influenced the Core-Periphery model of global capitalist development, as well as World-systems theory and Dependency theory.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1614271909
• ISBN13: 9781614271901
• Release Date: November 2011
• Publisher: Martino Fine Books
• Length: 124 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

"...clarifying the world as it is today."

This pamphlet by Lenin was first published 90 years ago in the midst of World War I and on the eve of the Russian revolution. In this work Lenin sets out to achieve two things; first, to give a concise and scientific explanation of the nature of Imperialism and, secondly, to debate the ideas of influential and long time German Social Democratic Party leader Karl Kautsky who, under the pressure of war helped to lead the capitulation of the majority of his party to the side of the German ruling class. Advocates for social change familiar with arguments on the "left" blaming the cause of the today's ills on various forms of globalisation, - which is meant to represent a more aggressive and rapacious form of imperialism - will find Lenin's polemic against Kautsky invaluable. Lenin presents a more than convincing case that what we see today is no more than the normal workings of imperialism and therein lays the source of the problem Taking in Lenin's five principal features of imperialism starting from the first chapters is essential to understanding his discussion with Kautsky near the end of pamphlet. In fact, it goes a long way to clarifying the world as it is today.

Still a Clasic

This is one of Lenin's major works. He shows how the economical system of capitalism leads to large contradictions between states and war. A clasic still relevant in theese times of "globalisation" (imperialism).

Canadians never could understand socialism.

Although often too complex for most Canucks, it logically states yet another case against capitalism. Whether he was right or not, and whether his theories were applied is up to the reader.