The Year of Lenin
For the RCP, 2024 was the 'Year of Lenin'. Why was this year chosen in particular?
It marks 100 years since Lenin died.
In 2024, the RCP held the biggest ever Revolution Festival. Can you name 3 (out of 35+) sessions that were put on over the weekend?
There's too many to list...
1917 (February & October)
The Russian Revolution
Complete the quote: "Without revolutionary ______ there can be no revolutionary __________."
Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement.
Revolutions aren't something consigned to the history books! Which two countries experienced earth-shaking movements this year?
Bangladesh and Kenya
Before writing this book, Lenin re-read Hegel alongside 148 books, 232 articles and 49 periodicals. Which book was it?
Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism
Alan Woods, lead theoretician of the RCI, studied and built at which university on the south coast?
The University of Sussex
1949
The Chinese Revolution
Marx identified three different stages of class society, what are they?
Ancient (slave) society, Feudalism and Capitalism
Trump has collected figures like Elon Musk into a new department aimed at hacking and slashing the state. What is the acronym for this new department?
DOGE
Lenin's Collected Works total 54 volumes, but which work ends with the following lines: "It is more pleasant and useful to go through the "experience of revolution" than to write about it."?
The State and Revolution
The next In Defence of Marxism magazine will be all about science. What issue number will it be?
Issue 48
1923 (unsuccessful)
The German Revolution
Engels comments that Marxism was developed out of three progressive trends: English political economy, French socialism and German philosophy. Can you name one thinker for each?
English political economy: Adam Smith, David Ricardo
French Socialism: Saint-Simon, Fourier
German Philosophy: Hegel, Feuerbach
2024 saw the continuation of the genocide in Gaza. We look to the First Intifada as an inspiring example of Palestinian resistance, but what does 'intifada' translate to?
"Uprising" or "Shaking off"
What was the name of the highly influential theoretician and teacher to Lenin and other Russian revolutionaries - often nicknamed "the father of Russian Marxism"?
Georgi Plekhanov
We know that before being called the RCP, our organisation was named 'Socialist Appeal'. But which organisation preceded Socialist Appeal?
Militant
1959
The Cuban Revolution
The outbreak of WW1 shattered the Second International. Within the belligerent countries, which three socialist parties retained their internationalism and came out against the war?
The Serbian Social Democrats, The Bolsheviks (and Mensheviks) and the Independent Labour Party
2024 saw Sir Kid Starver take up the mantle and enter Downing Street. The RCP, quite unexpectedly, ran a boldly Communist candidate in Stratford & Bow - how many votes did Fiona get? (to the nearest hundred)
1,791
What was the name of Lenin's last article?
Better Fewer, But Better
This year, we founded the Revolutionary Communist International. This was combined with founding Revolutionary Communist Parties in countries across the world. The first to have their congress was the British section, but which section most recently had their founding congress?
The German Section, who founded the Revolutionary Communist Party (RKP) between 30th November and 1st December
1974
The Ethiopian Revolution
Complete the quote: "It is historical experience that the greatest revolution in all history was not led by the party which started out with bombs but by the party which started out with _________ __________"
"It is historical experience that the greatest revolution in all history was not led by the party which started out with bombs but by the party which started out with dialectical materialism."
The Economist described 2024 as a "unique year for democracy" (!). This is because elections took place in 50 different countries this year, meaning around 1.5 billion people headed to the polls. The comrade that can name the most countries where elections took place this year wins this round!
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Taiwan, Finland, Comoros, Tuvalu, El Salvador, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Belarus, Senegal, Liechtenstein, Iran, Ireland, Russian Federation, Portugal, Slovakia, Togo, South Korea, India, Kiribati, Maldives, Solomon Islands, North Macedonia, United Kingdom, Panama, Lithuania, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Mexico, Belgium, Mauritania, Croatia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Austria, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Georgia, Mozambique, Uruguay, Chad, Jordan, Tunisia, Botswana, USA, Tunisia, Palau, Romania, Namibia, Georgia, Moldova, South Sudan, Algeria, San Marino, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Uzbekistan