Tag Archives: Vladimir Ilich Lenin

mao: little red book of libido

The image Mao presented to his followers was that of the libidoless leader. He taught the youth of China that love…is a “psychosomatic activity which consumes energy and wastes time.”… …Whatever the reality, the image Mao presented to his followers … Continue reading

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mao: ascetic revolutionary

…The image Mao presented to his followers was that of a libidoless leader. He taught the youth of China that love…is a “psychosomatic activity which consumes energy and wastes time.”… …In both the West and in India there existed a … Continue reading

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lenin: gandhi complex

…Lenin however, had learned well from his earlier experiences. In general, he knew how to keep his emotions “to himself,” to “keep a stone in one’s sling,” and to regard all persons “without sentiment.” It was because he had steeled … Continue reading

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lenin: guarding the torment

…It was Lenin’s hardness, his character as an ascetic revolutionary, that to a significant extent attracted his small group of fellow conspirators and propelled this extraordinary minority into the highest authority over a huge land… …Then, in 1903, Lenin implemented … Continue reading

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lenin: vices of spontaneity and softness

…Lenin came to exercise enormous control over his emotions. He spurned all signs of softness and spontaneity. Even his marriage was a “revolutionary” one to a fellow conspirator… The second incident illustrating Lenin’s denial of libidinal feelings involves his reaction … Continue reading

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revolution: lenin and libidinal ties

…Two incidents dramatically illustrate Lenin’s efforts to free himself from libidinal ties. The first occurred around 1900 and involved Plekhanov, Lenin’s revered mentor in Marxism. In a power struggle over Iskra, the periodical inspired by Lenin, the younger man came … Continue reading

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revolution: all work and no play for lenin

…Lenin came to exercise enormous control over his emotions. He spurned all kinds of softness and spontaneity. Even his marriage was a “revolutionary” one to a fellow conspirator… Any pleasure that stood in the way of work must be given … Continue reading

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revolution blues: learning to hate liberals

…Almost always, the revolutionary who loves Humanity cannot abide its visible representatives. It is as if they loved Humanity because they hate human beings… Obviously, no single individual will perfectly epitomize the new man, the ascetic revolutionary. Nor will all … Continue reading

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revolution: what is to be done?

…Not only friends, of course, but also family must be rejected by the ascetic revolutionary. Existing family relations, and the ties binding an individual to them, must be ruthlessly broken. As Hegel pointed out, it was an early revolutionary, Christ, … Continue reading

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karl marx: many faces

The many faces of Karl Marx: Prophet, historian, newspaperman, revolutionary, philosopher, fond papa- all thse faces were his, and one other; that is, the romantic idealist exhorting man to triumph over the things he manufactures… One can imagine few greater … Continue reading

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