The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin
Overview
Course No. 8071
Trace communism’s revolutionary journey from theory to power in this 12-lecture series with an award-winning historian.
This course examines:
- The foundational theories of Marx and Engels
- Lenin’s violent seizure of power in Russia
- Key revolutionary figures like Trotsky and Luxemburg
- How communist ideas worked (and failed) in practice
Discover how a radical economic philosophy transformed into world-shaking political force.
Video Lessons
Theoretical Foundations (1-5)
- Historical Turning Point (24 min) – Lenin’s 1917 return
- Marx & Engels (30 min) – Dialectical materialism
- Key Texts (27 min) – Communist Manifesto & Das Kapital
- Paris Commune (25 min) – First proletarian dictatorship
Road to Revolution (6-9)
- Russian Context (27 min) – Why Russia?
- Lenin’s Formation (25 min) – From exile to leader
- WWI Opportunity (26 min) – War as accelerator
- October Revolution (29 min) – Bolshevik takeover
Global Impact (10-12)
- Rosa Luxemburg (29 min) – Revolutionary martyr
- Comintern (30 min) – Exporting revolution
- New Civilization (33 min) – Lenin’s social experiments

