Since people talking about Lenin & Leninism I think I'll do a quick thread

There's a lot of misconceptions around "Leninist" theory so I'll deal with a few.

1. The concept of the Vanguard Party. The Vanguard Party is not an intellectual elite nor is it something separate from the working class. The Vanguard Party instead is a Socialist party made up the most advanced section of the working class organized under a revolutionary banner

Socialist groups today are small organizations with little to no influence in the working class and can hardly be called a vanguard if such a thing exists.

There's also a conflation of the Vanguard Party and the Party state. With the Soviet government was formed it was a coalition government between two major parties - The Leftwing of the Socialist Revolutionaries & The Bolsheviks with others also participating.

The Bolshevik slogan for the 1917 revolution was "all power to the soviets". The soviets were bodies of mass organization that were created in 1905. The urban soviets began to rally around the Bolsheviks right before the revolution.

If "Leninism" can be summed up as a philosophy, a set of tactics, or ideology then it would retain the following
1. The working class not only needs it's own party but it needs a revolutionary party to fight against bourgeois influences.

2. Working class internationalism - solidarity with the working and oppressed people worldwide - not with their respective nations or ruling class of said nations.
3. The right of self determination (to form separate nations away from the larger nation) for oppressed peoples

4. Anti colonialism and support for the colonized peoples against their oppressor nations.
5. Political independence from the capitalist parties and own programs separate from them.

"Marxism-Leninism" takes a departure from "Leninism" or Bolshevik practice through the pre revolutionary period and for a few years post revolution.

"Marxism-Leninism" is state ideology that morphs on the needs of whatever ruling class is wielding it.