This presentation examines some of the major debates on national liberation between non-Russian Marxists and Bolsheviks in the Tsarist Empire, a multinational state in which dominated nationalities made up a majority of the population, as well as a majority of socialists. Both V. I. Lenin and the political currents to which he belonged were initially less sympathetic to national aspirations than has usually been assumed. Only after years of experience in struggle did the Bolsheviks eventually adopt an effective strategy for national liberation.

Suggested Readings:

“Anti-imperial Marxism: Borderland socialists and the evolution 
of Bolshevism on national liberation” by Eric Blanc, International Socialist Review #100
http://bit.ly/2aBA3mH

“National Liberation and Bolshevism reexamined: A view from the borderlands” by Eric Blanc
http://bit.ly/2aHEHm1