Discuss how Marxism was interpreted by V.I. Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Leon Trotsky. In your discussion, be sure to compare and contrast these three interpretations. Then, discuss how Lenin would explain North-South relations.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. Define Marxism as an approach to international relations.
2. Compare and contrast Leninism, Maoism, and Trotskyism. For example, Lenin's theory of imperialism argued that imperialist expansion could occur only at the expense of other imperialist states, leading to interimperialist competition and wars such as World War I. According to Mao, exploitation of third world countries by rich countries takes away the economic surplus of the global South and concentrates the accumulation of wealth in the rich parts of the world. By breaking free of such exploitation, third world states could retain their own surplus and begin to accumulate their own wealth. Eventually they could generate their own self-sustaining cycles of accumulation and lift themselves out of poverty. Trotsky, on the other hand, believed that a socialist country such as Russia would never be able to build socialism alone and should make its top priority the spreading of revolution to other countries to build a worldwide alliance.
3. Analyze Lenin's explanation of North-South relations. For example, industrialized states still exploit poor countries (through both formal and informal colonization) and buy off their own working classes with the profits. Through this globalization of class relations, world accumulation concentrates surplus toward the rich parts of the world and away from the poor ones. Revolutions, then, would be expected in poor regions.
4. Offer a concise summary and effective conclusion.