Chapter VI, §1 — A Dispute That Avoids the State

V. I. Lenin · The State and Revolution

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Section summary

Lenin opens the final completed chapter by returning to the political disagreements that motivated the book. His criticism of Plekhanov is not that the latter never criticised anarchism, but that a prominent treatment of the subject avoided the central institutional questions: what happens to the existing state machine, and what replaces it? Historical discussion and denunciation of opponents can leave those questions untouched.

For Lenin, an omission can have political consequences even when a writer continues to use Marxist language. Refuting one opponent does not establish that the alternative offered is adequate. The section is therefore useful as a lesson in reading polemics: reconstruct the disputed proposition, identify the questions a critic answers, and notice those left unanswered. Its accusation remains Lenin's judgement of Plekhanov, not a substitute for comparing the works themselves or a general account of every Marxist–anarchist disagreement.

Key claims

Lenin accuses Plekhanov of avoiding the institutional problem in a work devoted to anarchism and socialism.
A criticism of an opponent can leave the critic's own account of political transformation unspecified.
The section treats omission and evasion as politically consequential, not merely incomplete exposition.

Pause & reflect

For discussion

Use these questions for individual reflection or a study circle. Return to the passage to support your answer.

What two questions does Lenin say a serious dispute over the state must address?
Can rejecting an opponent's position leave one's own alternative undefined? Find an example of that argumentative problem.
What additional reading would let you evaluate Lenin's accusation against Plekhanov rather than simply repeat it?

Terms in context

Plekhanov: Georgi Plekhanov, a major early Russian Marxist whose treatment of anarchism and later politics Lenin criticises.
polemical omission: Leaving a central disputed question unaddressed while appearing to answer an opponent.
institutional alternative: An account of what organisations and relationships would replace those being criticised.

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