Dictatorship of the proletariat

A transitional political order in Marxist theory in which the working class holds state power, suppresses the former ruling class, and prepares the transition to communism.

State (Marxist theory): In Marxist theory, the state is a political institution shaped by class relations and often used to maintain class rule. The transitional order uses state power to prevent the former ruling class from restoring its dominance.
Karl Marx: A German philosopher and political economist whose writings founded a major tradition of socialist thought. Marx used the phrase to describe working-class rule in the transition beyond capitalism.
Leninism: A revolutionary Marxist tradition emphasizing a disciplined party and the overthrow of capitalist state power. Lenin made the concept central to a theory of revolutionary state power.
October Revolution: The Bolshevik-led seizure of power in Russia in October 1917. The Bolsheviks presented their new government as a form of proletarian rule.
Class struggle: Conflict between social classes over economic interests, political power, and control of production. Marxists frame the transition as an outcome of continuing conflict between classes.
Friedrich Engels: A German socialist theorist and collaborator of Karl Marx who edited and published several of Marx’s works. Engels clarified the term’s place in Marxist accounts of the state and revolution.
Democratic socialism: A socialist tradition that seeks democratic control of the economy through political democracy and often electoral change. Its commitment to pluralist democratic institutions contrasts with one-party interpretations of proletarian rule.
Russian Civil War: The armed conflict in the former Russian Empire between Bolshevik forces and a range of opponents from 1917 to 1922. War and emergency rule intensified disputes over how the transition should exercise coercive power.
Proletariat: The wage-earning class that must sell its labor power to live and does not own the means of production. This class is the proposed holder of political power during the transition.
The Civil War in France: Karl Marx’s 1871 analysis of the Paris Commune and the political lessons of its defeat. Marx connected the Commune’s institutions to the political form of proletarian rule.

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