: This concept involved the seizure of state power by the working class (led by the Party) to suppress the bourgeoisie and begin the transition to communism . Leninism in Practice (1917–1924)

Leninism is often distinguished from "orthodox Marxism" by several key developments:

: Lenin argued that workers would not spontaneously develop revolutionary consciousness beyond simple trade unionism. Instead, a disciplined, professional party of "vanguards" was required to lead the revolution.