Lenin Collections

collections containing works by V. I. Lenin, texts of his speeches and addresses and preparatory materials for them, and drafts of decisions, decrees, and resolutions of the party Central Committee, the Council of People’s Commissars, and the Council of Labor and Defense. The collections also include rough drafts, notes, summaries, and theses on various questions written by Lenin and his letters, telegrams, memorandums, orders, and instructions to various institutions, organizations, and individuals.

As Lenin’s documents are discovered and studied, the Lenin collections are published by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism under the Central Committee of the CPSU. The material is arranged chronologically or by subject. The Lenin collections have appeared simultaneously with the publication of the collected works of Lenin and may be regarded as a supplement to the ongoing publication of his works. Between 1924 and 1973, 37 collections were published.

Although most of the documents contained in the collections were included in the fifth edition of Lenin’s works, the collections are important in studying the process of the collection and analysis of the Leninist legacy and because a portion of the preparatory materials was not included in the complete collected works. The collections are also important because they contain reproductions of Lenin’s originals (orthographic features, abbreviations) and letters and many other materials related to a particular Lenin document. The material in the collections reveals Lenin’s research methods and the process by which he worked out various theoretical and practical problems.

The first and second Lenin collections were published three times in 1924–25. The third, fifth, ninth, 11th, and 12th collections were issued twice between 1924 and 1931. The first through 32nd collections have an index of names mentioned in the documents, and the 36th and 37th collections contain name and subject indexes.