VISITORS flocked to Marx House on London’s Clerkenwell Green on Saturday to mark 100 years since Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin died.

The Marx Memorial Library held a conference on the founder of the Soviet state and Lenin’s connection to London and the building itself, from which he edited the underground Bolshevik newspaper Iskra (the Spark) from 1902 to 1903.

Library director Meirian Jump opened the day by describing Lenin’s links to the historic building and inviting guests to visit the Lenin room, from which he edited the paper, while historian Robert Henderson, former curator of the Russian collection at the British Library, spoke of Lenin’s time as a political exile in London, Lenin and his wife Nadezhda Krupskaya’s lives in the British capital and the organisation of Bolshevik congresses there, themes of his recent book The Spark that Lit the Revolution.

Speakers moved on to more political themes, with Professor Mary Davis speaking on imperialism, the labour aristocracy and why Britain never developed a mass Marxist party unlike most other European countries. Dr Jonathan White discussed how socialists should approach state power with reference to Lenin’s State & Revolution, while author Vijay Prashad led a session on What Is to Be Done?, arguing that the Leninist model of the revolutionary party remains the most effective form of organisation for overthrowing capitalism.

Speakers noted the twin centenaries of Lenin’s death (January 21 1924) and the formation of Britain’s first Labour government (January 22 1924) and how, in an election year when Britain faces the prospect of another right-wing Labour administration, these should spark debate across the movement about the limitations of social democracy and the need for a revived communist movement.

An exhibition showing images, documents and historic papers about Lenin in London and the library’s history of Lenin anniversary events was held on the first floor, while all attending received a complimentary copy of the weekend Morning Star including the Lenin centenary supplement produced jointly with the library.

The library also pitched for donations for restorative work on Dimitrov’s coat, the overcoat of the Communist International leader lent to British communist Harry Pollitt to wear at Lenin’s funeral, which was passed via civil-war Spain to international brigader and later Morning Star foreign editor Sam Lesser (pen name Russell), whose family donated it to the library on his death. You can donate here: www.marx-memorial-library.org.uk/support