Vladimir Lenin

What a guy.  The NYT publishes Tariq Ali’s rather celebratory look at one of the 20th century’s most important figures.  Also getting some shout outs are the Bolsheviks, though the taint of outside forces and the subsequent flaws in their direction is acknowledged.  But since most of the ensuing violence is put at the feet of the Czarist forces and the Western allies, you can’t help but wonder how good things would have been if the Bolsheviks had been left to their own devices without outside interference.  On the whole, if you’re interested in a positive take on Lenin and the Bolsheviks, you could do worse than this piece, which would make John Reed proud.