Ronald Suny, a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, asks whether Joseph Stalin was a Marxist and what the answer means for Marxism’s legacy. He examines how Bolshevik political choices helped produce Stalin’s dictatorship, contrasting Stalinism with what he sees as Marxism’s humanist and democratic aspirations. Suny also considers the relevance of Marxist ideas to inequality, capitalism and today’s political crises. The lecture was delivered in Tbilisi on July 2, 2026.
This lecture is part of the Monterey Summer Symposium 2026, held across Uzbekistan, Georgia and Armenia from June 18 to July 10, 2026.
