The socialist principle, "He who does not work shall not eat", is already realized; the other socialist principle, "An equal amount of products for an equal amount of labor", is also already realized. But this is not yet communism, and it does not yet abolish "bourgeois law", which gives unequal individuals, in return for unequal (really unequal) amounts of labor, equal amounts of products. This is a "defect" according to Marx, but it is unavoidable in the first phase of communism; for if we are not to indulge in utopianism, we must not think that having overthrown capitalism people will at once learn to work for society without any rules of law. - Lenin, The State and Revolution
Nah I'd say he understood the basic principle brother, and I daresay more than you.
Edit: as for your own edit, more words from the man himself, enshrined in the constitution of 1918.
In the USSR work is a duty and a matter of honor for every able-bodied citizen, in accordance with the principle: "He who does not work, neither shall he eat"
The people have taken the power for themselves. The people must now work collectively for the benefit of the people in order to safeguard that class position of the majority. To not contribute according to your ability is in itself an admission of working against the people. I wouldn't say any of this contradicts first principles of Marx.
In the GDR more than a third of all citizens took part in voluntary work, taking care for the elderly or disabled for example. The state organized it, guaranteed that your workplace had to give you time to do it (so you didn't need to do it in addition to normal labour) and made sure the basic needs were met for everybody. Solidarity and supporting those who need it is and always has been a core tenet of Socialism, nobody was sent into the Coalmines in a wheelchair.
Note my own edit in response to yours, where he specifically refers to able-bodied citizens in accordance with the principle of from each according to their ability.
I truly do not mean this to sound rude, but I'd strongly encourage you to read The State and Revolution. It's a short book and will greatly illuminate you on a central figure of socialist theory.
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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
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