To me, being a good political theorist does not hinge on how much you changed the world or how much you put your ideas into practice. It depends on how well your analysis describes and predicts political processes and relationships. Lenin's political theory was that a) a revolution in Russia would trigger a world revolution, b) the economic backwardness of Russia could be overcome in building socialism there, c) vanguard parties are acceptable means of pursuing socialism, and d) democratic procedures are largely bourgeois claptrap. Wrong x4!
Meanwhile, oligopoly isn't monopoly. "Oligopoly capital" is scientifically correct, but ugly. "Corporate capital" connects with popular consciousness and pushes Lenin away, while also requiring less explanation than "Monopoly Capital."
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