Vladimir Lenin articulated this strategy during World War I. He argued that the proletariat should not support their respective national governments in an imperialist war but instead use the chaos of the conflict to overthrow the bourgeoisie. This concept, known as revolutionary defeatism, was central to his political theory and served as a justification for the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia.

In his work 'Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism', Lenin argued that the export of capital allows imperialist nations to delay their own internal crises and revolutionary potential by extracting surplus value from abroad. This process essentially exports the contradictions of capitalism, thereby potentially arresting the development of the domestic revolutionary movement in the exporting country.

Lenin argued that the export of capital is a defining feature of the imperialist stage of capitalism. He posited that by exporting capital to colonies and underdeveloped regions, the capitalist powers could delay their own internal crises, effectively arresting or slowing down the revolutionary development within the capital-exporting nations themselves by exploiting foreign markets.

Marxist theory posits that the proletarian state serves as a tool for the majority (the working class) to suppress the minority (the former ruling class or bourgeoisie). This is seen as a necessary, temporary measure to prevent counter-revolution and to facilitate the transition to a society where class distinctions no longer exist, thereby eliminating the need for state-led suppression entirely.

The chronological order of publication for these works is: 'The War and the Second International' (1915), 'The State and Revolution' (1917), 'The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky' (1918), and 'Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder' (1920). This sequence tracks the development of Lenin's thought during the First World War and the subsequent Russian Revolution.

Following the October Revolution of 1917, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was established, which later became the core of the Soviet Union. It is widely recognized as the world's first state to be founded on the principles of Marxist-Leninist socialism, aiming to transition from capitalism to a communist society.

The pair 'Lenin - Neo-colonialism: The highest stage of Imperialism' is incorrectly matched. While Lenin wrote 'Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism', the term 'Neo-colonialism' is famously associated with Kwame Nkrumah. This question tests knowledge of foundational political literature and the correct attribution of seminal texts within the study of imperialism and political development.

Vladimir Lenin used this phrase to characterize the revolutionary process. He viewed revolutions not merely as political upheavals but as moments of profound liberation where the masses take control of their destiny. This perspective underscores his belief in the vanguard party's role in mobilizing the proletariat and the peasantry to overthrow the capitalist order and establish a new socialist state.

Leon Trotsky was a prominent revolutionary figure who initially maintained an independent stance between the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions. He formally joined the Bolsheviks in 1917, shortly before the October Revolution. The provided answer key suggests 1903, which is the year of the party split, though Trotsky's formal alignment with the Bolsheviks occurred much later in his political career.

Joseph Stalin, in his 1924 lectures titled 'Foundations of Leninism', provided this definitive characterization. By framing Leninism as the natural evolution of Marxism in the era of imperialism, Stalin sought to consolidate his ideological authority within the Soviet Union and the international communist movement, emphasizing the necessity of a vanguard party to lead the proletarian revolution.