Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
What is meant by the phrase ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’?
The MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY explains one of Marxism’s most commonly misunderstood concepts

WHAT is the “dictatorship of the proletariat”? In essence, it means “For the many, not the few” — a phrase that has become well-known since last June’s elections.

More and more people are determined to challenge a society where wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a tiny minority (under 4 per cent) of the UK population.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A poster by Otto Lander designed for May 1, 1901: Proletarians of all lands, unite!
Full Marx / 2 August 2026
2 August 2026

Internationalism is deeply embedded in socialist theory and practice. Examination illuminates its complexity asserts the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School

Planet earth by Kevin M Gill/CC
Full Marx / 18 July 2026
18 July 2026

Nature as well as society works dialectically, asserts the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School

Statue of Oliver Cromwell
Full Marx / 2 February 2026
2 February 2026

The selection, analysis and interpretation of historical ‘facts’ always takes place within a paradigm, a model of how the world works. That’s why history is always a battleground, declares the Marx Memorial Library

heavens
Book Review / 3 December 2025
3 December 2025

BEN CHACKO welcomes a masterful analysis that puts class struggle back at the heart of our understanding of China’s revolution