Prior to 1900 Lenin's political economy was not marked by originality. As we have seen in Chapter 9, some novel features are evident but the overall framework was that provided by Plekhanov. Similarly, the economic theory which Lenin fashioned during the First World War rested upon the work of others, notably Hilferding and Bukharin (see Chapter 13 below). This latter stage in Lenin's thought is undoubtedly the most important since it provided the theory underlying the Bolshevik revolution. Between these two periods, however, Lenin himself created a new and imaginative political economy, and one which provided a fresh perspective upon the whole development of Russian history and the problems facing revolutionary Marxism. Furthermore, many of its themes are crucial for an understanding of his actions in the last decade of his life, even though the themes of his Imperialism,¹ written in 1916, remained dominant.