"Without Revolutionary theory, there can be no Revolutionary Movement."
— Vladimir Lenin, What is to be Done? | Audiobook
It's time to read theory, comrades! As Lenin says, "Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle." Marxism-Leninism is broken into 3 major components, as noted by Lenin in his pamphlet The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism: | Audiobook
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Dialectical and Historical Materialism
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Critique of Capitalism along the lines of Marx's Law of Value
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Advocacy for Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
As such, I created the following list to take you from no knowledge whatsoever of Leftist theory, and leave you with a strong understanding of the critical fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism in an order that builds up as you read. Let's get started!
Section I: Getting Started
What the heck is Communism, anyways? For that matter, what is fascism?
- Friedrich Engels' Principles of Communism | Audiobook
The FAQ of Communism, written by the Luigi of the Marx & Engels duo. Quick to read, and easy to reference, this is the perfect start to your journey.
- Michael Parenti's Blackshirts and Reds | Audiobook
Parenti's characteristic wit is on full display in this historical contextualization and analysis of fascism and Communism. Line after line, Parenti debunks anti-Communist myths. This is also an excellent time to watch the famous "Yellow Parenti" speech.
Section II: Historical and Dialectical Materialism
Ugh, philosophy? Really? YES!
- Georges Politzer's Elementary Principles of Philosophy | Audiobook
By understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism first, you make it easier to understand the rest of Marxism-Leninism. Don't be intimidated!
- Friedrich Engels' Socialism: Utopian and Scientific | Audiobook
Engels introduces Scientific Socialism, explaining how Capitalism itself prepares the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates and cartels.
Section III: Political Economy
That's right, it's time for the Law of Value and a deep-dive into Imperialism. If we are to defeat Capitalism, we must learn it's mechanisms, tendencies, contradictions, and laws.
- Karl Marx's Wage Labor and Capital | Audiobook & Wages, Price and Profit | Audiobook
Best taken as a pair, these essays simplify the most important parts of the Law of Value.
- Vladimir Lenin's Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism | Audiobook
The era of Imperialism, which as the primary contradiction cascades downward into all manner of related secondary contradictions.
Section IV: Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
Can we defeat Capitalism at the ballot box? What about just defeating fascism? What about the role of the state?
- Rosa Luxemburg's Reform or Revolution | Audiobook
If Marxists believed reforming Capitalist society was possible, we would be the first in line for it. Sadly, it isn't.
- Vladimir Lenin's The State and Revolution | Audiobook
Further analyzes the necessity of Revolution and introduces the economic basis for the withering away of the State.
Section V: National Liberation, De-colonialism, and Solidarity
The revolution will not be fought by individuals, but by an intersectional, international working class movement. Solidarity allows different marginalized groups to work together in collective interest, unifying into a single broad movement. Marxists support the Right of Self-Determination for all peoples and support National Liberation movements against Imperialism.
- Vikky Storm & Eme Flores' The Gender Accelerationist Manifesto | (No Audiobook yet)
Breaks down misogyny, and queerphobia, as well as how to move beyond the base subject of "gender" from a Historical Materialist perspective.
- Leslie Feinberg's Lavender & Red | Audiobook
When different social groups fight for liberation together along intersectional lines, they are emboldened and empowered ever-further.
- Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth | Audiobook & Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed | Audiobook
De-colonialism is essential to Marxism. Without having a strong, de-colonial, internationalist stance, we have no path to victory nor justice. These books are best taken as a pair, read in quick succession.
Section VI: Putting it into Practice!
It's not enough to endlessly read, you must put theory to practice. That is how you can improve yourself and the movements you support. Touch grass!
- Mao Tse-Tung's On Practice & On Contradiction | Audiobook
Mao wrote simply and directly to peasant soldiers during the Revolutionary War in China. This pair of essays equip the reader to apply the analytical tools of Dialectical Materialism to their every day practice.
- Vladimir Lenin's "Left-Wing" Communism, an Infantile Disorder | Audiobook
Common among new leftists is dogmatism over pragmatism. Everyone wants perfection, but dogmatic "left" anti-Communists let perfection become the enemy of progress.
- Liu Shaoqi's How to be a Good Communist | Audiobook
Organizing is a skill. If we are to be successful, we must work to better ourselves.
Congratulations, you completed your introductory reading course!
With your new understanding and knowledge of Marxism-Leninism, here is a mini What is to be Done? of your own to follow, and take with you as practical advice.
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Get organized. The Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Red Star Caucus, and Marxist Unity Group all organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one!
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Read theory. Don't think that you are done now! Just because you have the basics, doesn't mean you know more than you do. If you have not investigated a subject, don't speak on it!
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Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground, let nobody go forgotten.
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Be industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your knowledge.
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Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others.
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Be persistent. If you feel like a single water droplet against a mountain, think of canyons and valleys. With consistency, every rock, boulder, mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but water droplets.
"Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent."
— Mao Tse-Tung
Thank you! Do you have any suggestions for swaps or improvements overall?
I think the list is great as is, but minor suggestions. It might be an idea bump the state and rev higher up because it directly tackles a lot of the debates we're seeing currently on the left. It explains the nature of the state and addresses the whole reformism and working within the system idea very thoroughly. I'd argue it's one of the most relevant texts for understanding the current political moment out there. I'd also recommend the excellent What Is To Be Done? (Abridged) from Red Sails https://redsails.org/witbd-rs-abridged/ as it's more accessible.
And it's worth mentioning “Left-Wing” Communism: an Infantile Disorder as well since it deals with practical organization, and how to balance pragmatism with staying principled. I think it's a great overview of what a communist party should strive for.
I can swap section 3 and 4, so State and Rev comes up earlier. I would have to remove Reform or Revolution or a different work to add more theory, but I'll keep your suggestions in mind, thanks. I agree that "Left-Wing" Communism is a great work for avoiding common pitfalls, but running into the character limit really forces me to pick and choose.
What are your thoughts, if you don't mind?
I don't know that I'd take anything out, all the sources you've already got there are great. I think it's honestly a very good intro as is, so totally up to your discretion. :)
Thanks, I appreciate it! Might see if I can trim some fat and throw "Left-Wing" Communism at the end, and maybe Pedagogy of the Oppressed right after Wretched as other comrades have recommended.
By the way, I did end up squeezing in "Left-Wing" Communism," PotO, and added How to be a Good Communist by Liu Shaoqi, so there should be a much stronger focus on National Liberation and principled yet practical organization, both of which were lacking in the original revision of my list IMO. Thanks for the suggestion!
Having seen you sharing this list multiple times in the comments lately, I have been thinking "man, this should be a proper post". Great work and thanks for educating us, comrade o7
Thank you for checking it out! Now more than ever is a great opportunity for reading theory and radicalization, so I've been sharing it when I can.
Love the content of that list, hate that it uses Google Analytics. I used to share that list around too, but after a comrade pointed it out I've refrained for OPSEC reasons. If you are okay with it, I can personally back it up as a good list even if I made my own list based on my own overall preferences. That's part of why I am making my own list instead!
Thanks for sharing!
Thx, this is a great list!
I can't emphasize enough how good Socialism - Utopian and Scientific, and State and revolution are. Possibly the best shorter political works in their given centuries.
State and Revolution was what convinced me of communism. Black shirts and Reds radicalized me but State and Revolution educated me and convinced me of the necessity of revolution. I straight up could not define what a state was before I read that 💀
No problem! Wanted to have something of my own to share any time I think it might be wanted, plus with the aftermath of the US election many US liberals are more open to radicalization.
Fully agree on Socialism: Utopian and Scientific and State and Rev, both are some of the most useful for understanding Scientific Socialism and the necessity of revolution.
Thanks for your input!
PSL and FRSO are bad picks. They do not share a structure common with successful revolutions- a smaller demcent vanguard party within a larger mass organization with internal democracy. If you want to recreate the bolsheviks, you need to find your Russian Social Democratic labor party, which means joining other MLs in struggling within DSA.
I'm not aware of any better orgs in the US - do you have a recommendation?
Go join DSA and apply to Red Star or MUG once you have some experience and leadership. Successful struggle generally takes place within mass parties, even if and because the mass parties start off with a lower level of consciousness.
Now is an important time as the national leadership is basically split between relatively cool factions and social democrats with Trots making up deciding votes. The convention is this Summer, and right now the right wing has lost a lot of credibility in the eyes of membership after licking the boot of the unsuccessful kamala campaign. If you want to make a difference in turning the biggest instrument for channeling growing class consciousness back into democrat support into something that genuinely engages in class struggle, now is a critical time to engage.
I'll add Red Star Caucus and MUG to the list of orgs, though I won't remove FRSO or PSL as they are supported by many comrades here for legitimate reason as well. Thanks!
Fair enough. There are plenty of cool folks to learn from in both orgs, I just don't think there structure and orientation toward the more advanced sections of the working class really align with historical lessons.
That's absolutely a valid argument, I have not done enough personal investigation into the matter to warrant de-suggesting FRSO and PSL, that's all.
who the fuck is scraeming "READ THEORY" at my house. show yourself, coward. i will never read theory
Idk, all these books are pretty old and (I think they've been written by authoritarians). I say we just wing it and hope for the best. /,s
Lmao (technically several works listed were published within the last 30 years 🤓)
Jokes aside, I really like this person's essays on Marxism for modern analysis in digestible, bite-sized chunks. I especially love essays like Why do Marxists Fail to Bring the "Worker's Paradise?" and Socialism Developed China, Not Capitalism because they help counter common idealist arguments against AES states from a contemporary point of view. They also have funky essays like Dialectics and Quantum Mechanics that are just downright interesting if you're both a Science Nerd and a Marxism Nerd.
Added Lavender and Red to my library. I have all the rest and have worked through all but 4 I think. Solid list.
Haha, I added audiobooks (sourced by a helpful comrade I think wishes to be anonymous) so if that's more convenient, take advantage of it!
Hate audiobooks even more than digital ones lol but I really do appreciate the effort thank you and the anonymous comrade!!
Open for feedback! Want to have this intro list I made as a post I can easily reference with a quick link. I can take this down or edit it if it breaks any rules. Hope I've covered all the necessary bases!
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments as well, I'll do my best to answer. It doesn't need to specifically be about this list either, it can be a general Marxism question as well!
Also working on a "DLC Pack" for this list for further reading. I'd appreciate any suggestions!
Edit: internationalized the language to not be US-centric (changed "The Democrats will not save us" to "Liberals will not save us" and "Grand Canyon" to "canyons and valleys").
Edit 2: cleaned up and trimmed extra words that were unnecessary (possible expansion) and added Red Star Caucus and MUG to the org list at @OurToothbrush@lemmy.ml request.
Edit 3: added Pedagogy of the Oppressed and emphasized the Marxist stance on National Liberation and the Right of Self-Determination.
Edit 4: added "Left-Wing" Communism at the request of @yogthos@lemmy.ml
Edit 5: added How to be a Good Communist per the request of a (for now) anonymous comrade.
Edit 6: optimization of link character use thanks to @Edie@lemmy.ml
Walter Rodney's How Europe Underdeveloped Africa would be a good addition to this list as well as his other book Decolonial Marxism. Both have audiobooks available.
They're very helpful in understanding underdevelopment, dependency theory, unequal exchange, and the colonial mode of production which places and keeps superexploited labor as low as possible on the production chain either in primary production/resource extraction or in very basic secondary production, where then these resources are exported to the metropoles for further refinement.
Good idea! Do you have any suggestions on what I should remove, if anything? I am nearing the limits on character count I believe. I tried to get Decolonialism through Fanon's work, but am open to making it more of an emphasis.
Alternatively, I could add them to my planned "DLC list" with a long list of other great works and short descriptions so people can choose where to focus upon finishing this list. Works like Settlers and Oppose Book Worship, everything that doesn't quite fit but should be essential reading anyways, is DLC material.
Oof, I don't know if I'd remove anything either? There's so much out there to read that I'd struggle making a concise list.
So on second thought, maybe actually Walter Rodney could be part of a separate introduction to decolonisation?
I'll keep that in mind!
It was a strict requirement for this list to include work on Decolonialism, so I believe Fanon does that the best in a single work. That way, we remove the risk of people simply taking whatever materially benefits themselves, and push the internationalist, intersectional angle.
The DLC list will likely be broken up into sections so if someone wants further reading on decolonialism, that can be properly provided.
