My partner has all the right political instincts and really wants to bolster their knowledge of the systems of socialism/communism and the ideologies therein.

I was initially thinking of recommending Blackshirts and Reds by Parenti as that was an entry point for me to shed any remaining lib tendencies I had.

Would love to hear what y'all would recommend!

  • starkillerfish (she)@lemmygrad.ml
    ·
    1 year ago

    I wrote a short baby leftist reading list a while back which might be useful!

    1. Principles of communism (Engels). https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm Explains the history of capitalism and what communism is in very basic terms.
    2. Wage labour and capital (Marx). https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/ The very very basics marxist economic theory. Like a taster of Capital.
    3. The three sources and three component parts of Marxism (Lenin). https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1913/mar/x01.htm Super short essay by Lenin on the key concepts of marxism to tie everything together.
    4. Imperialism (Lenin). https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/ We live in the world of imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism. Lenin in many ways predicted the 21st century evolution of capital.

    Extra reads:

    • Classic: Communist Manifesto (Marx+Engels). https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ If you want to know what all the fuss is about.
    • Feminism + Liberation: Women, Race & Class (Davis). Connects socialist feminist theory and black liberation theory. One of my favs of all time.