Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement.
— V. I. Lenin
In the dying capitalist hellscape we occupy, it can often seem hopeless. However, a better world is possible. We can move on from the destitution, genocide, and privation of today's society and move onto one where we consciously decide to take a scientific approach to production. We can direct society in such a fashion that satisfying the needs of the people is the goal of production, and not satisfying the bottomless avarice of a handful of billionaires. What we need is socialism. What we need is Marxism-Leninism.
Who is this guide aimed at?
Anyone wanting to begin their journey into the world of leftist theory and organizing.
How long will this guide take to follow?
Aimed at about 60 hours of active reading time. This can be stretched out over a year, or condensed into a few months of hard study, depending on your availability.
Section 0a: The Case for Marxism-Leninism [4hr 19 min]
In the 21st century, with global capitalism in crisis, now more than ever an alternative is needed. Why should we look to Marxism-Leninism, specifically?
- A. Einstein's Why Socialism? | Audiobook
[20 min]
From the unique scientific perspective of a legendary physicist, the case for taking a coordinated, planned, and scientific approach to production and distribution.
- R. Day's Why Marxism?
[26 min]
The case specifically for Marxism-Leninism as the basis of social organizing and revolutionary practice.
- M. Parenti's "Yellow Parenti" Speech
[1 hr 33 min]
The importance of revolution in uplifting people's lives across the 20th century.
- M. Parenti's Blackshirts and Reds | Audiobook
[2 hr]
A litany against anti-communist mythos, an examination of the real successes and struggles in the USSR, and an analysis of fascism.
Section 0b: Self-Education [15 min]
When beginning to study a new subject, it's important to frame why studying said subject will be useful, as well as how best to go about studying.
- Ho Chi Minh's Why Do We Have to Study Theory?
[11 min]
Practice alone is insufficient for developing a solid understanding of effective methodology.
- N. Krupskaya's General Rules for Independent Study
[4 min]
Best practices for how to get the most out of study, through active engagement with theory.
Section 1: Fundamentals of Marxism [2 hr 6 min]
Let's begin with some gentle overviews to form a base to build upon in the later sections.
- V. I. Lenin's The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism | Audiobook
[10 min]
The core fundamentals of Marxism.
- F. Engels' Principles of Communism | Audiobook
[1 hr 11 min]
The FAQ of communism. Quick to read, and easy to reference.
[~45 min]
A history of Karl Marx and the framework he created.
Section 2: Philosophy [5 hr 17 min]
By far the most critical subject to firmly grasp within Marxism-Leninism is the philosophy of dialectical materialism, the main tool by which Marxist-Leninists interpret the world so as to more effectively change it.
- G. Politzer's Elementary Principles of Philosophy | Audiobook
[2 hr 46 min]
A gentle and thorough introduction to dialectical materialism and how it came to be.
- Mao Zedong's On Practice | Audiobook & On Contradiction | Audiobook
[2 hr 16 min]
Directed towards guerilla fighters of the People's Liberation Army, this pair of essays equip the reader to apply the analytical tools of dialectical materialism to their every day practice.
- K. Marx's Theses on Feuerbach | Audiobook
[15 min]
Spend some time using what you have just learned, and actively engage with each of Marx's 11 theses here. This is the true germ of dialectical materialism, and proper study avoids falling into vulgar materialism.
Section 3: Economics [3 hr 37 min]
The Law of Value is the bedrock of the Marxist analysis of capitalism. Understanding how it is that capital behaves and functions will help us identify its contradictions, which we can exploit.
- N. Frome's An Extremely Condensed Summary of Capital
[20 min]
A basic introduction to the Law of Value. By no means a replacement for Capital, but will suffice for now.
- K. Marx's Wage Labor and Capital | Audiobook & Value, Price and Profit | Audiobook
[2 hr 17 min]
Best taken as a pair, these essays simplify the most important parts of the Law of Value.
- I. P. Wright's Marx on Capital as a Real God
[~1 hr]
An unorthodox approach to analyzing capital as a material expression of control systems.
Section 4: Scientific Socialism [6 hr 12 min]
Scientific socialism takes an analytical approach to development and class struggle. We aim to understand the laws governing development so that we can become the masters of production, and develop in a planned fashion.
- F. Engels' Socialism: Utopian and Scientific | Audiobook
[1 hr 32 min]
Engels introduces scientific socialism, explaining how Capitalism itself prepares the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates and cartels.
- K. Marx's Critique of the Gotha Programme
[47 min]
Dissects a weak socialist program and elaborates on the dictatorship of the proletariat, as well as the early socialist stage and higher communist stage.
- V. I. Lenin's The State and Revolution | Audiobook
[2 hr 8 min]
Further analyzes the necessity of revolution and introduces the economic basis for the withering away of the state.
- H. P. Newton's In Defense of Self-Defense
[10 min]
The working class must be able to defend itself from violent reaction, it can't jump from state to non-state overnight.
- N. Frome's How is it to be Done?
[20 min]
What does building socialism in the real world actually look like? How do we get from capitalism to socialism to communism?
- R. Day's The Case for Socialized Ownership
[23 min]
Highlights the importance of collectivized and planned production from an economic, scientific, and efficency standpoint.
- Deng Xiaoping's Marxism is a Science
[40 min]
The struggles and contradictions in existing socialism, and the process of building to higher and more developed stages, can only be accomplished by taking a scientific and analytical approach.
[12 min]
Addresses competing interpretations of the Law of Value with respect to the transition from capitalism to communism.
Section 5: Imperialism [8 hr 48 min]
Capitalism didn't collapse in Europe, it found new ways to survive, chiefly by exporting capital. This current protracted evolution of capitalism into imperialism is the primary contradiction facing the global march to socialism.
- V. I. Lenin's Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism | Audiobook
[2 hr 39 min]
The formation of imperialism, as well as general characteristics of its behavior.
- K. Nkrumah's Neocolonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism
[4 hr 39 min]
Over time, imperialism has managed to export the bulk of the contradictions in the global north to the global south.
- Cheng Enfu's Five Characteristics of Neoimperialism
[~1 hr 30 min]
The characteristics of the moribund US Empire, and its use of the dollar to dominate the global south in the current era.
Section 6: Colonialism [16 hr 14 min]
Understanding the ongoing national liberation movements in the global south, as well as the problem of settler-colonialism, is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of modern empire.
- Ho Chi Minh's The Path Which Led Me to Leninism
[4 min]
Decolonialization is fundamental to Marxism-Leninism.
- F. Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth | Audiobook
[4 hr 48 min]
A Marxist understanding of nationalism in the global south.
- J. Katsfoter's To Stop Marx, They Made Zion
[22 min]
The genocidal history of the settler-colonialism of Palestine, from its origins to today.
[~7 hrs]
Analysis of the dark, bloody history of settler-colonialism in the US Empire.
- P. Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed | Audiobook
[4 hr]
A fiery pedagogy for those wretched of the Earth.
Section 7: Feminism [2 hr 3 min]
The historic oppression of women needs to be recognized and fought against.
- H. P. Newton's The Women's Liberation and Gay Liberation Movements
[6 min]
All sections of the working class must uplift each other, and not use homophobia or misogyny against capitalists, as it attacks our comrades as well.
- A. Kollontai's The Social Basis of the Woman Question
[45 min]
A Marxist counter to the existing bourgeois feminist movement, explaining why feminism needs Marxism, and Marxism needs feminism.
[~30 min]
An exploration of the state of the feminist movement and the importance of intersectionality as it relates to combatting oppression.
- J. Freeman's The Tyranny of Structurelessness
[42 min]
Throughout the history of feminist struggle, the struggle against formalized organization has been counter-productive and led to less efficient effort and increased problems with elitism, while groups with formalized structures have had far more success and open dialogue.
Section 8: LGBTQIA+ [4 hr 22 min]
We must correctly push for queer liberation, unflinchingly.
- L. Feinberg's Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue
[2hr 39 min]
When different social groups fight for liberation together, they are emboldened and empowered ever-further.
- V. Storm & E. Flores' The Gender Accelerationist Manifesto
[~40 min]
Breaks down the basis of misogyny, transphobia, and homophobia from a Marxist perspective.
[63 min]
Trans liberation and communism go hand-in-hand.
Section 9: Party Work [5hr 12 min]
You can't build communism by reading it into existence. Roll up your sleeves, and get to work.
- J. V. Stalin's The Foundations of Leninism
[2 hr 2 min]
Marxism-Leninism is the living and evolving Marxism that has tested theory to practice for over a century.
- V. I. Lenin's What is to be Done? (Abridged)
[70 min]
The fundamental tasks of the revolutionary party.
- Liu Shaoqi's How to be a Good Communist | Audiobook
[~1 hour]
If we are to be successful, we must work to better ourselves, and do good party work.
- Liu Shaoqi's On the Party: Concerning the Mass Line of Our Party
[~30 min]
The mass line is the fundamental tool of maintaining a direct link between the working class and the vanguard, without falling into tailism or commandism.
- Liu Shaoqi's On the Party: Democratic Centralism Within the Party
[~30 min]
Democratic centralism turns an amorphous but radicalized working class into a solidified force to overwhelm its enemies. It takes the greatest strength of the proletariat, its mass, and aligns it in a unified direction.
Section 10: Self-Conduct [2 hr 39 min]
We cannot be dogmatic, or let the perfect socialism in our heads be the enemy of socialism in the real world.
- V. I. Lenin's "Left-Wing" Communism | Audiobook
[1 hr 47 min]
As organizers, we must do our best to engage where the working class is at, and not let the perfect socialism in our heads be the enemy of our own practice.
[17 min]
Marxism in western countries is often clouded by those who seem to only support socialism that failed, the "pure" socialist movements unsullied by the very real struggles involved in building socialism over a lengthy period of time. This perfect vision of socialism in our heads becomes not just the enemy of our practice, but also that of socialists in the global south that fought and died for a better world.
- Zhou Enlai's Guidelines for Myself
[1 min]
Simple and straightforward virtues for any good cadre.
- Xi Jinping's Water Droplets Drilling Through Rock
[4 min]
Tenacity is what creates valleys and shifts mountains. Through our connected struggle, even if the odds seem overwhelming, we all contribute to bringing about a better world.
- Ho Chi Minh's On Revolutionary Morality
[~30 min]
We must combat the notion of putting self-interest above that of our collective struggle. It is through collaboration that we emancipate all, not just ourselves.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you completed your introductory reading course! Now, if you haven't already, get organized. The Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Red Star Caucus are all good Statesian options. Pick whichever decent org is most active in your area regardless of where you live.
Be industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your knowledge. Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. Try to use FOSS if you can. Go vegan!
We will win.
Resources
a. Theory
ProleWiki - A robust library and wiki for Marxism-Leninism.
Red Sails - "Woke ML-MZT Criterion Collection with home videos thrown in"
Comrade's Library - Excellent source for .epubs
Qiao Collective - Connecting western diaspora with Chinese political commentary
b. Podcasts
Blowback - Anti-imperialist podcast about the crimes of the US Empire.
Rev Left Radio - Marxist-Leninist podcast centering theory, history, and current events
c. News
Liberation News - PSL's newsletter
Fight Back! News - FRSO's newsletter
Naked Capitalism - Economic newsletter centering capitalism's decay
Just wrote this somewhere else. Maybe this is where it belongs: Good impulse to read theory, but 150y/o theory is not where I'd advice people to start. At least the german originals of what you recomend there are fairly hard to read. Plus they lack the development of marxist theory that happened since then. For example Gramscis thoughts or critical theory are so freakin important for marxism to be applicable to this society being far more diverse than good'ol working class in the factory vs. Monopoly man capitalists. I'm sure there is updated marxism and introductions available in english. (Dunno, Harvey maybe? Mayo?)
Also "how to conduct yourself as a leftist" sound strict af and kinda deterministic.
Plus there is no need to give stalin's voice that kind of space.
I appreciate your input! From what I've curated, I picked a good mix of modern works like Blackshirts and Reds and foundational works, because they are relevant and necessary even today in my opinion. Since it's an intro reading list, it's difficult to include every good work, if you want, you can comment a suggestion of what to remove and what to take its place.
As for the "how to conduct yourself" bit, it's just good general advice like suggesting to keep reading theory, getting organized, be persistent, etc. All generally useful skills even for non-leftists, but again, feel free to leave feedback in the comments of how you would change it and I'll consider it.
As for the comment on Stalin, nowhere are his works listed, can you elaborate on what you mean?
A pity, at least the Foundations of Leninism should be included, at the very least the 6th chapter because this topic is where real problem lies for all liberals and succdems, and it leds them to assume proimperialist positions.
I mean i understand normies fear the name of Stalin, but it is really very critical point and a crucial addition to Lenin's "Imperialism..."
I believe I covered the National Question sufficiently by including The Wretched of the Earth, though I am open to tweaking the list. The reason why I did not include Foundations of Leninism, on top of the general fear of Stalin, is because I believe it to be redundant and have successfully covered all of what Stalin covers in it in other, more in-depth works. Additionally, I am light on room in the list character limit, so I would have to swap it out or trim the intro/conclusion. Even further, I would rather include Marxism and the National Question over Foundations of Leninism, if my goal is to answer the question of the importance of National Liberation.
Do you have a suggestion for what could be swapped out?
Your list isn't even that long, and both are short too, especially that you included works like Wretched or Lavender which are 300+ pages.
Yes. Again, I believe that Wretched answers the National Question already, and in more depth than either Marxism and the National Question or Foundations of Leninism. I specifically included Lavender and Red to showcase that liberatory struggles for marginalized groups are more effective when allied with other liberatory struggles.
Again, I am fighting the character limit, and trying to make a list that doesn't scare away liberals. Including a work by Stalin absolutely is make or break for many liberals, period, meaning no theory ends up getting read. If you can make the case that Wretched alone cannot solve the National Question, or that it is good for me to trim some areas of the text body meant to guide and encourage the reader along, I am more than happy to consider it.
I agree that it is important to stress National Liberation as a means to prevent pro-Imperialist stances from forming, which is why I am seriously considering what you're saying, but you haven't explained why Wretched is insufficient. I understand that the works I have listed are longer, which is part of why I believe my list to be more comprehensive, even if it is merely an introductory list.
You can get a few characters by changing
comlib.encryptionin.spacetoc.encryptionin.spaceOh, thank you! I'll make the edits in a bit.
Edit: just did it, thanks so much!
/mode/1upcan be removed from the archive.org links tooThank you!
further shortening for comlib:
Elementary Principles of Philosophy: https://c.encryptionin.space/e/gpepop
Blackshirts and Reds: https://c.encryptionin.space/e/mpbar
Thanks!
More shortening: The
www.is not needed for marx2mao.www.marx2mao.comandmarx2mao.comboth workThanks, comrade!
Okay sorry regarding stalin i mixed that up. It's in the other reading list in the comments here.
On "conduct yourself" dunno, maybe this boils down to writing style. But the ML sort of theoretical style plus the horrors of undemocratic socialist history do make it important to stress the emphatic (as in: since critical theory and french subjectivity theory we debunked "individual freedom", but still need to keep it as a goal) part of personal freedom & choice. That wording above doesn't show that kind of self reflection imo.
Gramsci! The concepts of hegemony and "senso commune" (sry dont know english translation) are essential to analyse current events. Also this protects lefties from babbling about classes in a way that alienates them from everyone just observing whats going on.
(Senso commune and gramscis notion of intellectuals also offers a neat way through the whole "get educated since otherwise you fundamentally don't understand your own life"- rhethoric dilemma/arrogance issue)
You need secondary literature for gramsci though. He left 3000 pages of unstructured notes from fascist prison. You don't wanna go through that. Unfortunetly I have no idea of english publications. Barfuss & Jehle Einführung is nice, in case you speak german.
Appreciate the clarification regarding Stalin.
First, offering advice on how to conduct yourself as a Leftist isn't some spooky command. In the list I made, I literally say "to take with you as practical advice." This practical advice includes joining a leftist organization (the bare minimum to be a leftist in practice and not just in theory), read more theory, fight white supremacy and queerphobia, be more industrious, learn self-defense, and be persistent. None of these get in the way of "personal freedom" in my opinion. My goal is to create Communists that want to change society and work to do so, not just intellectuals that want to endlessly critique society, and my list reflects that. If you have problems with individual bits of advice in that list, feel free to let me know.
Secondly, regarding your claims of Marxist-Leninist theory and "horrifyingly undemocratic" AES states, I do recommend you read the essay Why do Marxists Fail to Bring the "Worker's Paradise?" It's important to contextualize AES states, their successes and failures, properly. For further reading, Soviet Democracy by Pat Sloan is a good historical account of the Soviet Democratic System, warts and all.
As for Gramsci, I am not at all opposed to including his writings, but my list is focuses on getting the most out of the least. I would need to remove a work and find a concise secondary work, in English. I can include his writings in my "DLC Pack" further reading list I am making. The target audience for my list is English-speaking, I made it in the context of the aftermath of the US election and am targeting disenfranchised liberals who may benefit from theory.
I appreciate your feedback however, and will add Gramsci as a suggestion for my DLC list.
Thanks. I read the tayangyu essay, and kinda liked it, but it didn't really answer my questions..
Isn't the author leaving the framework of dialectical thinking when they dismiss the relevance of ideas almost entirely in favor of material economical factors?
As in: Couldn't have the development of productive forces happened with more participation?
Wouldn't than the emergence of a democratic or collective subject have been faaaar more likely, even though and because people would have been confronted with the limits of economic development, as agents, not just as objects of that one and only party's decisions?
Good question! The answer is that there were democratic structures in place in the Soviet Union. That's the purpose of adding Soviet Democracy as a historical reference to be taken alongside the essay. These structures were not all powerful or fully democratic, I am not pretending the USSR was perfect. I am instead, however, contextualizing the earlier part of the essay, the line
When contextualized, Soviet Democracy was both a massive stride yet held back and incomplete by the real Material Conditions and level of development of the Productive Forces, leading to real setbacks and real weaknesses in said democratic structures.
I think it was not only those material conditions but also a deterministic ideology or maybe just power hungry leaders. (Good cue for taking the democracy part very serious from the beginning, because non or semi-democratic structures attract and create dictator-subjects, and projecting yourself outside that dialectic is as naive as it is arrogant)
Shooting thousands (or hundreds of thousands, as my hasty wikipedia research suggests) of the opposition, both left and right, is no matter of slow industrialization.
Admittedly I'n not fit in soviet history, but the combo of "oh they had democratic infrastructure" and secret deportation, incarceration and murder of even leftist opposition doesn't sit right. And honestly, calling that "not perfect" feels like violation of emancipatory writing of history and way of living.
You're free to make your case for it being because of "power hungry leaders," though you'd have to grapple with the very real fact that Stalin tried to resign on 4 separate occasions and have his position eliminated. I'm not saying you're wrong, it very well could have been a thirst for power, but you've done nothing to support your thesis, nor to prove that the Soviet model was non-democratic or semi-democratic. Moreover, you don't define what "semi-democratic" means, nor what "democratic" is, and where that threshold lies.
To borrow your own words, using hasty Wikipedia research rather than attempting to better understand Soviet history before making authoritative claims is "as naive as it is ignorant." You would do well to read the history books I listed before trying to make an argument on structures and events you don't fully understand. I mean no offense by this.
The idea that the USSR was just a group that killed all opposition betrays that the USSR, as far as states are concerned, acted more leniantly towards violent opposition groups than other comtemporary states, as a quick example of how a simple manner of framing betrays the very real context of a situation.