Sure, Ukraine uses drones, as does Russia, and Russia indeed has troops. This is not the same as "human waves," the post-war Nazi cope for why the Nazis lost Stalingrad despite the Red Army using advanced (at the time) tactics to draw comparison to the "mongol hordes" due to the asiatic Russian ethnicity. This "human waves" myth perpetuates to this day because western powers repeated it enough times to pretend it's true, and somehow persists to this day despite the laws of the battlefield changing radically since the 1800s when such tactics did exist in some degree.
Troop movements. "Human wave" tactics fell oit of fashion under the Tsar, because they are utterly ineffective, yet the slavic Russians continually get slandered as such due to the persistance of Nazi propaganda against the Red Army among western countries, who dug that back up during the cold war uncritically against the Soviets, until it's now associated with Russians like it's a genetic factor.
Russians moving in a single-file line doesn't mean "human wave tactics" are at play. Further, maintaining a "gore folder" is highly disgusting behavior, holy shit.
Assassinating Hitler wouldn't stop fascism. Capitalism was in decline and socialism was rising in popularity, the bourgeoisie needed a hammer to stamp that out and protect itself. Someone else would have fulfilled Hitler's role, Hitler himself wasn't some special person with a mandate from heaven.
Modern Israel is less than a century old. This is not a "thousands of years old conflict," it's younger than World War II. Israel is a settler-colony, one that appeared less than a century ago. This is why your comment was removed, you call famines caused by economic crisis, sanctions, drought, and flood "genocide" but extend the most nuance to a fascist settler-colony that collaborated with the Nazis and is anti-Yiddish.
All of your critique is utterly devoid of a real understanding. Take a step back. Even though PSL has largely the same stances as Cuba, the Black Panther Party, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and other Socialist and Socialist-sympathetic groups and figures, you condemn them without actually digging into their real stances. Go to a local chapter and ask questions.
It is good for you to read. You shouldn't discuss subjects you haven't studied as though you have, it comes across as infantilizing and as you already did, makes light of genuine mass slaughter of Palestinians and cultural absorption. Your misframing me as simply looking at the name of something to determine if its good or bad, when I've already demonstrated that I put far more effort into studying these subjects, is utter cope.
If you want, I can offer good sources and readings, or you can try to find good sources on your own. The less you speak on matters you don't know nor understand, the more worthwhile the conversations you'll have will be.
With that, I'm disengaging.
Your comment got removed for your erasure of the Palestinian genocide, you made it seem like pre-October 7 there was no genocide and that "both groups have been killing each other for hundreds of years," you have no analysis of Israel as a settler-colony.
As for the Arduous March, that's a horrible mischaracterization. After the fall of the USSR, the DPRK's main trading partner, the economy was in utter shambles. The US deliberately sanctioned the DPRK in the hopes that starvation would lead to the people overthrowing the government, rather than letting them trade for food, or even export commodities in exchange. This was on top of floods and drought.
You have no actual knowledge of Korea or Palestine, you rely on Wikipedia articles as a substitute fot actually digging into these subjects. You have a thoroughly western-centric and US-friendly viewpoint with surface-level knowledge at best.
Again, I read your comment, it's exactly what you meant. There is precisely no evidence of foreign actors pointing out the bipartisan support for genocide as a means to get Trump elected. Zero. This is an utter fantasy you invented in order to reconcile your willing participation in a genocidal system.
Right now, you aren't really worth talking with. You don't actually have an understanding of the subjects we are discussing, historically or conceptually. I suggest you take a step back and do some actual research. The books and articles I linked earlier on Israel and Palestine are good for an intro on that matter, at the very least.
With liberals like you, who needs republicans?
There was no "silence." I outright told you that you aren't owed an answer.
I read your comment, it's exactly what you meant.
Further, you're deeply confused about PSL, the WPK, PSL's stance on the CPC and DPRK, as well as Socialism and Socialist history in general. Talk to a local chapter and try to get a better understanding of things. By the sounds of it, you'd condemn Nelson Mandela, Cuba, the Black Panther Party, all manner of Socialist orgs. Considering your erasure of the Palestinian genocide, I don't think you're a good reference for anything.
Like, what genocide have Koreans, North or South, ever comitted? Koreans on both sides were the victims of genocide at the hands of the US Empire. More tons of bombs were dropped on Korea than the entire pacific front of World War II, and the US was preparing to nuke it.
There's precisely no evidence of Republicans or foreign actors pointing out the bipartisan support for the genocide of Palestinians as a means to get Trump elected.
Not telling you who I've voted for, you aren't owed that.
PSL is growing more rapidly than ever, and is spearheading a lot of the current protests against Trump and against ICE, against the bombing of Iran, against the genocide of Palestinians, and more. You should join! Would be good for your political growth.
There is no such thing as "proxy voting." I did not vote for Trump, and no matter who I voted for, he still would have won. It wasn't close, and it wasn't because of some master play by foreign actors and Republicans. It's because the DNC has moved so far to the right that they are utterly disconnected from the needs of the working class, a class they can't support because just like the GOP, they are a party of the capitalist class.
Not voting for Trump is not voting for Trump. If I wanted Trump to win, I would have voted for Trump. Simple as that.
Secondly, pro-Palestinian protests have been ongoing since Palestine was first colonized by the settler Zionists. The increase in support over time for such protests comes from the increased relevance of social media, and the erosion of influence of traditional media, which is easier to control. I've been pro-Palestine for decades, the tremendous increase in opposition to genocide has been an incredible tilt that I have never seen before, and it's thanks to the fact that daily people are seeing Zionists gun down dozens of Palestinians.
There is precisely no evidence of foreign actors pointing out the bipartisan support for genocide as a means to get Trump elected. Zero. This is an utter fantasy you invented in order to reconcile your willing participation in a genocidal system.
And no, electoralism doesn't work. Leftists have known this, which is why Leftists advocate for getting organized, and not for distilling your connection to the political process to a single vote cast once every 2-4 years.
It was relevent then, and is relevant now because opposition to Russia is filled with Russophobia. The Russian Federation doesn't use "Human Wave" tactics, and haven't used them. There's no evidence of it, only allegations, and those allegations draw from their historical accusations against the Red Army, equally false.
Denouncing anti-slavic racism isn't "Russian apologia." I oppose NATO expansionism and I agree with the rights of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics to secede from Ukraine, which they have done due to the coup in 2014. I also support a swift conclusion to the war. If you oppose those, I doubt we will see eye to eye.
It is telling that you refuse to "counter my nonsense," that speaks more to a lack of ability to do so.
What, exactly, does linking a Wikipedia page dispute about what I've said? What "truth?" I called your analysis a horrendous take because it was, Israel pre-October 7 was commiting genocide, and was commiting genocide even back when it was founded three quarters of a century ago. Kamala would never oppose Israel. I also don't like the insinuation that I'm a Trump voter, I never voted for Trump nor any republican, ever. Calling your take bad wasn't my "only tool," I dismantled your argument that capes for Zionist genocide of Palestinians.
Here's some good reading for you, since you love linking articles:
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Nah, sorry but this is an absolutely horrendous take. Modern Israel is fundamentally an early settler-colonial project, and thus is based on genocide. The only solution is a single, secular and democratic Palestine, with minority protections. There isn't anything genetic about the Palestinian/Settler conflict, in fact a large number of Israelis are from the US and Europe, not actually born in Israel.
Kamala would never stem the flow of support for Israel, because Israel's role in the broader US Empire is as a mega-US millitary base in the Middle East, to keep oil flowing and pressure the Middle East into conceding to US interests above all. Kamala knew this, Biden knew this, Trump knows this too. None of them ever would have stopped the gravy train, the US depends on it economically. The loss of Israel would be a devastating blow for US soft power in the region, hence Biden's endless public critique while privately sending everything necessary. The difference with Trump is that it's all above the table and public facing.
As far as optics are concerned, it's important to be honest. As Marx himself stated, when our times come we will not make excuses for the terror. That means not trying to "prettify" the task of revolution, revolution isn't a tea party. The tools the bourgeoisie uses to manipulate and control society in capitalism will be stripped from them and placed in the hands of the proletariat, and bourgeois property will be gradually taken from them. By rights, this is just, but it is also "authoritarian," or "oppressive." Nevertheless, this task must be done, and taken seriously, lest we fall to counter-revolution. At the same time, this will create genuine democracy for the proletariat.
We can continue as much as you want!
The "Russian Human Wave" narrative is based on Nazi propaganda from World War II, trying to draw a racist connection between the asiatic Russians and the Mongols, the idea of the "Mongol Horde." Neither the Red Army during World War II nor the modern Russian Federation use human wave tactics, the closest was the Tsarist army pre-Socialism. This is ridiculous.
As for the DPRK, seems their involvement was limited to Kursk, and munitions supplies.
I don't think it's "cruel" or "unjust," all it means is that freedom for the bourgeousie will be curtailed, speech will be restricted, and influence will be limited, rather than the proletariat which is oppressed by capitalist states. It's a flipping of the dictatorship of the bourgeousie to the dictatorship of the proletariat, ie the proletariat will have the political power, and the bourgeoisie will have little to none.
I'm a communist, for clarity, I don't say this as a knock on socialism and communism. I think you're putting more of a moral spin on it than a materialist spin.
I'm using it in the same way you likely are, I just think we have a different conception of how the state behaves. Essentially, depending on which aspect of the economy is principle, as well as who is in charge of the state, will determine which class is going to be represented by the state in disputes among classes.
In an economy dominated by private property and a bourgeois state, there is no real democracy for the proletariat. The state is fully under the control of the bourgeoisie.
In an economy dominated by public property and a proletarian state, the proletariat is in charge of where the economy is headed. The proletariat can sieze bourgeois property if it so chooses, the state can support labor unions, etc.
This is because whoever controls the large firms and key industries controls the economy in total, as all depending factors rely on them. As small and medium firms grow, the proletariat can fold them into the public sector, as market mechanics cease to be as effective and central planning becomes far more efficient.
Oppression by the state is what I mean. The bourgeoisie are specifically that class that earns its income through the M-C-M' circuit of capitalist production. This class will still exist in socialism, it existed in limited factors in the Soviet Union, exists in the modern PRC, Cuba, etc. However, the existence of private property does not mean the bourgeoisie has control of the state. What matters is which class controls the principle aspects of the economy, the large firms and key industries. In the PRC, for example, those are overwhelmingly publicly owned and planned, even if there exists a bourgeoisie, and as a consequence the bourgeoisie is subordinate to the state and not above it.
They do help prove it, though. Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism and The State and Revolution are two of the most important and influential books in the entire Leftist canon, and both are extremely practical to this day, along with countless other works of Lenin.
The "Russian Human Wave" narrative is based on Nazi propaganda from World War II, trying to draw a racist connection between the asiatic Russians and the Mongols, the idea of the "Mongol Horde." Neither the Red Army during World War II nor the modern Russian Federation use human wave tactics, the closest was the Tsarist army pre-Socialism.
Further, Russia is not trying to endlessly expand, they are trying to fully de-millitarize Ukraine as Ukraine was cozying up to NATO, and NATO promised long ago that it wouldn't expand eastward yet it has consistently done so over the last few decades, forming millitant encirclement of Russia by hostile countries that want Russia to open up its capital markets for foreign plundering. Further, the nationalist government of Ukraine was shelling ethnic Russians in Donetsk and Luhansk, both of which declared independence from Ukraine before Russia invaded.
Regardless of the morality of Russia going to war with Ukraine, there is no evidence that the RF is seeking to expand westward. This is just Red Scare 2.0 nonsense.
On May 5th, 1818, Karl Marx, hero of the international proletatiat, was born. His revolution of Socialist theory reverberates throughout the world carries on to this day, in increasing magnitude. Every passing day, he is vindicated. His analysis of Capitalism, development of the theory of Scientific Socialism, and advancements on dialectics to become Dialectical Materialism, have all played a key role in the past century, and have remained ever-more relevant throughout.
He didn't always rock his famous beard, when he was younger he was clean shaven!
Some significant works:
Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
Critique of the Gotha Programme
Manifesto of the Communist Party (along with Engels)
And, of course, Capital Vol I-III
Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don't know where to start? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!
On April 22nd, 1870, Vladimir Illyich Ulyanov "Lenin," hero of the Russian Revolution, and architect of the world's first Socialist state, was born. His contributions to the Marxist canon and to the revolutionary theory and practice of the proletariat throughout the world carries on to this day, in increasing magnitude. Every passing day, he is vindicated. His analysis of imperialism, the right of nations to self-determination, and revolutionary strategy have played a key role in the past century, and have remained ever-more relevant throughout.
He also loved cats!
Some significant works:
Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism
The Right of Nations to Self-Determination
Materialism and Empirio-Criticism
Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don't know where to start? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!
Among many who have not engaged with Marxist theory, there can be confusion regarding the determination of systems as Socialist, Capitalist, and so forth. Are markets Capitalism? Is public ownership Socialism? Is a worker cooperative in a Capitalist country a fragment of Socialism? These questions are answered by studying Dialectical and Historical Materialism, and I will attempt to help clarify those questions here.
The idea that Socialism means only and exclusively full ownership in public hands is wrong, and anti-Marxist. To take such a stance means either Capitalism and Feudalism have never existed either, the sort of “one-drop” rule, or that Socialism itself is a unique Mode of Production that needs to be judged based on “purity” while the rest do not, a conception that has roots in idealism rather than Materialism.
Modes of Production should be defined in a manner that is consistent. If we hold this definition for Socialism, then either it means a portion of the economy can be Socialist, ie USPS, or a worker cooperative, or it means an economy is only Socialist if all property has been collectivized. Neither actually allows us to usefully analyze the trajectory of a country and who actually has the power within it.
For the former, this definition fails to take into account the context to which portions of the economy play in the broader scope, and therefore which class holds the power in society. A worker cooperative in the US, ultimately, must deal with Capitalist elements of the economy. Whether it be from the raw materials they use being from non-cooperatives, to the distributors they deal with, to the banks where they gain the seed Capital, they exist as a cog in a broader system dominated by Capitalists in the US. Same with USPS, which exists in a country where heavy industry and resources are privatized, it serves as a way to subsidize transport for Capitalists. The overall power in a system must be judged.
For the latter, this “one drop” rule, if equally applied, means Feudalism and Capitalism have never existed either. There is no reason Socialism should be judged any differently from Capitalism or Feudalism. To do so is to add confusion, and the origin of such a desire is from idealists who believe Socialism to be a grand, almost mystical achievement of perfection. The truth is more mundane, and yet because it's more mundane, it's real, and achievable, as it already has been in many countries.
What Socialism ultimately is is a system where the Working Class is in control, and public ownership is the principle aspect of society. If a rubber ball factory is privately owned but the rubber factory is public, the public sector holds more power over the economy. In the Nordics, heavy industry is privatized for the most part, and social safety nets are funded through loans and ownership of industry in the Global South, similar to being a landlord in country form. In the PRC, heavy industry and large industry is squarely in the hands of the public, which is why Capitalists are subservient to the State, rather than the other way around.
As for the purpose of Socialism, it is improving the lives of the working class in material and measurable ways. Public ownership is a tool, one especially effective at higher degrees of development. Markets and private ownership are a tool, one that can be utilized more effectively at lower stages in development. Like fire, private ownership presents real danger in giving Capitalists more power, but also like fire this does not mean we cannot harness it and should avoid it entirely, provided the proper precautions are taken.
Moreover, markets are destined to centralize. Markets erase their own foundations. The reason public ownership is a goal for Marxists is because of this centralizing factor, as industry gets more complex public ownership increasingly becomes more efficient and effective. Just because you can publicly own something doesn’t mean the act of ownership improves metrics like life expectancy and literacy, public ownership isn’t some holy experience that gives workers magic powers. Public ownership and Private ownership are tools that play a role in society, and we believe Public Ownership is undeniably the way to go at higher phases in development because it becomes necessary, not because it has mystical properties.
Ultimately, it boils down to mindsets of dogmatism or pragmatism. Concepts like “true Socialism” treat Marx as a religious prophet, while going against Marx’s analysis! This is why studying Historical and Dialectical Materialism is important, as it explains the why of Marxism and Socialism in a manner that can be used for real development of the Working Class and real liberation.
Marxism isn't useful because Marx was prophetic, but because he synthesized the ideas built up by his predecessors and armed the working class with valuable tools for understanding their enemy and the methods with which to overcome said enemy.
For good fun, here are a few of Lenin's most important contributions to Marxist theory, I highly recommend all of them (but Imperialism especially).
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (must read for any Leftist wanting to understand modern Capitalism, Anarchists included!)
Dr. Michael Parenti 1986 Lecture "Yellow Parenti"
Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism
>But that expropriation of the Third World—has been going on for 400 years—brings us to another revelation—namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there's billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there's been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they're overexploited!
Interested in Marxism-Leninism? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!
Dr. Michael Parenti 1986 Lecture "Yellow Parenti"
Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism
>But that expropriation of the Third World—has been going on for 400 years—brings us to another revelation—namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there's billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there's been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they're overexploited!
"More than 80% of all combat during the Second World War took place on the Eastern Front."
For a fantastic look into the history of fascism and Communism as bitter enemies, Blackshirts and Reds by Dr. Michael Parenti.
Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!
I’ve become very skeptical of the concept of “brainwashing.” Over the past few months this skepticism has boiled over into open and explicit disagreement with even well-meaning pushers within the Marxist-Leninist corner. I often find it difficult to explain concisely why it is…
The theory that large segments of populations are manipulated through indoctrination holds little water, and serves to stem real revolutionary efforts to change the minds of people. Roderic Day makes the case in this essay I consider to be required reading for any self-respecting leftist that instead of brainwashing, propaganda instead works by providing a narrative that is easy to "go along with" as tacit benefactors of present systems. Propaganda does not need to hold under scrutiny to be effective, because it serves as justification, it "licenses" the populace to adopt stances that align with state interests.
Because these narratives are easy to go along with and stem cognitive dissonance, this means that we can convince others, primarily through focusing on positives in the primary and debunking negatives in the secondary. We can convince the proletariat of the benefits of adopting Socialist stances and subvert that way, rather than focusing on debunking atrocity propaganda which gets ignored due to a still-existing belief that the present is the best that is possible.
Tankies don’t usually believe that Stalin or Mao “did nothing wrong,” although many do use that phrase for effect (this is the internet, remember). We believe that Stalin and Mao were committed socialists who, despite their mistakes, did much more for humanity than most of the…
In current discourse on Lemmy, there is much fearmongering about “tankies,” yet this term is frequently ill-defined and moreover used as a thought terminating cliché. Roderic Day goes over the term, and offers contextualization and explanation for those who uphold and defend Actually Existing Socialism, in this short 8 minute article. My favorite paragraph is as follows:
“Anyway, the basic point is that socialist revolution is neither easy (as the Trotskyists and ultraleftists would have it) nor impossible (as the liberals and conservatives would have it), but hard. It will require dedication and sacrifice and it won’t be won in a day. Tankies are those people who think the millions of communists who fought and died for socialism in the twentieth century weren’t evil, dupes, or wasting their time, but people to whom we owe a great deal and who can still teach us a lot.”
If you consider yourself a Socialist, you have a duty to try to better understand and contextualize historical Socialist movements. It is only through correct analysis based on fact and not fiction that we can move onward.
On my view, the core Marxist insight is the following: Feudal lords were the masters of feudalism. Capitalists, however, aren’t the masters of capitalism. They are merely the high priests of capitalism. The master of capitalism is Capital itself.
There are many strains of Socialist thought. Why should Socialists adopt a Marxist line today? This question is answered concisely in this article by Roderic Day.
This article goes over why Marxists advocate for Public ownership of the Means of Production specifically, and not cooperative, communal, or otherwise similarly "worker owned" structures.
A common point of conflict among leftists is understanding what constitutes Socialism. This article explains common errors among Leftists in analyzing what a system needs to look like to be considered Socialist. If an economy has 10% in the Private Sector, is it Capitalist? What about 51%? Does the direction matter?
The short answer, proven in the article, is that it is determined by which class is in power, what the driving force of an economy is. Does the Private Sector drive the public, or does the public sector drive the Private? This can be accomplished by including heavy industry and inftastructure in the Public Sector, making the Private Sector reliant on socialized production and thus subservient to it, and maintaining Proletarian supremacy over the Private Sector.
The presense of Private Property and even billionaires does not mean Private Property drives the direction of the economy, and as Engels elaborates in Principles of Communism, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat can only absorb Private Property in the Public sector by the degree to which markets have formed large monopolist syndicates ripe for central planning, not out of pure decree:
> Question 17 : Will it be possible to abolish private property at one stroke?
>Answer : No, no more than the existing productive forces can at one stroke be multiplied to the extent necessary for the creation of a communal society. Hence, the proletarian revolution, which in all probability is approaching, will be able gradually to transform existing society and abolish private property only when the necessary means of production have been created in sufficient quantity.
Now, of course this doesn't mean Private Property is Socialist! This instead means you cannot look at individual aspects of a system, as was common of the Metaphysicians, but instead the entirety of a system with the context of the interactions of the various transformations and movements of all of the parts of the whole, as Dialectical Materialists. This is why philosophy is crucial to understanding Socialism, because you can't simply break up a system into its component parts, and analyze each sector. I repeat, you cannot accurately judge a system by breaking it up into its component parts and analyzing them individually in their own vacuum.
Therefore, dominance and direction are required. As no system is static, it will necessarily be heading towards either full socialization or privatization, and this vector is determined by what class is in charge. Social Democracy is Capitalist, therefore, as Private Property drives the economy and the bourgeoisie are in control. The fact that Private Property can only be abolished by degree, and not pure decree, means that Socialism is necessarily a transitonal stage, and can't be considered only a fully socialized economy.
Ultimately, the reason Marxists believe Socialized Production to come after Capitalist Production is because Capitalism prepares the grounds for Socialized Production as markets coalesce into monopolist syndicates, allowing for central planning. At different levels of development of various industries, markets or centrally planned public property might make more sense, you can't just decree large syndicates into existence. Throughout developmental stages, markets eventually stagnate as they naturally centralize, and this happens at different paces in different industries, therefore socializing production happens at different times, yet the system is still capable of being considered Socialist as a transitional phase to Communism.
For more information on Marxism, please check out my Introductory Reading List!
And please, discuss below! What do you believe constitutes Socialism, and why? Do you agree or disagree with the article?
"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 well as the theory of Class Struggle.
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.
- Jones Manoel's Western Marxism Loves Purity and Martyrdom, But Not Real Revolution | (No Audiobook yet)
Common among western leftists is fetishization of Marxism, rather than using it as a tool for analysis and social change. This article helps rectify that.
- 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, and Red Star Caucus 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
Cowbee [he/they] @lemmy.ml Actually, this town has more than enough room for the two of us
He/him or they/them, doesn't matter too much
Marxist-Leninist ☭
Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don't know where to start? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!