I am interested in politics, and even tho i am not a communist, i am interested in what can be learned from it and i also want to learn more about political ideologies as a whole, instead of speaking out of my ass whenever someone mentions communism and potentially say some bullshit. What do you think?
Yes, you should. Reading something doesn’t mean having to automatically agree with it, but it will broaden your perspective. Read it critically, engage with the arguments being made, and use them to test your own world view. See if the arguments make sense to you, and whether you have strong counter arguments of your own to the ones being made.
I feel like you should read anything that people find so polarizing and taboo. It’s short and its pretty dang hard to disagree with.
Yes. If I may, I would suggest “The origins of family and private property” from Engels. It’s not explicitly political, but I find it serves excellently for dissolving some biases towards historical conditions and how they shape the current affairs.
Whatever you think of Marx, it’s undeniable he has literary value. I’d say read him.
Read principles of communism instead, it is the same content but better formatted
Oh, and watch Luna Oi’s Marxism 101: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeaTLoy1C9rM
Great rec!
All of Marx’ writings are worth a read even if you’re a dumbass capitalist.
It is meant to be an accessible reading, meant for working class people. Go for it. I personally recommend Rosa Luxemburg’s writings.
Even if you don’t agree with an ideology it’s always best to read it’s basis so you can accurately identify what you don’t agree with.
I’d honestly probably start with Lenin. Or at least not the Manifesto if you want anything more than, well, a Manifesto. If you wanna start with Marx/Engels then I would say Engels “On Authority” might be a good place to start. Or perhaps “The 18th brumaire of Louis Napoleon” by Marx.
The manifesto is just an ad for communism. You should read The Capital (part 1) if you want to interact with communism seriously.
Rough to just start them off with Kapital, dont you think?
I agree, but if you want to be able to call out if someone speaking out of their ass about communism you should at least know the main points of the capital.
Yep, that would be great! I think a good place to start would be this reading list I put together. You can just check out the first couple sections:
1. Introduction [~1.5 hr]
Before beginning your studies, it’s important to learn how to best economize our time, and why we should study Marxism-Leninism in the first place.
- General Rules for Independent Study - N. Krupskaya (1934)
Webpage [~5 min]
Written by one of the founding Bolsheviks for students in the early USSR, this is a concise guide on how to best absorb the information to come as efficiently as possible by Nadezhda Krupskaya.
- Why Socialism? - A. Einstein (1949)
Webpage | Audiobook [~10 min / 22 min]
Wanting to persuade his contemporaries to pursue a path of intentional development in order to avoid nuclear war and escape the profit motive, Einstein argues the case for moving onto a planned and collectivized economy over the chaos of markets and the profit motive.
- Why Marxism? - R. Day (2020)
Webpage | Audiobook [~15 min / 21 min]
Roderic Day makes his case for why now, in the 21st century, Marxism-Leninism remains the strongest tool for working-class liberation, and why we should defend the achievements of actually existing socialism despite their real flaws.
- “Tankies” - N. Frome (2020)
Webpage | Audiobook [~5 min / 11 min]
Marxist-Leninists do not believe Stalin, Mao, etc. did no wrong, nor do we believe actually existing socialist states (AES) to be perfect and free from criticism. Proper appraisal of the genuine achievements and genuine shortcomings of socialism in real life requires brushing away capitalist mythologizing. Once the fact is separated from fiction, only then can we hope to build on the successes of our predecessors while avoiding repeating mistakes.
- US Interventionism, the Third World, and the USSR - M. Parenti (1986)
Webpage Transcription of Speech | Original Speech [~1 hr / 1 hr 33 min]
Dr. Michael Parenti delivers perhaps his most famous speech, discussing the predatory role of the US Empire and the progressive role played by socialist countries, including the necessary mechanisms of protection they develop against western imperialism.
- Why do we Have to Study Theory? - Ho Chi Minh (1957)
Webpage [~10 min]
As a hugely successful revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh explains why it is not enough to have good intentions, we must do our best to study revolutionary theory to guide revolutionary practice.
Checkpoint
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Why do you want to study Marxism-Leninism?
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How can it be helpful in your present life?
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Why should we establish a socialist society?
2. Fundamentals [~2.5 hr]
To start off your studies, a clear understanding of basic terminology, as well as the historical context that gave rise to Marxism, is necessary.
- Principles of Communism - F. Engels (1847)
Webpage/.epub | Audiobook [~30 min /48 min]
A glossary of terms and background information, in an FAQ format.
- Karl Marx: A Brief Biographical Sketch with an Exposition of Marxism - V.I. Lenin (1914)
Webpage | Audiobook [~1 hr / 1hr 28 min]
Lenin, as a part of his rigorous studies of Marx and his writings for application in the conditions particular to his contemporary conditions, came to know and understand Marx and his ideology at a deeper level.
- The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism - V.I. Lenin (1913)
Webpage | Audiobook [~5 min / 18 min]
Outlaying the 3 major components of Marxism, and a short history of how they came to be.
- Manifesto of the Communist Party - K. Marx & F. Engels (1848)
Webpage | Audiobook [~1hr / 1 hr 35 min]
Marx & Engels call the international proletariat to action using the in this overview of the aims of the communists.
Checkpoint
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What historical context gave rise to Marxism?
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What are the 3 major components of Marxism?
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In your country, what does the class makeup of society look like? Which can be aligned with the proletariat? Which cannot?
Of course, I recommend the whole thing. Alternatively, Prolewiki’s Marxism portal contains a fantastic short list of articles that help explain the absolute basics quickly.
Wow, i will check it out, thanks
No problem! Feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have if you choose the reading list option. The Marxism portal approach should take around an hour for the whole thing (minus the mini reading list it also recommends) so that’s also helpful if you just want to know the basics.
curious_beetle, I hereby declare you can read whatever interests you
It’s always good to read more! Just like, in general. You should read the communist manifesto and then go on to read other things too, anything you fancy
Someone suggested critique of the gotha program and someone else said capital (four volumes!).
Those are good alternatives to the communist manifesto which is basically a handbill for convincing people to go learn more.
Of course they’re both super old and many people have written about their contents since their publication.
Being interested in politics is maybe not the best reason to be reading about communism.
Economical books of Lenin may also be of interest, Henri Ford studied them while he never was a communist. It is a bit harder to read than the manifesto of Marx and Engels, but it doesn’t require to be an economist.
