There are a number of sources from the classical Marxist canon that is used in our programmes and an understanding of which is vital for political education. A comprehensive list of these is being built on this page, we hope to add downloadable content in the near future.
Marx & Engels
Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts
These are an early work by Karl Marx dating from 1844. The manuscripts represent a very important point in Marx’s development of his theories on alienated labour and it’s effects on the proletariat. The work also makes extensive usage of the works of Adam Smith in analysing early capitalism.
The Condition of the Working Class in England
This is an early work from Engels that was written before his collaborations with Marx began. Engels chronicles the appalling conditions that the English working class lived and worked in both in his adopted city of Manchester and more widely. It is not only interesting from a historical point of view but also because Engels uses the work to trace the development of workers struggles in the 1840s and the clashes between different factions of the British ruling class.
This work is Marx’s comprehensive critique of Proudhon, one of the fathers of modern anarchism. Marx critiques Proudhon and his misinterpretations of Ricardo and Hegel. During this work Marx also draws out his own theories on class consciousness and how it develops.
The 1848 classic work in which Marx gives his first real outline of the system of thought. It includes his analysis of class contradictions, how the capitalist class and working class are locked into a contradiction that can only end with the overthrow of the former and how economic forces can escape the control of the ruling class. It is a short work but the ideal starting point for studying Marx’s system of thought.
The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
After the revolutions of 1848 and the downfall of the House of Savoy in France a new republic emerged together with a mass French Socialist Party. In this work Marx outlines how the republic and the socialists failed and how the man who (more than his famous uncle) gave his name to the concept “Bonapartism” rose to power.
This book was put together from the notebooks in which Marx sketched out his view of capitalism as a system. They represent much of the research in terms of what was going to be a six volume series that became ‘Das Kapital’. In the end Marx only lived to see volume 1 published with two more being put together by Engels after his death. Therefore the Grundrisse contains a number of important insights on how Marx hoped to write the 3 unpublished sections of his masterwork. It includes sections on prices of production, relations of production, distribution & exchange, alienation and the creation of value.
Both Marx and Engels published a great deal of journalism throughout their careers. Both men wrote analyses of the US civil war, it’s causes and development of the contradictions within the USA that made war unavoidable. Several associates of Marx & Engels fought for the union side in the war even reaching high ranks within the union army.
The first volume of Marx’s defining work covers everything from his analysis of the commodity and how it is produced and exchanged to the development of English capitalism. It is a difficult book to get started on but very much rewards patience and determination in terms of the insights you will gain from reading it in full.
A useful essay from Engels dealing with housing as a commodity and the issues facing the working class that result from this
Critique of the Gotha Programme
A critique written by Marx of the early programme endorsed by the United German Workers Party (that was to become the Social Democratic Party) which develops into an examination of the period of transition from capitalism to socialism.
When a (now largely forgotten) German academic named Eugen Duhring criticised Marx and proposed an alternative world system Engels wrote a comprehensive response. In this work Engels moves from a critique of Duhring to spelling out in great detail how dialectical materialism works and applying it many scientific, political and economic questions. It is a masterwork that showcases dialectical materialism as a method of analysis.
Towards the end of his life Engels devoted much of his time to reading as much as possible regarding scientific developments. He hoped to demonstrate the scientific validity of the dialectical materialist system in terms of addressing scientific questions. This work went unpublished in his lifetime but is an essential work if one seeks to actually take seriously the idea of scientific socialism and how the dialectical materialist method can be applied to many areas of learning.
Lenin
The Development Of Capitalism In Russia
In this first major work Lenin outlines how capitalism grew in Tsarist Russia and criticises the theories of the “populists” (known as Narodniks). This was written whilst Lenin was in prison in 1898-1899 and finished whilst he was in exile Shushenskoye in Eastern Russia.
Materialism & Empirio Criticism
Lenin’s analysis of the origins of the 1905 revolution
The Right Of Nations To Self Determination
Lenin’s argument against Rosa Luxemburg’s view on the right to self determination. The work includes an exploration of Lenin’s view on the question of Irish independence.
The European War And International Socialism
Lenin’s response to the betrayal carried out by the German Social Democrats when they voted for the Kaisers war budget in August 1914 thus going back on every policy adopted by the 2nd international regarding imperialist wars.
The Military Programme Of The Proletarian Revolution
Lenin’s discussion of and opposition to pacifist demands that were raised by some socialists during World War One.
The Discussion On Self Determination Summed Up
Lenin returns to his polemic with Luxemburg over the rights of nations to self determination. The latter part of this article consists of Lenin’s analysis of the Easter Rising of 1916.
Imperialism, The Highest Stage Of Capitalism
This seminal text spells out Lenin’s view on imperialism, how it develops and changes the structure of both economies and states. Written after two years of the First World War the work reflects the enormous level of research Lenin had done into the root causes of the war.
The Tasks Of The Proletariat In Our Revolution
The programme of the Bolshevik Party as of September 1917 which was used as agitational material across both Petrograd and Moscow.
Through a polemic against the Mensheviks and Kautsky Lenin underlines the nature of the capitalist state and why the party of the proletariat cannot simply make use of the capitalist state.
Left Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder
Lenin’s exploration and critique of ultra leftism in the European communist parties.
Stalin
Briefly About Disagreements In the Party
Stalin’s pamphlet from 1905 defending the position of the Bolsheviks following the split with the Mensheviks. This debate was particularly fierce in Georgia where the Mensheviks maintained a strong presence and formed a reactionary government there until being defeated by the Red Army in the civil war of 1918-1921.
An early work by Stalin critiquing the theories of the Georgian and Russian anarchists at the time. It includes some early expressions of Stalin’s reading of Hegel.
Marxism And The National Question
A major work of Stalin’s where he outlines what was to become the policies on the national question with regard to the minority nationalities within the old Tsarist Empire. This is an extremely relevant work because it remains the subject of all manner of criticisms from anti-communists of all shades to this day including the current leadership of the Russian Federation.
Stalin & Dzerzhinsky co-wrote this political-military report on the loss by the Red Army of the city of Perm to the White Army led by Kolchak. It is an interesting example of an application of the Marxist method to analysing the reasons for a military defeat.
This article outlines the arguments regarding an early disagreement with Trotsky’s faction over the independence of the trade unions. Trotsky argued for the unions to be (effectively) controlled by the state. Stalin argued against this and the article sums up his contributions to this debate
This book was originally delivered in the form of a series of lectures given by Stalin in CPSU educational sessions. These were later turned into book form as they provide a valuable addition to the development of Leninism as a doctrine. Stalin draws on the works of Lenin as a whole to unify their key lessons and expand upon them. It is one of Stalin’s essential works.
Following Lenin’s death in 1924 the struggle in the party intensified with various different factions pushing lines related to the N.E.P, industrialisation and collectivisation of the land. In this work Stalin takes up false claims made by Trotsky regarding the October revolution and the latter’s role within it.
The October Revolution And The Tactics Of The Russian Communists
A further written contribution by Stalin in the struggle against what was then identified as Trotskyism. This article focusses again on the tactics related to the proletariat and peasantry in 1917.
Concerning Questions Of Leninism
This is a pamphlet written by Stalin in 1926 in response to criticisms of his earlier work on Leninism that were made by Zinoviev. There was a great deal of debate around the question of Leninism and the application of the lessons from Russia to the advanced capitalist nations. This pamphlet is part of that inner party discussion.
Dialectical And Historical Materialism
A pamphlet in which Stalin further elaborates on his views of the Marxist method. This can serve as a very useful introductory text when getting started on understanding dialectical materialism as a system of thought.
History Of The Communist Party Of The Soviet Union
Stalin’s history of the Bolshevik Party is interesting because of the level of historical detail contained within it. It is also a useful example of applying the dialectical materialist method in analysing and presenting the history of the party and it’s actions.
Economic Problems Of Socialism In the USSR
Stalin’s last book length work in which he criticises the growth of opportunist and pro-capitalist tendencies within the CPSU. He does by critiquing the theories of leading Soviet economists many of whom would go onto develop pro-capitalist policies for the Khruschev leadership.
Mao
Analysis Of The Classes In Chinese Society
An work dating from the period of the first revolutionary war which Mao wrote in response to incorrect ideas adopted by different CPC leaders relating to the peasants and relations with the bourgeois nationalist forces of the Kuomintang.
On Correcting Mistaken Ideas In The Party
This work is Mao’s critique of the various mistaken positions that had become common in the CPC in the late 1920’s. It represents an important debate that was going on within the leadership of the CPC at the time regarding the direction of the Chinese revolution and the tactics the party should adop.
This article is focussed on how Communists should conduct debates within the party and demands higher standards of discipline from CPC comrades on this matter.
Be Concerned With The Well-Being Of The Masses, Pay Attention To The Methods Of Work
From a speech by Mao where he talked about the proper relationship that needed to be constructed between the Communist Party and the masses.
Mao’s seminal text on the practice of guerilla warfare informed by over a decade of experience the CPC had attained by the time this was written (1937) in fighting wars against the Kuomintang and the Japanese imperialists. This work inspired revolutionaries across the colonised world and even within the imperialist block itself. There were, for instance, a number of Irish Republicans who were inspired by this text in their struggle against British occupation in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
A major work in which outlines his views on dialectical materialism as a “unity of knowing and doing”. The views expressed by Mao in this work are a key part of what later became ” Mao Zedong Thought” in the period of the Cultural Revolution and (later still) part of the development of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism by the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement and the Communist Party of Peru.
This is a greater expansion of the themes developed by Mao in ‘On Practice’ regarding the proper application of the dialectical-materialist method. This is another major contribution to Marxist theory made by Mao and is one of the crucial works of his to read and understand.
A very famous phrase of Mao’s that stems from this article written in 1937. Again, it focusses on the high standards that should be demanded from Communist cadre and the need to be rigorous in party work and not to surrender to individualistic bourgeois prejudices
Known globally as “The Little Red Book” this work attained international fame in the period of the cultural revolution. It also became a fixture on the bookshelves of western (self described) Maoists. It is a book of quotations and it is, in all honesty a case of branding and image overcoming substance. You would be far better off reading and understanding the full articles and books Mao wrote than reading this. I include purely for the purposes of information.
Enver Hoxha
Reject The Revisionist Thesis Of The XXth Congress
Following the turn by the Khruschev leadership towards revisionism, and the slanderous accusations made against Stalin by Khruschev at the CPSU congress in 1957, Socialist Albania began to take a harder line towards the leadership of the USSR. Hoxha’s speech at the meeting of global Communist Parties in Moscow in 1960 set the stage for a historic split within the Communist world. Albania would steer it’s own course for the next 25 years and Hoxha would develop important critiques of revisionism in his theoretical writings and analyses of contemporary events. This speech (delievered to Khruschev’s face) marks the start of Hoxha’s move away from the Soviet led Communist world.
This is an article written for the Albanian daily newspaper Zeri I Popullit by Enver Hoxha in 1964. Hoxha’s contention in the article is that the revisionist Communist Parties (those in Europe especially) were on the path to becoming merely social democratic parties as they had abandoned the revolutionary path. He was to be proven dramatically correct within four years as the French revisionists capitulated to De Gaulle in 1968 and the Italian Communists played a similar role in agreeing compromises with the ruling class despite waves of working class militancy sweeping Italy. The Italian CP would ultimately be liquidated by it’s revisionist leaders in 1990 and merge with the remains of the social democrats.
This is a book written by Hoxha in 1976 where he recounted his encounters with the revisionist leaders of the CPSU and other states in the 1950s and 1960s. It serves as a valuable political memoir from a party leader and statesman as well as further developing Hoxha’s critique of revisionism.
Hoxha’s defence of the Leninist theory of imperialism and critique of the “three worlds” theory. This work contains a section critiquing the changes in China after Maos death and Hoxha’s thoughts on the capitalist turn in China and how it would mean the PRC becoming an imperialist power.
Yugoslav “Self-Administration – Capitalist Theory And Practice
This book sets out Hoxha’s full critique of the development of revisionism in Yugoslavia. Hoxha argued that capitalism had been restored in Yugoslavia by the early 1950’s following Tito’s break with the USSR and his restoration of private ownership of the means of production. Hoxha predicted that this would ultimately lead to the total collapse of the Yugoslav system. Within a decade he had been proven correct.
Eurocommunism is Anti-Communism
Hoxha returned to his critique of the European communist parties that had taken the revisionist line. In this extended essay he analyses the (so called) Eurocommunist theories of Santiago Carillo and Enrico Berlingeur, arguing that they had completed their degeneration into becoming no more than social democrats.
Hoxha met with Stalin on five occasions. In this memoir he recounts the substance of these meetings and why he believed that Stalin was a great revolutionary.
Che Guevara
Notes For The Study Of The Ideology Of The Cuban Revolution
Che wrote about the relationship between the party and the masses in these notes from the period immediately after the triumph of the revolution.
The Cadres: Backbone Of The Revolution
In this article Che develops his thoughts regarding the importance of the proper development of party cadre in the Cuban revolution.
In this essay Che explores the possible changes in human behaviour that will be brought about as the revolutionary process develops in Cuba.
Che’s final written work in which he predicts a rising tide of anti-imperialist struggle to come.
Rosa Luxemburg
Luxemburg’s defence of Polish nationhood was written in response to the “Germanisation” plans of the Kaisers government. This plan was to cover the Polish population in German occupied Poland and start to restrict the usage of the Polish language. Luxemburg was Polish by birth, though she worked mostly in Germany.
Luxemburg’s critique and refutation of the theories of the reformist theories of Eduard Bernstein. Bernstein argued that revolution was no longer needed due to fact that the German working class had obtained the franchise. Luxemburg wrote this critique as a defence of the need for revolution.
The Socialist Crisis In France
Luxemburg’s critique of the French Socialist Party and their entry into a coalition government with bourgeois parties.
This is one of Luxemburg’s most significant works and examines the effect of strike waves on working class consciousness and revolutionary struggles.
Luxemburg’s major theoretical work analysing the modern capitalist economy. It differs from both Marx and Lenin’s theories on imperialism and accumulation.
Marx Engels Lenin Institute 