When Americans Refuse to Read: The Task of Study Today (Appendix)
Recommendations for Further Reading of Marxist Works Referenced in the Text
Part 1: History
INTRODUCTION
“State and Revolution” (1917) by Vladimir Lenin: This text is where Lenin provides the clearest thesis on the Marxist stance on the state, closely looking at Marx and Engels’s writings in which they reiterate their understanding of the dictatorship of the proletariat and its essential tie to socialism. Any communist party’s that renounce the dictatorship of the proletariat, in word or in practice, deviate from Lenin’s understanding of the matter. We recommend this to anyone interested in Marxism and how they see the path to revolution and workers’ power in our context. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/
“And Mao Makes 5” (1978) by Raymond Lotta: A work that is great as a reference text for many primary sources from the final years of the GPCR. On its own, it’s great for learning Mao’s role in his final years and his consistent support for the ‘Ultra-Leftists’ up to his death. It clearly exposes the Chinese revisionists for the capitalist counter-revolutionaries they are. https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-5/rcp-mao-5.pdf
“Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism” (1916) by Vladimir Lenin: Necessary for any understanding of the modern world, Lenin here elaborates on all the main economic characteristics of imperialism and some of its political ramifications, using bourgeois sources to drive home just how irrefutable it is. It also doubles as a polemic against Kautsky, who saw imperialism as resolving some contradictions of capitalism rather than an expression of its inherent crisis. For those looking for more of those political ramifications, Lenin expands on it in “Imperialism and the Split in Socialism” (1916). http://marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/
“Materialism and Empirio-Criticism” (1908) by Vladimir Lenin: Lenin’s magnum opus in the realm of philosophy. In it he clearly deconstructed the agnostic and anti-Marxist philosophy of Machism and the consequences of muddling it with Marxism in any context. During this process in Chapter 6 Section 2, he clearly equates Pragmatism with Machism as an American bourgeois philosophy that rejects objective truth. Therefore, while not directly aimed at pragmatism, it presents a wonderfully constructed argument for its incompatibility with Marxism. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1908/mec/
“On Practice” (1937) by Mao Zedong: For anyone interested in learning the basics of Marxist epistemology and dialectical materialist philosophy more broadly, this is an essential text written in accessible language. In it, Mao includes a criticism and elaboration of both Empiricism and its relative opposite that hasn’t been mentioned in the article, Dogmatism. This is to contrast both from the correct Marxist approach towards the theory of knowledge. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_16.htm
“The Collapse of the Second International” (1915) by Vladimir Lenin: A thorough polemic of the ideological and political bankruptcy of the 2nd International that betrayed the working class in the outbreak of World War 1. A great text to familiarize oneself with what Marxists and Lenin refer to as opportunism and its practical consequences. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1915/csi/
RUSSIA
“A Valuable Admission” (1901) by Vladimir Lenin: This text, while short, gave a description of how the state authorities treated both Marxists and the labor movement, and by their own admission, saw how socialism motivated the labor movement to increasingly militant political action against Tsarism. It’s a useful text for some of the historical events and developments mentioned in the article. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/may/11.htm
“From the History of the Workers Press in Russia” (1914) by Vladimir Lenin: Another shorter article, focused on providing a brief history of the workers’ press in Russia, it also presented statistics which reflected which classes played the largest political role in opposing the Tsarist government. These statistics further substantiate our presentation that the early years of Marxism were mostly part of an intellectual-political trend for years that gradually involved more and more workers until their fusion was completed in the 1900s. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/apr/22.htm
“Our Differences” (1885) by Georgi Plekhanov: An ambitious text from the 1880s which delineated the key differences between the utopian Narodniks and scientific Marxists. It provides the main theses of Marxist theory applied to Russia, explaining how capitalism was being introduced to the country and how it substantiated the Emancipation of Labor Group’s basis for its draft program pushing for a democratic revolution to freely develop capitalism through which a powerful workers party can best be developed. It applies to our article as further proof of the ideological tasks for Marxists today in delineating our key principles as distinct and well grounded from all the eclectic and revisionist socialist theories out there. Further, it proves the need to grasp the Marxist method sufficiently for application in our current context, even before we have any deep relationship with the working class. https://www.marxists.org/archive/plekhanov/1885/ourdiff/index.html
“How Lenin Studied Marx” (1933) by Nadezhda Khrupskaya: A great text describing how Lenin valued Marx’s theory, and how his studies informed both his own theoretical work and his political work more broadly once he started organizing in St. Petersburg. To whatever extent Lenin’s approach towards studying Marx is an inspiration, we should take studying theory just as seriously. His phrase, “Who wants to consult with Marx?” aptly describes the enduring importance of studying and revisiting the Marxist classics. https://www.marxists.org/archive/krupskaya/works/howleninstudiedmarx.htm
“A Retrograde Trend in Russian Social Democracy” (1899) by Vladimir Lenin: A quintessential text for Marxists today to be studying, this can’t be stressed enough. An earlier criticism of the growing economist trend, it includes a clear differentiation of the various strata of the proletariat and how Marxists are to deal with them. It further elaborates on the key tasks for Marxist organizers at the stage of regional committees struggling for the reformation of the Party, defining agitation, propaganda, and the importance of study. Lastly, he provides a clear history of both the labor movement and Marxism, and how they developed independently until their fusion culminating in the founding of the RSDLP. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1899/dec/trend.htm
“On Agitation” (1893) by Julius Martov and Arkadi Kremer This text played an outsized role in transitioning the Marxist revolutionary movement from narrow study circles aimed towards propagandizing to advanced workers and otherwise continuing intensive theoretical study to broader political work among the masses. It’s what inspired Lenin’s League to expand their scope successfully in the 1896 strike wave, while also contributing to forming the outlook of the Economists. For those curious to see how concretely broad agitation takes place at the stage of a PPF, this is a great text. https://pplswar.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/on-agitation-ob-agitatsii-arkadi-kremer-julius-martov/
“Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy” (1859) by Karl Marx: As any writing from Marx, while it has language that may be difficult for laymen to read these days, it’s a highly recommended manuscript providing Marx’s thesis in Political Economy and his general plan for what eventually became Capital. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1859/critique-pol-economy/index.htm
“The Development of Capitalism in Russia” (1899) by Vladimir Lenin: An instructive application of both historical materialism and Marxist political economy (in other words, effective class analysis) in the particular case of Russia. It not only is a scientific proof undermining the entire political basis for the Narodniks, but it also advanced Marxist science as it showed how capitalism develops in a semi-feudal country like the Russian Empire, which has applications even today in similar societies such as India or the Philippines. This and Mao’s class analyses are clear demonstrations for the need for any revolutionary movement to require a firm foundation in political economy to apply an analysis in our own context. Any effort to build a party successfully is contingent on this. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1899/devel/
“Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State” (1884) by Friedrich Engels: Another instructive application of historical materialism, this time in the realm of anthropology/sociology based on the most current advances in the field at the time. While several details/assumptions are outdated and proven false, the main conclusions on patriarchy, class society, and the state have proven true even after 130 years of new discoveries. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1884/origin-family/index.htm
“The Heritage We Renounce” (1897) by Vladimir Lenin: Another great polemic against liberal-Narodism, delineating Marxism as not only distinct from both (and how) but also proving Marxism to be the only correct and truly revolutionary inheritor of the Russian revolutionary ‘heritage’. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1897/dec/31c.htm
“Tasks of the Proletariat in Our Revolution” (1917) by Vladimir Lenin: A historic document superior to the April Theses which introduced Lenin’s political activity since returning from exile. An essential read for anyone looking to learn about Lenin’s appraisal of the chaotic political situation after the Kornilov Affair and leading up to the October Revolution. It is also the program with which the Bolsheviks secured majorities among the major Soviets, seen by Lenin as necessary for victory. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/tasks/index.htm
CHINA
“A People’s History of Ideas” podcast by Mathew Rothwell: A fantastic podcast and one of the best English language sources to date going over the history of the Chinese Revolution. All of his sources are listed in each episode to verify his script, which is also available in text on the website. We can only hope that professor Rothwell will eventually finish it. https://peopleshistoryofideas.com/
Report on the Affairs of the New People’s Study Society 1 and 2 in “Mao’s Road to Power: Volume 2” by Stuart Schram: This collection of texts has many primary sources of writings written by Mao from his early years of activity. In particular, we draw the reader’s attention to his activities in the New People’s Study Society, where he served as the secretary. https://michaelharrison.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Maos-Road-to-Power-Vol-2.pdf
“The Early Revolutionary Activities Of Comrade Mao Tsetung” by Rui Li: This early ‘official’ biography offers helpful insight as a supplement to what is said in A People’s History of Ideas podcast. In particular, the third chapter, Activities Surrounding the Establishment of the Chinese Communist Party, and Stuart Schram’s Introduction, are helpful. https://www.bannedthought.net/China/Individuals/MaoZedong/AboutMao/EarlyRevolutionaryActivitiesOfMao-OCR-sm.pdf
“On New Democracy” (1940) by Mao Zedong: This work summarizes a major contribution of Mao’s to Marxism, that of the democratic revolution led by the proletariat in the Semi-Feudal and Semi-Colonial countries. We draw attention to his emphasis on the importance of the May 4th movement as marking the moment that the proletariat stirred to life and began to take leadership over the democratic revolution. The text is very useful for understanding the Chinese Communist Approach toward revolution in China and how they understood Chinese realities. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_26.htm
“Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society” (1926) by Mao Zedong: The text represents an early approach toward analyzing Chinese society and its particular class composition. Here, Mao does a good job identifying the various classes and their specific attitudes toward the revolution. As he famously remarked, “Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution.” This same question remains to be answered by today’s communists in the USA. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_1.htm
“On New Democracy” (1940) by Mao Zedong: This work summarizes a major contribution of Mao’s to Marxism, that of the democratic revolution led by the proletariat in the Semi-Feudal and Semi-Colonial countries. We draw attention to his emphasis on the importance of the May 4th movement as marking the moment that the proletariat stirred to life and began to take leadership over the democratic revolution. The text is very useful for understanding the Chinese Communist Approach toward revolution in China and how they understood Chinese realities. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_26.htm
“Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society” (1926) by Mao Zedong: The text represents an early approach toward analyzing Chinese society and its particular class composition. Here, Mao does a good job identifying the various classes and their specific attitudes toward the revolution. As he famously remarked, “Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution.” This same question remains to be answered by today’s communists in the USA. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_1.htm
USA
“The Peasant War in Germany” (1850) by Friedrich Engels: Another classic application of historical materialism by Engels. While we used it to supplement our understanding of the Anabaptists who later came to America, the work definitely is worth studying in its own right. It gives a clear analysis of the class contradictions within feudalism that set the basis for the peasant wars. It also presented key limitations of the movement, including the vacillating character of the “burgher-bourgeois” and the theoretical limitations of the peasantry, drawing a connection to the need for a proletarian-peasant alliance (in contemporary Germany). https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1850/peasant-war-germany/
“Anti-Duhring: Herr Eugen Duhring’s Revolution in Science” (1877) by Friedrich Engels: A fundamental text of Marxism, applying it in nearly every field from philosophy to ethics to natural science, all to critique Duhring’s attempt to do the same with his own ‘original theories’. It’s definitely one of the more difficult texts to commit to, and really Engels’s popular pamphlet “Socialism: Utopian and Scientific” (1880) derived from Anti-Duhring addresses the key things we use to elaborate on the ideas of the Utopian Socialists who ended up influencing early American socialism. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1877/anti-duhring/ https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/
“History of the Communist Party of the United States” (1952) by William Foster: A good resource for looking at the history of the CPUSA, especially as a reference for some of the more chaotic events that took place in the early years between 1918-1922. That said, Foster’s writings must be looked at with a critical eye on account of their own vacillations and ultimate submission to right opportunism generally. https://www.bannedthought.net/USA/CPUSA/WZFoster/WZFoster-HistoryOfTheCommunistPartyOfTheUnitedStates-1952-OCR.pdf
“Black Bolshevik” (1978) by Harry Haywood: The autobiography provides some good personalized details of early party life and shows a clear indication of the ideological weakness the CPUSA revolutionaries struggled with and its consequences. As he leaves party life during WW2, it isn’t a useful resource for understanding Browderism and its influence on the CPUSA during the 40s and 50s. https://www.marxists.org/archive/haywood/1978/black-bolshevik.pdf
“Anti-Revisionist Communism in the United States, 1945-1950” (1979) by Paul Costello: Paul Costello has the great merit of not only being an incredible archivist that has through his work better enabled us to learn from the past than any other communist movement before ours, but also the virtue of having been an active participant in the very struggles of the NCM. His summaries and research on the movement are quite invaluable. Not that we agree with all his prescriptions or conclusions, only that any history of anti-revisionism in this country must contend with and recognize the significance of his efforts. https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/1946-1956/costello01.htm
“Peaceful Transition and the Communist Party, USA, 1949-1958” (1979) by Bert Lewis: As it is with Paul, while we don’t agree with everything here, the writing provides a clear and consistent description of the struggle between different revisionist trends and the failed attempts by the anti-revisionist movement to overcome them. One thing worthy of note he points out is a lesson on how we should never blame external factors for internal conditions, as internal conditions are always decisive in the development of a process with external factors only being able to influence it. Revisionism in the CPUSA could’ve been overcome if their internal conditions could do so, Soviet revisionism only allowed it to proliferate more. https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/periodicals/theoretical-review/19791203.htm
“A Critical History of the New Communist Movement, 1969-1979” (1979) by Paul Costello: While we do not agree with all of what Paul puts forth, his scholarship is instrumental for understanding the NCM and his work on the EROL is invaluable to today’s communists. Provided some critical reading, it is not too difficult to parse Paul’s descriptions from his opinions. For example, agree with his opinion on Stalin’s legacy or not, he is no doubt correct that it played a major role. https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/periodicals/theoretical-review/19791301.htm
“Moralizing Criticism and Critical Morality” (1847) by Karl Marx: An article containing a polemic against bourgeois liberalism and the moralizing arguments it uses against Marxism (and in contrast professes bourgeois idealist equity). We just use it for Marx’s reference to the Levellers there. https://marxists.architexturez.net/archive/marx/works/1847/10/31.htm
“Marxism and Revisionism” (1908) by Vladimir Lenin: An article elaborating on revisionism and its utilization by the bourgeoisie to undermine Marxism precisely due to its potential as a guide for the revolutionary proletariat to take power. For anyone curious about what Lenin refers to when he mentions revisionism (as he often does), this is a great text to read over. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1908/apr/03.htm
“August Bebel” (1913) by Vladimir Lenin: A brief obituary recalling Bebel’s largest contributions to the proletarian movement in Germany and internationally. As Bebel was in direct struggle with Lassale in the early German SDP (before it became the SDP), Lenin describes Lassale’s ideas and its shortcomings. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1913/aug/08.htm
“The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte” (1852) by Karl Marx At the time of its publication, it was an excellent example of timely contemporary analysis and historical materialism. In this text, Marx diagnoses and explains the Bonapartist regime that took hold in France. The text has many brilliant lines from Marx and touches on a wide variety of aspects of class struggle and ruling class machinations in France at the time. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/
Part 2: Contemporary American Maoism
“Socialism and War” (1915) by Vladimir Lenin: As the subtitle describes, it’s a thorough presentation of the RSDLP(b)’s position on WW1 and the various socialist trends that reacted to it. It includes a brief history of the RSDLP and the various trends that emerged over the course of its development (Ch. 4) in which we can see a clear and concise definition of economism. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1915/s-w/index.htm
“Frederick Engels” (1895) by Vladimir Lenin: Another brief obituary Lenin wrote speaking about the outsized role Engels played in the ICM. A great text to read in itself, but for our purposes, we used it to set the record straight on the history of class struggle as far as Marxists are concerned. It’s embarrassing to not understand such a basic thing. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1895/misc/engels-bio.htm
“What is to be Done?” (1901) by Vladimir Lenin: A foundational Marxist text that is as misunderstood as it is popular. We use it as a reference for what Lenin defines as ‘professional revolutionaries’ and ‘tailism’ (khvostism in Russian), both of which are terms first used here, along with elaborations on other concepts. One thing we’ll mention on the nature of misreading the text is how various pre-party formations (from Trotskyites to Pseudo-Maoists) dogmatically apply its practical conclusions without carefully considering the context it was written in. It was a polemic of those organizations holding the party back from formalizing its structure, as it was already prepared to handle the responsibilities of the party and fused with the labor movement. Further, this was done in a semi-feudal police state with no civil rights, and before the invention of mass media (hence his demand for an All-Russia newspaper). https://www.marxists.org/ebooks/lenin/what-is-to-be-done.pdf
“Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership” (1943) by Mao Zedong: A great text for both describing how the Mass Line is applied in the War of Resistance against Japan and what Mao means when he talks about the Mass Line. Also, a good presentation of how Mao challenged cadres to develop critical thinking skills in order for them to energetically and creatively apply the relatively broad party directives, converting correct strategy coming from the central body to correct tactics in the local bodies. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_13.htm
“Quotations From Mao Zedong” (1964) by Mao Zedong: We only cited Chapter 11 titled “The Mass Line”, though it mostly talks about the various applications of the mass line in the Chinese Revolution rather than a clear definition of it as is done in Methods of Leadership. Quotations is a great reference text to all of Mao’s ideas covering many practical questions in political work. However, we don’t recommend it as a good introduction to the method of Marxist analysis, as it is a practical reference book rather than a theoretical explainer. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/works/red-book/index.htm
“Preface to the Russian Translation of Karl Marx’s Letters to Dr. Kugelmann” (1907) by Vladimir Lenin: In this text Lenin quotes and summarizes Marx’s attitude toward the Paris commune and contrasts it with the defeatism of Plekhanov. Below is a characteristic remark: “The historical initiative of the masses was what Marx prized above everything else. Ah, if only our Russian Social-Democrats would learn from Marx how to appreciate the historical initiative of the Russian workers and peasants in October and December 1905!” https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1907/feb/05.htm
“Lessons of the Commune” (1908) by Vladimir Lenin: “Marx set a high value on the historic significance of the Commune—if, during the treacherous attempt by the Versailles gang to seize the arms of the Paris proletariat, the workers had allowed themselves to be disarmed without a fight, the disastrous effect of the demoralisation, that this weakness would have caused in the proletarian movement, would have been far, far greater than the losses suffered by the working class in the battle to defend its arms.” In both texts Lenin, by way of Marx, clarifies that in some revolutionary struggles, the important thing is to try and to teach the masses with experience, even if you lose. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1908/mar/23.htm
“Adventurism” (1914) by Vladimir Lenin: A clear and concise elaboration on Adventurism as an outlook and its consequences in revolutionary movements, both classically and in contemporary contexts. Lots of good points to reflect on with how Americans tend to act without considering the masses. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/jun/09.htm
Part 3: Study & Party Construction
“Why Communism?” (1933) by Moissaye Olgin A wonderfully written clear argument for why we should support the cause of communism, especially good for Americans unfamiliar with it or otherwise subject to bourgeois anti-communist propaganda on it (as they were the target audience). Its main defect is that it is outdated; in particular, Chapter 5 focuses a lot on the specific problems of the day in 1933. https://www.marxists.org/archive/olgin/pamphlets/1933/whycomindex.htm
“Marxism Versus Liberalism” (1934) by Joseph Stalin: An interview between Stalin and H.G. Wells (a British petty-bourgeois novelist) whose socratic style of discussion allows for a clear juxtaposition between the Marxist and liberal outlooks. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1934/07/23.htm
“Freedom to Criticize and Unity in Action” (1906) by Vladimir Lenin: A brief article describing democratic centralism. There’s plenty of texts from Lenin and others that refer to its application in various stages of a communist party’s struggle for power, but they’re not as clear and concise in describing it as we find it done here. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1906/may/20c.htm
“Our Study and The Current Situation” (1944) by Mao Zedong: A great analysis of the contemporary situation and application of dialectical materialism to concrete conditions. As such, it was not for nothing he cited Lenin’s quote on applying a concrete analysis of concrete conditions. We should never be slack in analyzing a situation, and recognize positive aspects in negative experiences and vice versa. It is on this point we clarify that insistence on organizing only/mainly one section of the masses like the ‘industrial proletariat’ or going to the ‘lower and deeper’ as some groups seem to be so fixated on doing is incongruent with Marxist practice. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_18.htm
“Where Do Correct Ideas Come From?” (1963) by Mao Zedong: A clear and concise presentation of the Marxist thesis of how social being determines social consciousness and correctness is based on how an assessment lines up with objective reality rather than its outcome. https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-9/mswv9_01.htm
“What the “Friends of the People” Are and How They Fight the Social-Democrats” (1894) by Vladimir Lenin: One of Lenin’s first writing’s preserved and among the best polemics in the contemporary struggle between the Marxists and Narodniks. While its historical value is definitely significant, it does also provide value as proof for what Lenin prioritized at this stage of organizing when the Labor movement was just being won over by Marxist leadership (particularly in St. Petersburg). He emphasized Liebknecht’s slogan because at the time St. Petersburg political scene consisted of several scattered workers and intellectual study circles who he united into the League of Struggle, and so, the tasks were precisely to study (in the first place), propagandize, and organize. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1894/friends/index.htm
Mount Tai Study Circle 