Some help maybe? I have a lot of questions.

[rosie]

I have a lot of questions, and I won't ask them all right now (too many to ask). One of my questions is about the history of communism. Is there a site I can check out or a book (or two or three) that I could read that would help to bring me up to speed? I am really knowledge-less when it comes to history of any kind. It's sad, i know. I had basic history classes in school, they taught the same kind of things any other public school taught (went to catholic school and was switched to public school). I did well in my classes, but I can't seem to remember being taught anything about anything. It freaks me out. So, as Howard Zinn and Micheal Parenti said "the real joy of learning is forgetting everything you were taught and starting over", I want to start over from the beginning (i'm assuming that would be the best place to start). But I don't want to only know about the history of communism, I want to know about the history of all the nations really, and how they came to be intertwined in such horrid disarray as they are now. Is there anyone who is willing to work with me on this? I'm assuming it will take a long time.

[mikelepore]

One starting point could be to go to web site marxists.org, click on "encyclopedia", and then look around for words or names that you may have heard before but aren't sure what they really are. Every time you have a question about the meaning of something, ask it here.

Another place, go to wikipedia.org and type this into the search box:
Category:Socialism
Get a large number of linked articles in alphabetical order.

(Don't believe everything that you read. It's the writer's opinion.)

[el_chavista]

I'd recommend you Alan Wood's book "Reform or Revolution" a polemic with Heinz Dieterich's 21st century socialism with Venezuela as main scenario. It is modern, full of historic references and a general view of Marxism-Leninism from a Trotskyite point of view.

[Raúl Duke]

On Anarchism you can read parts of the Anarchist FAQ as a good start.
http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html

[Catbus]

The Paris Commune is another good thing to read about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune

[Delirium]

I have a lot of questions, and I won't ask them all right now (too many to ask). One of my questions is about the history of communism. Is there a site I can check out or a book (or two or three) that I could read that would help to bring me up to speed?

http://www.marxists.org/
http://libcom.org/

Check the library too :)

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

Begin here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_communism

On the Russian Revolution, try this

http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/hrr/

On the two main strands of communism/socialism:

http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/index.htm

On the degeneration of the Russian Revolution, try this:

http://www.marxists.de/statecap/harman/revlost.htm

In fact, this site has more than enough to keep you busy:

http://www.marxists.de/admin/contents.htm

[Chicano Shamrock]

I assume you know about The Peoples History of the United States since you brought up Howard Zinn. That would be a great place to start. Wow it is hard to recommend a book that will cover all of history lol.

I liked a book called Lies my teacher told me: Everything your American history text book got wrong. It is a fun read that doesn't bog you down like Chomsky's stuff. There is another great place to start. Get really anything from Chomsky. His book Radical Priorities gives you overview of a lot of different parts of history but can be kind of boring at times.

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell is a really fun read. I like reading books about history that are fun. Textbook style books are too boring and straightforward.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

If you want a good, general Marxist History of the World, this is the best:

http://www.versobooks.com/books/ghij/h-titles/harman_c_peoples_history_of_the_world.shtml

It carries with it a recommendation from Howard Zinn himself.

[Hit The North]

Of course, the most obvious place to go is here:

http://www.marxists.org/history/index.htm

[NecroCommie]

Whoa!!! People are suggesting advanced details of history and marxist interpitation to a person who said he/she? wanted to learn history in relevance to modern day politics. Whereas I do agree with previous posts on what is good to know about communist history, it is still vital to know the conditions in which they happened.

For basic history aimed at knowing politics of today, I'd suggest following topics.

-"The two revolutions" The French revolution will introduce you to the political background of the 19th century, and the reasons the big nations did what they did back then. The industrial revolution is a very wide topic and a crucial one when researching communism. All the ideologies and policies, and even modern superpower relations have their roots in the industrial revolution of the 19th century. Try learning the ideologies, economy, and superpower politics of the 19th century in order to understand communist critizism of those methods. Also, it helps to understand the caste society which was dominant before the industrial revolution.

- The second milestone would be the first world war. Its background (unification of germany, and imperialism!!!), its course (the horrors of war are partly to blame for the defeat of Germany and the Russian revolutions), and its aftermath (The league of nations primarily)

- The inter-war period mainly consists of political polarization, which was due to economic crisis (this is why history is important to know), and the new rise of tensions between these ideological superpowers.

- The second world war is a complex topic, but the main areas would be the scientific advances in war industry (mainly nukes but also blitzkrieg and partisan movements). In order to understand nowaday politics better one should learn the specific alliances and conquests of different blocs. (this will help you understand why some areas hold different ideologies and priorities nowadays) The post-war period holds the roots to the cold war. The division of Germany, soviet nukes, why the allies split, and the formation of united nations. Do note how the beginning of WW2 was the fatal blow to the previously mentioned league of nations.

- Cold war is largely political history. Learn the communist tendencies during this time, the definition and history of the satellite nations, the flow of diplomatic relations through the war and the effects of the entire cold war.

Post cold war is a period you have lived in your entire life. You propably have a general idea what has happened during this time, though learning the details never hurts.

If you grasp/have grasped all these things, I'd say you have a pretty good base knowledge to study communist view on these things. All of the mentioned topics can be read from any self respecting history book. Do note however, that even books have bias.

[rosie]

Great! Thank everyone! I'll surely check it all out and pass on the wealth to my comrades.

[mikelepore]

Is there anyone who is willing to work with me on this? I'm assuming it will take a long time.

In his novel _Sybil_, Disraeli wrote, "To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge."