Basic intros to Marxian economics?

[eric922]

Hey everyone I want to learn more about Marxist economics. I've read the Manifesto, which hints at some components of it, but I want something a bit more in depth. Specifically dealing with the crises and contradictions of capitalism. I'll admit I'd prefer something a bit easier than Das Kapital, simply because I've tried reading it and it's over my head at least for a starter text I think.

[Caj]

You should read Marx's Wage Labour and Capital. It's not very long at all.

[Rodrigo]

I also suggest you read the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, and then you should read Das Kapital again.

[Caj]

I also suggest you read the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts

Yes, this is also great; however, the language used is harder to understand.

[Geiseric]

Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism was a huuge help to me, easy to understand and lays everything about modern economics that we need to know, and how it all really works.

[thefinalmarch]

Wage Labour and Capital (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/index.htm) and Value, Price and Profit (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1865/value-price-profit/) are both basically the standard introductory texts to Marxian economics. Both are around only 30 pages. In the former there is even a part of the Preliminary which says "We shall seek to portray this as simply and popularly as possible, and shall not presuppose a knowledge of even the most elementary notions of political economy. We wish to be understood by the workers."

[eric922]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm also gong to start listening to Richard Wolff's lectures on Marxian economics.

[socialistjustin]

David Harvey has a series of videos dealing with Capital. I have only watched a fraction of the videos p, but its pretty good.

http://davidharvey.org/reading-capital/

[The Idler]

David Harvey's books
The Limits of Capital (2006)
A Companion to Marx's Capital (2010)
The Enigma of Capital and the Crises of Capitalism (2010)

Ben Fine and Alfred Saad-Filho
Marx's 'Capital'

More difficult but modern intros are

Andrew Kliman
Reclaiming Marx's Capital

Ernest Mandel
Marxist Economic Theory Vol 1.

[Sputnik_1]

You should read Marx's Wage Labour and Capital. It's not very long at all.

Yeah, it was pretty helpful, especially for my Das Kapital reading. I haven't even got through the first volume yet, but it's really good and more you read less confusing it gets (at least that's the impression i got).

[$lim_$weezy]

I'm reading "The Theory of Capitalist Development" by Paul Sweezy and it is amazing as an introduction. It introduces Marxian economic concepts and focuses primarily on tendencies inherent to the system overall. He avoids being overly polemical, which for me is a big plus. I recommend it to everyone here.

[Paulappaul]

No such thing as "Marxist Economics". I think you may be looking for Marx's analysis and critique of Political Economy.

[Wubbaz]

I think that The ABC Of Communism by Bukharin and Preobrazhensky explains basic marxist terms in one of the easiest to understand languages I have encountered so far. It was made as a introduction to communism for the general populace in the Soviet Union and it is great for beginners. It contains summaries in most chapters that explain what for example capital or wage labour is in simple terms. It also includes examples that are easier to understand. I really recommend it.

[Cork Socialist]

Ernest Mandel: an introduction to Marxist economic theory. I found that really helpful.


http://marxists.org/archive/mandel/1967/intromet/index.htm

[RadioRaheem84]

Watch Kapitalism 101

Go to Richard Wolff's site and he has a couple of lecture classes

Then when you get more advanced watch David Harvey's online course on Das Kapital.

[Rooster]

I think Harvey's book/lectures on Capital isn't/aren't that great. His other stuff, in my opinion, was much more informative. Mostly because it jumped right in there and gave you historic examples for you to follow.

[flobdob]

Harvey is a chronic eclecticist - he's never quite coherent on what he thinks Marx thought, let alone what Marx actually thought. At best he is a populariser of Marx's economic works, at worst he is just a dressed up social democrat.

If you want a really basic intro to "Marxian economics", then your best bet is to read Lenin's Karl Marx: A Brief Biographical Sketch with an Exposition of Marxism, which sets up the basic concepts of value, surplus value etc in pretty simplistic terms. A more detailed "basic" introduction can be found in Engels' Synopsis of Capital. None of these really get into the nitty gritty of it though (accumulation, crisis, etc). If you want a basic intro which does that, read David Yaffe's Marx's Critique of Political Economy (http://revolutionarycommunist.org/index.php/capitalist-crisis/1808-marxs-critique-of-political-economy-frfi-56-64-1986.html).

To be honest, you aren't gonna really get much other than problematic representations without reading Marx, or at least those who understood his critique of political economy. You should definately attempt Capital, but failing that at least give a read to those who understood him a bit more (Vitaly Vygodsky, Henryk Grossman, Paul Mattick, David Yaffe, Bernice Shoul, Peter Howell, etc...)

[Bardo]

3wkO3qsZY_U

[Manic Impressive]

I use the Brendan McCooney videos as kind of a refresher. It helps me to remember the important stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/user/brendanmcooney?blend=2&ob=5