My Communist views, Lenin and Anarchism

[Stalin Ate My Homework]

When I first knew of the concept of communism it was an ideal I found easy to believe in in spite of the fact we are always told that it is evil. Since joining Revleft I've learned a better definition of communism, a stateless, classless society, rather than the crude economic equality I initially believed it was. Promptly I started to try and create defences of communism as I understood it and in particular the Soviet union without properly having read or understood any theoretical work. My theoretical study up to this point has only included reading The Communist Manifesto and half understanding it, reading Principles of Communism and fully understanding it, reading the first chapter of What is to be done and understanding most of it, reading most of the state and revolution and understanding it, reading bits of Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism and not really understanding it. Of course.I realise there is more to communism than just Leninism so recently I've decided to increase my knowledge of basic Marxism and anarchism by reading more theory, of course I may well return to Leninism but first I have to understand the theoretical basis of the ideology that I am defending. Recently I have been reading Alexander Berkman's ABC of Anarchism, I'm up to Chapter 5 and I've found it to be largely idealistic and Utopian with regard to the way it speaks of justice and what is right. There was, however an extract which caught my eye: 'Political economists generally claim that the value of a commodity is the labour required to produce it, of socially neccessary labor, as Marx says. But evidently it is not a just standard of measurement... there is also to be considered the particular ability that a worker...must exercise in his labours. '' it seems after reading this particular extract that Marxist economics does indeed fail to consider the individual quality of a labourer and the product he produces making the Marxist theory of value seem weak. I'd like to hear a Marxist response to this dilemma and and tips regarding my theoretical study would be welcome too.

[Omsk]

Hello comrade!I am always happy to recomend good works by Vladimir Lenin.

He wrote in turbulent times,and during the revolution,civil war,so the subject of his writings are different year by year.

1.) 1897-1916
The Heritage We Renounce
What Is To Be Done? Burning Questions of our Movement (recomended)
The Right of Nations to Self-Determination
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (recomended)
The Military Programme of the Proletarian Revolution
The Development of Capitalism in Russia (If you are interested in Russian history)

2.) 1917-1918
The Tasks of the Proletariat in the Present Revolution [a.k.a. The April Theses] (A must read)
The Tasks of the Proletariat in Our Revolution
The State and Revolution

3.) 1918-1923
The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky
Economics And Politics In The Era Of The Dictatorship Of The Proletariat (to better understand the DOTP)
Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder (read with caution haha)

Also interesting:

-Notes On Electrification (One of the most important advances in the USSR during its early years)
-First Congress of the Communist International.
-A Great Beginning. Heroism of the Workers In the Rear. “Communist Subbotniks”. (Inspiring)
-All Out For the Fight against Denikin! (Civil war - i recomend it)
-To the Younger Generation.

(Vladimir Lenin worked so much and wrote so much that i simply cant post everything,but the most important works i listed in the first section)

I am sure you will read these works with ease,as Lenin wrote clearly,so ordinary workers could understand his words.

Good reading.

He wrote a huge number of works,so i suggest that you read step by step,after reading the works i posted above,you could start with in-depth articles on certain subjects or notes.
(There are a lot of sites that have a huge base of listed works,like MIA (Marxist Internet Archive) and i suggest you search for information there also.
Note that we have a special introduction to Marxism on the forum,in this very section,for begginers,i recomend that you read it.

All the best.

[Stalin Ate My Homework]

Thank you Omsk. I'm already eyeing up 'Economics and Politics in the era of the DOTP'. Just out of interest what would your assessment of certain other tendancies be such as Anarchism, Left Communism be? :)

[Omsk]

Just out of interest what would your assessment of certain other tendancies be such as Anarchism, Left Communism be?

Hmh,for left communism,Amadeo Bordiga,Otto Ruhle,Paul Mattick.

Anarchism,well,Mikhail Bakunin,Kropotkin,Makhno.

Those are just some guidelines and starting suggestions.

There are people on this forum who know much more about left communism and anarchism than me,so i guess you should wait for their responses.

[Threetune]

When I first knew of the concept of communism it was an ideal I found easy to believe in in spite of the fact we are always told that it is evil. Since joining Revleft I've learned a better definition of communism, a stateless, classless society, rather than the crude economic equality I initially believed it was. Promptly I started to try and create defences of communism as I understood it and in particular the Soviet union without properly having read or understood any theoretical work. My theoretical study up to this point has only included reading The Communist Manifesto and half understanding it, reading Principles of Communism and fully understanding it, reading the first chapter of What is to be done and understanding most of it, reading most of the state and revolution and understanding it, reading bits of Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism and not really understanding it. Of course.I realise there is more to communism than just Leninism so recently I've decided to increase my knowledge of basic Marxism and anarchism by reading more theory, of course I may well return to Leninism but first I have to understand the theoretical basis of the ideology that I am defending. Recently I have been reading Alexander Berkman's ABC of Anarchism, I'm up to Chapter 5 and I've found it to be largely idealistic and Utopian with regard to the way it speaks of justice and what is right. There was, however an extract which caught my eye: 'Political economists generally claim that the value of a commodity is the labour required to produce it, of socially neccessary labor, as Marx says. But evidently it is not a just standard of measurement... there is also to be considered the particular ability that a worker...must exercise in his labours. '' it seems after reading this particular extract that Marxist economics does indeed fail to consider the individual quality of a labourer and the product he produces making the Marxist theory of value seem weak. I'd like to hear a Marxist response to this dilemma and and tips regarding my theoretical study would be welcome too.

As you study Lenin more you will discover that your slogan “ My Communist views, Lenin and Anarchism” is in need of amendment.

[Omsk]

As you study Lenin more you will discover that your slogan “ My Communist views, Lenin and Anarchism” is in need of amendment.


Well,of course,Anarchism and Leninism are not compatible tendencies,but i think he should read and inform himself about both Anarchism and Leninism.

@OP: On Lenin and Anarchism,read: Socialism and Anarchism. He wrote that work in 1905.

You should know that the Anarchists largely opposed the Bolsheviks and Lenin,so when you read texts written by Communists on Anarchists,and texts by Anarchists on Communists,expect fights and criticism.

[Susurrus]

In Socialism and Anarchism, Lenin seems to be more attacking the more individualist anarchists, rather than class struggle anarchists. So perhaps not so helpful.

[Commissar Rykov]

In Socialism and Anarchism, Lenin seems to be more attacking the more individualist anarchists, rather than class struggle anarchists. So perhaps not so helpful.
Indeed, this is before the break between the Socialist and the Anarchists that came much latter. You would see a shift in opinion once it was viewed by the Bolsheviks that most Anarchists would be unwilling to work with a State Apparatus even if it was in the hands of the Workers or a Vanguard.

[Omsk]

I listed "Socialism and Anarchism" just as an example of Lenin writing about anarchism,not of him criticizing it entirely.

Later,after a number of events in which the Bolsheviks and Anarchists disagreed and even fought,Lenin spoke more harshly of Anarchism.And after the revolution,many Anarchists opposed the Bolsheviks,while some,like Bill Shatov and Yuda Roshchin tried to negotiate and bring the two sides closer.

The entire Anarchist-Bolshevik split is complicated.(But i think that is a story for a different thread.)

[Ocean Seal]

As a person who identifies partly with the council communist tendency I strongly recommend reading: Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder. Not ironically, but because I believe that it is a good text which shines light on the weaknesses of council communism. Then you should read an introduction to worker's councils which shines light on the failures of Leninism.

[Stalin Ate My Homework]

As you study Lenin more you will discover that your slogan “ My Communist views, Lenin and Anarchism” is in need of amendment.

Oh yes I know that lol :lol: I didn't know what to put as a title so I thought I'd just put that done as they are the topics I mention.

I'm still after a Marxist response to that Berkman quote though...

[Lanky Wanker]

Cheers to Omsk for the suggestions, I thought to myself today that I should look into Lenin a bit.

[Firebrand]

I'll try and respond to the quote. If I understand it right it's saying that if a task requires a higher level of skill then it has a greater value. While this may increase the cost of the products of the task in the practice of capitalism where supply and demand are applicable, in actual terms its best to remember that its an hour of anyones day. Whether someone has spent a day of their lives doing complex computer programming, or working on a production line its still the same value. The price of an hour of someones life should not be determined by their intellect or education, everyone's time should be worth the same.
I'm not an economist and i suspect thats probably not the orthodox argument but thats how i understand it.