Help

[kjt1981]

i find a lot of the information available on these sort of sites to be very much on top of a person making it difficult to know where to begin, if you see what i mean. Ive read Motorcycle diaries, and most of Orwells stuff mainly just out of interest, but as for actually becoming interested/conversational on communist theory etc could someone let me know of a good place to start? also who should i be reading? Im a big fan of Orwells anyway, before i became actually interested in the politic. I guess Communis manifesto would be a starting point although i have heard that its really pretty outdated nowadays. Im looking for a list of around 5-10 books/writers to begin with to get me conversant...

any help much appreciated!

Peace

x

[Nachie]

Communist Manifesto is actually a terrible place to start.

To begin with I think you should just do research on the terms and groups that you have encountered or are interested in.

There are introductory texts like Fighting for Our Lives by CrimethInc. that are really good at introducing some basic concepts, but in other places say very stupid things so anything you read should be read critically.

The single best introduction to revolutionary thought that I have read is Work Community Politics War (http://www.prole.info/introduction/intro_0.html) on prole.info

I really can't recommend that link enough! Seriously, READ IT (http://www.prole.info/introduction/intro_0.html) right now! It's short! ;)

Also check out this Exploration of Autonomist Marxism (http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/383)

Hope that helps!

[EusebioScrib]

Starting with Marx in general is a terrible place to start. Always first start of learning what basic concepts and terms are. Just look up things like "communism" or "anarchism" and you'll find thousands of articles which give basic definitions of concepts etc.

The best thing you can do is discuss. Reading simply isn't enough. If you don't discuss things with people, you'll never learn it.

Forums are a good place to start. Read simpler and less complex threads and please ASK QUESTIONS! No question is stupid or wrong. If you don't know, you don't know. We all had a time when we didn't know.

[More Fire for the People]

By Marx and Engels
Wage Labour & Capital (http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/index.htm)
Theses On Feuerbach (http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/theses/index.htm)

By others
Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg (http://marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1900/reform-revolution/index.htm)
The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin (http://marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/index.htm)
The Transitional Program for Socialist Revolution by Leon Trotsky (http://marxists.org/archive/trotsky/works/1938-tp/index.htm)

More advanced
The Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government by Lenin (http://marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1918/mar/x03.htm)
Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord (http://marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm)
One-Dimensional Man by Herbert Marcuse (http://marxists.org/reference/archive/marcuse/works/one-dimensional-man/index.htm)