Welcome

Now that you have found your way here we can begin on new collaborations. Consider what you are best at and how your skills can be put to good use. This project aims to create texts for all great revolutionary works so there is no discrimination here. To get started simply begin posting your thoughts on what you want to do, gather up assistants (assuming you do not want to do all the work by yourself), and then gradually tackle your chosen text chapter by chapter.

I don't think I can really contribute anything yet, but this sounds like a great idea. Study guides can be very helpful.

Indeed they can be helpful. Whenever you think you might be able to contribute let us know. Even if whatever text you tackle you are only able to complete a paragraph at a time post the text you are working on here so others know that someone is already working on that guide; this way they will know who to contact if they wish to help.

I think it would be useful for this project to have people list out texts that we think are important for all tendencies, texts that are important for specific tendencies, and texts that important for specific historical debates that cause the creation of specific tendencies (this overlaps with the second list but I think these would be important for all tendencies to read).

Good idea.

I thought of doing that yesterday but at the time I was tired so I didn't get around to it.So later today I will begin and post a lengthy new thread here to list out important works by their author.

Note: For whatever reason it seems that I am unable to connect to M.I.A today so I am going to have to put on temporary hold on the compiling list of important texts to tackle. If anyone who can connect wishes to compile the list they may feel free to do so.

I am a Bordigist. Any other Bordigists, other left communists, or those of any tendency familiar to Bordiga's work feel free to add to this list.

Some works that are important by Bordiga are the following.
1. Force, Violence, and Dictatorship in the Class Struggle
2. Party and Class
3. The Democratic Principle
4. On The Dialectical Method
5. Proletarian Dictatorship and Class Party
6. Seize Power or Seize the Factory
7. Fundamentals of Revolutionary Communism Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
8. The Lyons Theses

I am in the middle of reading 7 and have not yet read 8.

I would be willing to make study guides for some Bordiga work. I know someone on this site (right now, anyway) interested in Bordiga and an anarchist and critical of Bordiga so I could work with them as to have both opposing viewpoints heard in the study guide. If anyone is interested or if you think I should do this/shouldn't do this just let me know.

Hello all,

this idea seems great, but I still have no idea what to contribute. Instead, I wanted to ask this question: are these study guides aimed at specifically communist politics - in terms of tendencies - or could they include material on contemporary economic and class analysis?

What I'm particularly getting at are some of the big questions of today - the current crisis, the crisis of the 70s, and its consequences - "financialization" (did it occur and can we even meaningfully talk about it) and contemporary role and function of finance capital, the restructuring of class relations from the aforementioned crisis (casualization, precarious labour, "cognitive capitalism" theses, unemployment, the role and importance of unions, outsourcing - which brings into focus the relationship between the nation-states), which all might be provisionally encompassed under the umbrella term of "neoliberalism".

So, primarily economic and class analyses. I was thinking of a compilation of resources such as articles and online books with further cintribution and comment from those users who are more knowledgeable in this. Maybe in conjunction with a study map of the fundamentals of "Marxist economics".

What actually prompted this idea more than anything else is the fact that I'm all over the place when trying to understand the contemporary capitalist world - there's tons of articles, books, debates, with few guides of how to gradually advance with absorbing this material and coming to more or less crystallized conclusions.

Though, it seems that the idea of this study guides is somewhat unsuitable for this, which would practically become a study list + a few comments

When creating the study guides my original idea was to write it from the viewpoint of the tendency it belongs to with a strong emphasis on creating questions which, when answered, would enable the reader to understand the text he was reading. So with this one wouldn't be writing a guide for a Anarchist text coming from the assaulting perspective of Trotskyism.

I think your idea of compiling resources would be great. Though it isn't a study guide pending on what you want to do exactly and how many resources you wish to compile, we could use the resources you gather as intellectual cornerstones that readers of our study guides can use to better help them understand capitalism; I know I could find a place for them by the time we have some finished study guides.

When creating the study guides my original idea was to write it from the viewpoint of the tendency it belongs to with a strong emphasis on creating questions which, when answered, would enable the reader to understand the text he was reading. So with this one wouldn't be writing a guide for a Anarchist text coming from the assaulting perspective of Trotskyism.

Yes, I understand the idea and thik it would be useful.

I think your idea of compiling resources would be great. Though it isn't a study guide pending on what you want to do exactly and how many resources you wish to compile, we could use the resources you gather as intellectual cornerstones that readers of our study guides can use to better help them understand capitalism; I know I could find a place for them by the time we have some finished study guides.

The point is that I imagined this resources + comments and guidelines project as a collaborative effort. I'm afraid that my knowledge on economic theory is a bit thin, so I wouldn't want to gather all of the resources and articles by myself. Actually, all of this is pretty intimidating, when thinking about contemporary matters, the sheer amount of diveregent approaches (within Marxism itself!), debates and bickerings, and especially since: 1) I don't have enough time to carefully and studiously go into it all - after all, I'm not borugeojs and 2)as I've said, my knowledge isn't rock solid, and I'd appreciate, as would other users I'm sure, a sort of a direction. Plus, I'm a bit of a disorganized person and tend to get lost in this host of articles.

I think that this group is an excellent idea but I really don't know what I can contribute. I could actually benefit from the use of some study guides. My problem is less with an actual lack of understanding, but rather with a lack of confidence in my understanding of communist materials so I wouldn't feel comfortable setting up study guides for too many texts.

As for your idea Menochio, we have a very small neomarxism group which was founded to discuss such topics and we would greatly appreciate such a contribution and I'm sure my fellow members would be more than happy to help you in gathering such materials.

What about Study Guides for events & historical topics? Can we do those as well?

I was mired in thinking primarily about important Marxist and leftist texts as I didn't really know how a study guide for historical events could come about; what sources would you use, would you be able to make it as neutral as you could? I am not at all against the idea, it is a project after all, but I just wouldn't know how it would be done.

What were your ideas?

Well you see I like history more than theory, to be honest. I read & understand it more easily.

It would be something like the Chinese Revolution, the Russian Revolution(s), etc. They would be neutral to an extent - but obviously I am a communist so there will always be somewhat of a bias.

I think that would be good so I am interested to see how they turn out. I say draft a guide and post it up here so other can have feedback.

(Also, I mean tendency bias. As leftist of course things will be in favor of communism)

Are we at all allowed to post responses to study guides, asking questions about the work itself, or would that lead it astray?

Are we at all allowed to post responses to study guides, asking questions about the work itself, or would that lead it astray?

You can ask questions in the stickied thread I have in learning or you can ask them here.I would prefer you not to ask them in the body of the guide itself but it is not a big deal either way.

You can ask questions in the stickied thread I have in learning or you can ask them here.I would prefer you not to ask them in the body of the guide itself but it is not a big deal either way.

Ah, I see, thanks! I guess I'll ask it here, then (by here you mean the welcome thread? hopefully?). Sorry if I misunderstood you.

What do you all think about Cannon's How to Organise and Conduct a Study Class? My opinion doesn't really have much weight since I am not an educator and have no training as such, but it seems... unnecessarily strict?

It seems to me that if you had a group of semi-intelligent people together, it would be beneficial to stress that while you are the leader, you aren't necessarily more knowledgeable than they are. While some could argue that this would undermine your authority slightly, I would tend to disagree. So long as you're able to effectively correct or cede arguments whenever they arise, I find that a group will respect you more.

It also seems like it would lead towards a more energetic, thoughtful group. I dunno, though.

Cannon's piece is more of a guideline than a necessity.Cannon was writing from a time where the socialist movement was much stronger and visible than it is today. Because of this the regulations surrounding how to conduct one within his Party were more defined.I would agree that they are very strict and in the present time one can really conduct one however one wants. I think the piece I did the guide for was a good place to know where to start; a piece to get some ideas started and then make creative changes.

Hi all, this seems like a great project. I'm a class struggle anarchist, and if there are any others, I'd be happy to collaborate on study guides for key works. Here's what I've come up with as a fairly extensive bibliography:

An Anarchist FAQ - I am working on a study guide for this right now.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
What is Property?
General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century
System of Economic Contradictions: Or the Philosophy of Misery
On Federalism

William Godwin
Enquiry Concerning Political Justice
Of Law

Mikhail Bakunin
Statism and Anarchy
God and the State
The Reaction in Germany
Socialism and the State
Program of the International Brotherhood
What is the State?
The Illusion of Universal Suffrage
On Science and Authority
The Organization of the International
Letters to a Frenchman on the Present Crisis
The Paris Commune and the Idea of the State
Integral Education
Against Patriarchal Authority

Louise Michel
In Defence of the Commune
Women's Rights

Carmen Lareva
Free Love

Carlo Cafiero
Anarchy and Communism
Action

Max Stirner
The Ego and Its Own - Philosophy being my (relevant) speciality, I am working on a guide for this right now.

Anselme Bellegarrigue
Anarchy is Order

Joseph DeJacque
The Revolutionary Question
On Being Human

Peter Kropotkin
The Conquest of Bread
Fields, Factories, and Workshops
Mutual Aid
On Anarchism
Ethics
Expropriation
Law and Authority

Jean Grave
Moribund Society and Anarchy
Means and Ends
The Artist as Equal, Not Master
Against Militarism and Colonialism

Elisee Reclus
Anarchy
Evolution and Revolution
The Modern State

Otto Gross
Overcoming Cultural Crisis

Errico Malatesta
Anarchy
Violence as a Social Factor
The Duties of the Present Hour
Anarchists Have Forgotten Their Principles
An Anarchist Program
Toward Anarchy

Herbert Read
The Philosophy of Anarchism
The Freedom of the Artist
Anarchism and Education

Diego Abad de Santillan
The Libertarian Revolution
A Return to Principle
Anarchism Without Adjectives

Alex Comfort
Art and Social Responsibility
Authority and Delinquency

Noam Chomsky
Notes on Anarchism
Equality
Intellectuals and the State

Fernand Pelloutier
Anarchism and the Workers' Unions

Emma Goldman
The Hypocrisy of Puritanism
The Philosophy of Atheism
On Syndicalism
Marriage
Prostitution and Love
The Road to Universal Slaughter
The Transvaluation of Values
A Life Worth Living
The Individual, Society, and the State

G.P. Maximoff
The Soviets

Alexander Berkman
The Bolshevik Myth
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist
What is Anarchism?

Gustav Landauer
For Socialism
Anarchism in Germany
Destroying the State by Creating Anarchism
Revolution of the Spirit

Voltairine de Cleyre
Direct Action
The Mexican Revolution

Daniel Guerin
Anarchism Reconsidered
Sexual Liberation

Rudolf Rocker
Anarcho-Syndicalism
Nationalism and Culture

Nestor Makhno
The Struggle Against the State and Other Essays

Paul Goodman
Drawing the Line
"Getting Into Power"
A Public Dream of Universal Disaster
Freedom and Autonomy
Science and Technology
The Politics of Being Queer

Marie Louise Berneri
Journey Through Utopia
Constructive Policy vs. Destructive War
Wilhelm Reich and the Sexual Revolution

Murray Bookchin
Post-Scarcity Anarchism
The Ecology of Freedom
The Modern Crisis
Re-enchanting Humanity
Ecology and Anarchy
The Forms of Freedom
Ecotechnology and Ecocommunities

Colin Ward
Anarchy in Action
Anarchism as a Theory of Organization

Harold Barclay
Culture and Anarchism
People without Government
The State

Cornelius Castoriadis
Philosophy, Politics, Autonomy
Workers' Councils and the Economics of a Self-Managed Society

Geoffrey Ostergaard
The Tradition of Workers' Control
The Managerial Revolution

George Benello
From the Ground Up

C.D. Lummis
Radical Democracy

Anthony Arblaster
Democracy

Michel Onfray
Atheist Manifesto

Jean Meslier
Testament

David Graeber
Debt: The First 5000 Years
Possibilities

Peter Gelderloos
How Nonviolence Protects the State
Anarchy Works

Wayne Price
Anarchism & Socialism
The Abolition of the State

Michael Taylor
Community, Anarchy, and Liberty
Anarchy, the State, and Cooperation

Awesome list Anarcho-Fox, I know that TheDouche (cmoney) and Mar3il are Anarchists who have some knowledge.I am not sure what they are doing currently but they might be able to help you if not assist in making guides themselves.

I will look forward to your first piece. When you have a draft done please post it in the group as a thread so we can quickly preview it before making a thread about it in learning.

What should someone do if they want to help contribute to this project?

Either post here with the details of what you wish to contribute or contact me with a PM concerning your wishes. Everything is very free flow right now and members do what they wish; no one is going to order you to complete a certain guide or sub-project.

I could really do anything you like or what you think needs to be done.

A great deal needs to be done. Which Leftist's writing do you have experience with, who have you read and have a familiarity with?

Sylvia Pankhurst guides would be great along with Rosa Luxenburg guides; though you haven't thoroughly read through Rosa's work if you feel like you would be able to give a informative study guide then I have no problem with you writing one up. However, if you are more knowledgeable currently in Sylvia and want to write up on her important works then I also would not object.

Great to hear, be sure to keep me posted on your progress just so I am aware on the details of everything and if you are facing problems I may be able to help solve.