Resources & EducationMarxism and the StateLevel 1: The State and RevolutionMarxism and the State – Alan WoodsOn Marxism and the State – Phil MitchinsonThe State: A Lecture at Sverdlov University – LeninThe State and Revolution – Lenin This is Lenin’s classic work on the Marxist theory of the state. In it, key components of the Marxist theory of the state are discussed, including the origin of the state, the transition from socialism to communism, proletarian democracy compared to bourgeois democracy, and the real function of a state.Bourgeois Democracy and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat – Lenin Level 2: Marxist Opposition to Terrorism and Blanquism Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism – Leon TrotskyMarxism and Insurrection – Lenin Level 3: Classical Writings on the Origins, Development, and Ending of the State Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State – Frederick Engels Level 4: Marxism versus Opportunism and Reformism The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky – Lenin This classic work of Lenin’s is directed against Karl Kautsky’s work, The Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Kautsky was once a prominent Marxist, but when World War I broke out, he broke completely with Marxism. This work is an excellent follow-up to The State and Revolution, as it deals with aspects of the proletarian state that was being built in the early USSR. In addition to its important theoretical formulations, it is supplemented by the actual practice that was experienced by the workers of the early USSR, therefore proving the accuracy and correctness of The State and Revolution. Kautsky used pro-bourgeois arguments in his work against Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and this refutation is a must-read, as it helps to dispel the myths about the Bolsheviks being a “tiny, hated minority.” It also shows the hypocrisy of bourgeois claims about democracy. Such arguments employed by Kautsky back then are employed by “orthodox Marxists” and anarchists to this very day, and this work will help the reader understand the false reasoning behind such arguments.Reform or Revolution – Rosa LuxemburgTrotsky’s Critique of Popular Frontism Level 5: The Permanent Revolution The Permanent Revolution and Results and Prospects – Leon Trotsky Level 6: The Revolution and Tasks of the MarxistsSocialism on Trial – James CannonThe Transitional Program for Socialist Revolution – Leon Trotsky Discussions with Trotsky on the Transitional Program Level 7: The Lessons of the Paris Commune The Paris Commune of 1871 – Greg OxleyLessons of the Paris Commune – Leon TrotskyThe Civil War in France – Karl Marx Level 8: Specific Questions on the Road to RevolutionNationalized Industry and Workers’ Management – Leon Trotsky Level 9: Bonapartism After the Bourgeois Revolution in FranceThe 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte – Karl Marx Level 10: The Development of Socialism into Communism Critique of the Gotha Program – Karl MarxShare This June 21, 2006
Marxism and the State