EDUCATION

“WITHOUT REVOLUTIONARY THEORY THERE CAN BE NO REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT” – V.i. Lenin

How to study Marxism

Society’s most pressing needs cannot be solved by atomized individuals. Compelled by this realization, we found our way to revolutionary ideas. Suddenly, what had existed only as undeveloped feelings and intuitions was reflected on the page, given direction and a theoretical framework. Revolutionary theory allows us to understand the world with all its contradictions and act to change it.

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MARXIST BOOKS

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READING GUIDES

Reading Guides

Colossus: The Rise and Decline of US Imperialism—A Reading Guide

Marx and Engels

Anti-Dühring: A Reading Guide

Materialism and Empirio-Criticism: A Reading Guide

Bolshevism, the Road to Revolution: A Reading Guide

Marx and Engels

The Communist Manifesto: A Reading Guide

Lenin

The State and Revolution: A Reading Guide

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The Science of Revolution: How to Study Marxism

This education plan has been curated to help a new generation of communists base itself on the granite foundation of Marxism. For a revolutionary, embarking on the study of Marxist theory is not about endless academic debates and reading circles. Theory is a guide to action, precisely because it is composed of lessons accumulated from the practical activity of previous generations of class fighters.

A deep study of the compiled readings will not complete your study of Marxism, but it will equip you with its fundamental ideas and methods. The suggested books and articles are available in print from marxistbooks.com or for free online.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

INTRODUCTION

 

THE PILLARS OF MARXISM

  • Manifesto of the Revolutionary Communists of America
  • What Is Marxism? by Rob Sewell and Alan Woods
  • Classics of Marxism Volume 1
    • The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
    • Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels
    • State and Revolution by V.I. Lenin
    • The Transitional Program by Leon Trotsky

 

REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY: WHAT A REVOLUTION LOOKS LIKE

  • Russian Revolution: 1905 and 1917
  • Pick one more revolution:
    • Germany 1918–1923
    • Spain 1931–1937
    • China 1925–1927; 1949
    • France 1968
    • Chile 1973

 

REVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY: PREPARING FOR REVOLUTION

  • “Left-Wing” Communism: an Infantile Disorder by Vladimir Lenin
  • What Is to Be Done? by Vladimir Lenin

 

IDENTITY POLITICS AND OPPRESSION

  • Marxism vs. Identity Politics—RCI Resolution
  • Black Struggle and the Socialist Revolution—RCA Resolution
  • The Fall of Woman: Property, Oppression, and the Family by Fred Weston
  • The Fight for a Mass Workers’ Party in the US by Tom Trottier

 

THE STATE

  • Marxism and the State by Alan Woods

 

IMPERIALISM AND US HISTORY

  • Colossus: the Rise and Decline of US Imperialism by John Peterson
  • Imperialism: the Highest Stage of Capitalism by Vladimir Lenin

 

THE UNBROKEN THREAD OF MARXISM

  • How the Communist International Was Built by Fred Weston
  • Program of the International by Ted Grant
  • Origins of Trotskyism by Rob Sewell
  • How the Militant Was Built—and How It Was Destroyed by Rob Sewell
  • Pick one:
    • Lenin and Trotsky: What They Really Stood For—Ted Grant and Alan
      Woods
    • Ted Grant: the Permanent Revolutionary—Alan Woods

 

BUILDING THE RCA

  • What Kind of Party Are the Revolutionary Communists of America
    Building?—RCA Resolution
  • How Marxists Are Formed—RCA Resolution
  • Building Professional Party Cells—RCA Resolution

 

 

 

The Science of Revolution: How to Study Marxism

The world is on fire. Why? And what can we do about it?

Tens of thousands of workers and young people are being radicalized under the relentless hammer blows of war, debt, inflation, oppression, and climate crisis. Instead of the fabled “American Dream,” we grew up in the living nightmare of capitalist decay. Everything we were taught about the world and how it should work violently clashed against the sick reality of this rotting system.

Our entire lives, we were given unsatisfactory answers as to why the world is this way: human nature, greed, individual bad apples, and social media are among the alleged culprits. Just limit your news consumption and bury your head in the sand to preserve your mental health! The world may be senseless and cruel, but it’s just the way things are. Don’t bother trying to find a root cause.

We felt a burning sense of injustice and an urgent need to do something. At every turn, this healthy instinct was met with pessimism and cynicism. We were advised to focus on small deeds and symbolic actions that don’t make a real impact. We were constantly reminded that the problems of the world are big and we are small. We were told “there’s nothing you can do” and “we have to be realistic.”

Society’s most pressing needs cannot be solved by atomized individuals. Compelled by this realization, we found our way to revolutionary ideas. Suddenly, what had existed only as inchoate feelings and intuitions was reflected on the page, given direction and a theoretical framework. Revolutionary theory allows us to understand the world with all its contradictions and act to change it.

Due to its internal contradictions, capitalism inevitably enters into crises and gives rise to revolutions. It is through the experience of great events the workers become conscious of the role in society, as a class.

Without organization, the working class is just raw material for exploitation. But collectively, it has a tremendous social power: not a wheel turns, not a phone rings, and not a light bulb shines without the kind permission of the working class! One task of the revolutionary party is to help make conscious the unconscious or semi-conscious aspirations of the working class to transform society.

There is no power on earth that can halt the arrival of revolutions. But revolutions are battles of living class forces. Once the barricades are erected, the masses are locked into mortal combat with an enemy that is hellbent on preserving its power and privileges. The success of a revolution depends on whether the workers succeed in building a leadership that can match up to the clarity and conviction of the enemy class. The workers cannot afford to improvise their theoretical and organizational weapons in the heat of the battle. As the great revolutionary Leon Trotsky put it:

Revolution possesses a mighty power of improvisation, but it never improvises anything good for fatalists, bystanders, and fools. Victory comes from the correct political evaluation, from correct organization and from the will to deal the decisive blow.

Revolutionary theory consists of the generalized conclusions drawn from the practical experience of all preceding revolutions. It represents the distilled essence and heritage of generations of class fighters, their victories as well as their defeats.

The Marxist party is the historical memory of the working class. Without that historical memory, the masses must relearn, repeatedly burning their fingers and missing precious opportunities. The working class primarily learns through experience. Given enough time, the working class might eventually learn the lessons necessary to successfully take power through trial and error. But in a revolutionary situation, there is only a slim window of opportunity. If those lessons are preserved in the form of a revolutionary party embedded in the class, it can serve as a catalyst and complete the process. Ideas cannot spread themselves—they require real people to study and understand them deeply. As Engels explained:

It is the specific duty of the leaders to gain an ever clearer understanding of the theoretical problems, to free themselves more and more from the influence of traditional phrases inherited from the old conception of the world, and constantly to keep in mind that socialism, having become a science, demands the same treatment as every other science—it must be studied.

This education plan will not “complete” your theoretical training. The study of Marxism is a lifelong pursuit. The point isn’t to “check off” everything on this list as quickly as possible, but to think deeply about concepts and questions posed by each unit. As Trotsky advised in his succinct classic, “Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin”:

In the ideological sphere, just as in the economic arena, the phase of primitive accumulation is the most difficult and troublesome. And only after certain basic elements of knowledge and particularly elements of theoretical skill (method) have been precisely mastered and have become, so to speak, part of the flesh and blood of one’s intellectual activity, does it become easier to keep up with the literature not only in areas one is familiar with, but in adjacent and even more remote fields of knowledge, because method, in the final analysis, is universal.

Appetite comes with eating, so each unit includes recommendations for further reading that can be tackled in tandem with the rest of this education plan. This will allow you to tailor your education to your interests, branching off to feed your curiosity and adding new layers of understanding, while equipping yourself with the theoretical foundations to build and lead a cell of the Revolutionary Communists of America.

Learning is an active and social process. These ideas need to be discussed. A more experienced comrade can answer our questions, but discussing politics with friends, family, or coworkers also tests our understanding and sharpens our ability to communicate effectively.

By embarking on the study of Marxism you are picking up the sharpest weapons in the arsenal of the class struggle. We are not interested in theory for the sake of endless debates, but as a guide to action. Marxist theory gives us the advantage of foresight over astonishment. Truly understanding these ideas will not happen without considerable time and effort. But the process of refining your understanding will give you a firmer grasp on the dynamic and contradictory processes unfolding in the world around you—and will help you find your place in it. You will become a revolutionary, and join previous generations, who, in the words of Trotsky:

Also learned, it seems, and to a certain degree successfully, how to subordinate their subjective plans and programs to this objective rhythm. They learned not to fall into despair over the fact that the laws of history do not depend upon their individual tastes and are not subordinated to their own moral criteria. They learned to subordinate their individual desires to the laws of history. They learned not to become frightened by the most powerful enemies if their power is in contradiction to the needs of historical development. They know how to swim against the stream in the deep conviction that the new historic flood will carry them to the other shore. Not all will reach that shore, many will drown. But to participate in this movement with open eyes and with an intense will—only this can give the highest moral satisfaction to a thinking being!

 

 

 

The Pillars of Marxism

While “common sense” suffices for most day-to-day activities, a revolutionary must be able to raise their thinking beyond the mundane experiences of a single human lifespan and take the long-view of history. Capitalism is an irrational system guided by the blind anarchy of the market. The great events of human history—wars, crises, and revolutions—all appear as sudden and unexplainable forces of nature. Marxism is ultimately a scientific method that allows us to study and understand all of these phenomena in their motion, change, and development.

The core of the Marxist method is its philosophy, dialectical materialism. Dialectical-materialist thinking allows us to develop a comprehensive worldview by studying events on their own terms, instead of imposing our preconceived ideas on them. Our analysis of the world situation and the program we fight for is based on a scientific analysis, not just fleeting sentiments or individual opinions. Truly absorbing this method requires the study of Marxist classics, combined with continual application and interaction with the living situation of today. This is why we discuss perspectives at each Party Congress, and provide regular updates through our various media platforms, including The Communist.

 

Manifesto of the Revolutionary Communists of America

Get the booklet here

 

What Is Marxism?

Get the book here  |  Read it online here
Written by Alan Woods and Rob Sewell (238 pages)

 

Marxist Classics Vol. 1

Get the book here
225 pages

 

Further reading

To continue your study of the three component parts of Marxism, we recommend:

 

 

 

Revolutionary History: What a Revolution Looks Like

Revolutions are often presented as something that happened in the remote past, or as mythical events totally disconnected from the “practical” questions of today’s world. But the real history of revolutions has nothing in common with the dull, lifeless, black-and-white histories we were force-fed in school. Once we delve into the real history, we find inspiring real struggles fought by generations of men and women who lifted themselves from the toil and drudgery of everyday life to fight for a better world. While the specifics of each event differ, they share common patterns and dynamics that allow us to study them scientifically, drawing out the generalized lessons. As it turns out, it is not revolutions that are rare, but victories.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was the only instance in which the working class not only won power, but held onto it for a significant amount of time. Despite the terrible problems they faced, the Soviet masses proved the superiority of a nationalized planned economy, not in words, but in practice. There are many articles available on marxist.com and classic books which cover the history of these revolutions in more detail. But for a solid introduction, we have produced a series of booklets which will take you through the events and the fundamental processes of these revolutions.

 

Russia 1905 and 1917

Get the booklet here

 

Other Revolutions

Get the complete Revolutions booklet bundle here

After getting a handle on the Russian Revolution, we recommend you study at least one additional revolution from the list below, to begin understanding the common themes, dynamics, and patterns we see in all revolutionary processes.

 

Further reading

To continue your study of revolutionary history, we recommend:

 

 

 

Revolutionary Strategy: Preparing for Revolution

Revolutions always reveal the masses’ incredible capacity for improvisation. However, the tragic experience of most revolutions shows that spontaneity is not enough. To ensure victory, a leadership in the form of a revolutionary party is needed. And this cannot be improvised or forged in the heat of the moment. The cadres of such a party must be prepared in advance, and trained in Marxist theory and the lessons of past struggles. They must be steeled in practice, and prepared to lead the working class decisively to power. Preparing this party ahead of revolutionary events is the RCA’s mission.

A wide range of methods, strategies, and tactics have been proposed for the struggle against capitalism. But if we’re serious about winning the class war and seeing a victorious socialist revolution in our lifetime, we should learn from the strategies and tactics that have been proven correct by historical experience.

The Bolshevik Party succeeded in the strategic task of winning the majority of the advanced layer of workers to communism, organizing them in a revolutionary party, and through them, winning the majority of the working class. They founded the Third International (Communist International) in 1919 as a school of revolutionary theory and strategy for all the young communist parties that had emerged after WWI. Our task is to understand their method and apply it to the concrete conditions and balance of forces of today.

 

“Left-Wing” Communism: An Infantile Disorder

Found in Marxist Classics Vol. 2, get it here | Read it online here
Written by Vladimir Lenin (99 pages)

 

What Is to Be Done?

Get the book here | Read it online here
Written by Vladimir Lenin (228 pages)

 

Further reading

In addition to the above texts, which condense the essence of Bolshevism and the lessons learned, we recommend reading additional material on any particular questions you have. For this purpose, we produced the Strategy and Tactics booklet series and compiled other resources on particular topics.

 

Strategy and Tactics Series:

Get the complete Strategy and Tactics booklet series here

 

 

Marxism vs. Anarchism:

 

Marxism vs. Reformism:

 

Mutual Aid and Direct Action

 

Communists in the Labor Movement

 

Maoism

 

 

 

Marxism vs. Identity Politics: How to Combat Oppression

Millions of workers and young people are being radicalized by a burning desire to fight all forms of exploitation and oppression. To cut across this, the capitalists spare no effort to keep the workers divided and fighting amongst themselves, instead of focusing on the real class enemy.

Reactionary ideas like identity politics are injected to divert this anger into counterproductive, harmless channels. Class is relegated to just another “identity” in a list, rather than the root cause of all forms of oppression. The goal is to prevent the workers from realizing that they all share the same fundamental class interests, regardless of their individual identity.

Identity politics is actively counterproductive to actually fighting oppression, as oppression can only be fought through united, militant working-class struggle—not by individuals or small slices of the population. These counterrevolutionary ideas can be cloaked in “progressive”-sounding language, but we must learn to understand their reactionary essence and wage an unrelenting struggle against these and other alien class ideas.

Sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia all have their roots in, and are upheld by, class society. The origins of women’s oppression, which continues in both advanced capitalist countries and the ex-colonial countries, can be found in the rise of class society.

Racism has its roots in the early days of capitalism and the revival of chattel slavery, in particular. In order to end the material basis for all forms of oppression, the capitalist system must be overthrown. Put simply, you either accept the limits of the system and the oppression and exploitation that come with it, or you can take a revolutionary Marxist approach to end capitalism and oppression once and for all. There is no third option.

 

Further reading

 

 

 

The State

The question of the state is of fundamental importance. We are raised to view it as a “neutral” arbiter—or even a force for good—standing above society, ruling impartially in the interests of all citizens. But communists understand that the state is an organ for the rule of one class over another.

Lenin’s The State and Revolution, included in Marxist Classics Vol. 1, provides a definitive analysis of the state. As he clearly explains, basing himself on the writings of Marx and Engels, the working-class majority cannot use a state designed to defend the interests of the capitalist minority to build socialism. Rather, it must smash the repressive apparatus and replace it with a workers’ state. In addition to The State and Revolution, we recommend:

 

Further reading:

 

 

 

Imperialism and US History

We are living through the convulsions of a dying system. The period of the historic ascent of capitalism is long gone, and now it produces nothing but crises, wars, and instability. But it is false and insufficient to chalk this up to “good vs. bad” policy choices by politicians or nations. As communists, we must understand the fundamental class and economic forces behind the chaos and instability.

The key features of imperialism were outlined brilliantly by Lenin over a century ago. But the accelerating decline of US imperialism is a new development, and has a tremendous impact on the world situation. Only a worldwide socialist revolution can lead humanity out of this historic impasse, and the foundations for this have been laid by the development of capitalism itself.

 

 

 

The Unbroken Thread of Marxism

The revolutionary party is, first and foremost, the embodiment of the ideas, methods, traditions, and program of genuine Marxism. The RCI traces its roots all the way back to Marx and Engels, through Lenin and the Communist International, and Trotsky’s efforts to build a Fourth International.

The defeat of the revolutionary wave that followed the Russian Revolution led to its isolation and eventual bureaucratic degeneration under Stalin. All living links with the revolution were annihilated in the purges, leaving Trotsky alone to defend and preserve the ideas of Bolshevism for a new generation of revolutionaries. Genuine communism was thrown back and was forced to fight against the stream for a prolonged historical period. Now the tide has started to turn and we have the opportunity to break the historic isolation of Marxism—but only if we learn from the past and rebuild a healthy communist movement with energy and enthusiasm.

 

From Marx to the Communist International

 

Preserving the clean banner of Marxism

 

Ted Grant and the Militant

In addition to the articles above, we recommend that you select one of the following books for more details on our struggle to defend the genuine ideas of Marxism:

 

Further reading

To continue your study of the unbroken thread of Marxism, we also recommend:

 

 

 

Building the RCA

The study of Marxist theory inevitably leads to the conclusion that we must urgently build the RCA and the RCI ahead of the revolutionary explosions which will erupt in our lifetime. Building the party is a complex task, both a science and an art. While it is challenging, we have learned many things over the course of our history, and we do not have to reinvent the wheel. Below are some of the key documents and organizational resolutions produced by the party, which can help guide our work. [These documents are only viewable to party members.]

 

Further reading:

 

 

 

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing the RCA Education Plan! Whether it took you several months or several years, you now have a solid foundation for continuing your studies and deepening your understanding further.

As a starting point on the next portion of your journey, we highly recommend Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution by Alan Woods. This is an unparalleled study of what it really took to forge the Bolshevik Party and establish the first successful workers’ state.

Marxism is vast, and you will never conquer it all. But with each new step forward comes fresh insight, clarity, and purpose. As Trotsky explained, the first role of a revolutionary is to understand the whole causal sequence of events and to find one’s place in it. Our generation has the historic duty and the immense privilege to prepare for the worldwide socialist revolution.

Those who have learned to look back with such a clear eye on the past of the whole world, including human society, the animal and plant kingdom, the solar system and the endless systems around it, will not search for the keys to grasping the mysteries of the universe in the ancient “sacred” books, in these philosophical fairy tales of primitive childishness. And whoever does not recognize the existence of heavenly mystical forces capable of arbitrarily invading personal or public life and of directing it in one direction or another, whoever does not believe that need and suffering will meet some kind of supreme reward in other worlds, will securely and firmly plant his feet on our earth, will be bolder and more confident in seeking a foothold for his creative work in the material conditions of society.

A materialist outlook not only opens a wide window onto the whole universe, but also strengthens the will. It alone makes the modern man human. It is true that he is still dependent on difficult material conditions, but he already knows how to overcome them, and consciously takes part in the construction of a new society, one based simultaneously on the highest technology and the highest solidarity.

—Trotsky, “Attention to Theory“

 

Intermediate Reading Recommendations: