Level 1: The State and Revolution
Marxism and the State – Alan Woods
On Marxism and the State – Phil Mitchinson
The State: A Lecture at Sverdlov University – Lenin
The 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 Trotsky
Marxism 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 Luxemburg
Trotsky’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 Marxists
Socialism on Trial – James Cannon
The 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 Oxley
Lessons of the Paris Commune – Leon Trotsky
The Civil War in France – Karl Marx
Level 8: Specific Questions on the Road to Revolution
Nationalized Industry and Workers’ Management – Leon Trotsky
Level 9: Bonapartism After the Bourgeois Revolution in France
The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte – Karl Marx
Level 10: The Development of Socialism into Communism