Leftist Political and Economic Theory

My research into Leftist politics and economics

See How to Start a Revolution for more links and resources related to Activism

Reading

Huge folder of resources — Revolutionary Readings - Google Drive
Hakims Reading Reccs

Films

The Battle of Chile - ‎The Battle of Chile: Part I review by Alexander Wood - an awesome review discussing the need for Marxist-Leninist approach

📝 Notes (#on/leftism)

Sources

Untagged Notes (-#on/leftism)

Videos and Channels

Curriculum

See Zotero for PDFs
Foundational Texts

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: The Communist Manifesto
[[Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.pdf]]
Karl Marx: Das Kapital
[[Capital Vol 1 by Karl Marx.pdf]]
Vladimir Lenin: The State and Revolution
Rosa Luxemburg: Reform or Revolution
Friedrich Engels: The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State

Modern Interpretations

Terry Eagleton: Why Marx Was Right
David Harvey: A Companion to Marx's Capital
[[David Harvey. A Companion to Marx's Capital. Volume 1.pdf]]
Michael Lebowitz: The Socialist Alternative: Real Human Development
Bhaskar Sunkara: The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality

Historical Context and Real-world Examples

Eric Hobsbawm: The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848
Robert Service: A History of Modern Russia: From Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin
Tony Judt: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson: Why Nations Fail
Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Critiques of Socialism

F.A. Hayek: The Road to Serfdom
George Orwell: Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four
Robert Conquest: The Great Terror: A Reassessment
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Gulag Archipelago

Understanding Capitalism

Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations
David Ricardo: Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
Milton Friedman: Capitalism and Freedom
Thomas Piketty: Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Joseph Stiglitz: The Price of Inequality

Economic Theory & Philosophy

John Maynard Keynes: The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
Amartya Sen: Development as Freedom
John Rawls: A Theory of Justice
Robert Nozick: Anarchy, State, and Utopia
Michael Sandel: Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?

This list should give you a good starting point for understanding the many facets of socialism. It's important to remember that not all proponents of socialism agree on its principles or implementation. Similarly, there are many different strains of capitalist thought. As such, understanding both systems in their complexity will help you better articulate your own position and engage in effective debates.

Old Curriculum

Introduction to Leftist Political and Economic Theory

Module 1: Foundations of Leftist Thought 1.1 Historical context and development of leftist ideologies 1.2 Key thinkers and their contributions 1.3 Differences between socialism, communism, anarchism, and Marxism

Module 2: Socialism 2.1 Definition and key principles 2.2 Types of socialism (democratic socialism, market socialism, etc.) 2.3 Socialist policies and their impacts 2.4 Case studies: Socialism in practice

Module 3: Communism 3.1 Definition and key principles 3.2 Marxist-Leninist theory and its development 3.3 The role of the state in communism 3.4 Case studies: Communism in practice (Soviet Union, Cuba, China)

Module 4: Marxism 4.1 Karl Marx's life and works 4.2 Understanding dialectical materialism and historical materialism 4.3 The labor theory of value and surplus value 4.4 The class struggle and the dictatorship of the proletariat

Module 5: Anarchism 5.1 Definition and key principles 5.2 Types of anarchism (anarcho-communism, anarcho-syndicalism, etc.) 5.3 The role of the state and hierarchy in anarchism 5.4 Case studies: Anarchist movements and experiments

Module 6: Noam Chomsky and Libertarian Socialism 6.1 Chomsky's life, works, and political thought 6.2 Manufacturing Consent: The political economy of the mass media 6.3 Chomsky's critique of capitalism and the state 6.4 Libertarian socialism and participatory economics

Module 7: Contemporary Leftist Movements and Debates 7.1 The rise of the new left 7.2 Intersectionality and the role of identity politics 7.3 Environmentalism and eco-socialism 7.4 Leftist responses to globalization and neoliberalism

Resources:

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (Link)
Das Kapital by Karl Marx (Link)
The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin (Link)
Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by Peter Kropotkin (Link)
The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek (Link)
Manufacturing Consent by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (Link)
Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky (Link)
The Condition of the Working Class in England by Friedrich Engels (Link)
The Anarchist Reader edited by George Woodcock (Link)
The ABC of Anarchism by Alexander Berkman (Link)

Note that this course outline is an introduction to leftist political and economic theory, and there is a vast range of topics to explore within this field. The provided resources are a starting point, and you may choose to dive deeper into specific subjects or thinkers as your interests dictate.

Modules

Module	Subsection	Topic	Link
Module 1: Foundations of Leftist Thought	1.1 Historical context and development of leftist ideologies	History of Leftist Ideologies	Link
	1.2 Key thinkers and their contributions	Karl Marx	Link
		Friedrich Engels	Link
		Rosa Luxemburg	Link
		Antonio Gramsci	Link
	1.3 Core principles of leftist thought	Equality	Link
		Social Justice	Link
		Workers' Rights and Class Struggle	Link
Module 2: Socialism	2.1 Democratic Socialism	Democratic Socialism	Link
	2.2 Revolutionary Socialism	Revolutionary Socialism	Link
	2.3 Market Socialism	Market Socialism	Link
Module 3: Marxism	3.1 Marxism Overview	Marxism	Link
	3.2 Historical Materialism	Historical Materialism	Link
	3.3 The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital	The Communist Manifesto	Link
		Das Kapital	Link
Module 4: Anarchism	4.1 Anarchism Overview	Anarchism	Link
	4.2 Key Anarchist Thinkers	Pierre-Joseph Proudhon	Link
		Mikhail Bakunin	Link
		Emma Goldman	Link
	4.3 Types of Anarchism	Anarcho-Communism	Link
		Anarcho-Syndicalism	Link
Module 5: Noam Chomsky	5.1 Chomsky's Life and Work	Noam Chomsky	Link
	5.2 Manufacturing Consent	Manufacturing Consent	Link
	5.3 Anarchism and Libertarian Socialism	Chomsky on Anarchism and Libertarian Socialism	Link
Module 6: Contemporary Leftist Movements	6.1 The Occupy Movement	Occupy Movement	Link
	6.2 The Fight for $15 and Labor Activism	Fight for $15	Link
	6.3 Environmentalism and the Green New Deal	Environmentalism	Link
		Green New Deal	Link

These revised resources should provide you with working links for each module. If you encounter any further issues with the links, please let me know, and I'll be happy to help.

Documents to Read

Document	Author	Description
The Communist Manifesto	Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels	A foundational text of Marxism, which argues for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a communist society.
Das Kapital	Karl Marx	A three-volume work that analyzes the economics of capitalism and argues that it is a system that inevitably leads to exploitation and inequality.
The State and Revolution	Vladimir Lenin	A work that discusses the role of the state in a socialist society and argues for the need for a dictatorship of the proletariat.
The Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State	Friedrich Engels	A work that discusses the history of the family, private property, and the state and argues that they are all products of the capitalist mode of production.
Capital in the Twenty-First Century	Thomas Piketty	A work that analyzes the distribution of wealth in the United States and argues that the gap between the rich and the poor is widening.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness	Michelle Alexander	A work that argues that the United States has created a new caste system of mass incarceration, which disproportionately affects African Americans.
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media	Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman	A work that argues that the mass media in the United States is controlled by a small number of corporations that have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism	Naomi Klein	A work that argues that neoliberal economic policies are often implemented in the aftermath of natural disasters or other crises, when people are most vulnerable.
Debt: The First 5,000 Years	David Graeber	A work that argues that debt is not a natural or inevitable part of human society, but rather a product of specific historical and economic conditions.
A People's History of the United States	Howard Zinn	A work that tells the story of the United States from the perspective of ordinary people, rather than the elites.

up:: 300 - Social Sciences