this post was submitted on 05 May 2025

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Happy Birthday, Karl Marx! (lemmy.ml)

submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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On May 5th, 1818, Karl Marx, hero of the international proletatiat, was born. His revolution of Socialist theory reverberates throughout the world carries on to this day, in increasing magnitude. Every passing day, he is vindicated. His analysis of Capitalism, development of the theory of Scientific Socialism, and advancements on dialectics to become Dialectical Materialism, have all played a key role in the past century, and have remained ever-more relevant throughout.

He didn't always rock his famous beard, when he was younger he was clean shaven!

Some significant works:

Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

The Civil War in France

Wage Labor & Capital

Wages, Price, and Profit

Critique of the Gotha Programme

Manifesto of the Communist Party (along with Engels)

The Poverty of Philosophy

And, of course, Capital Vol I-III

Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don't know where to start? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!

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[–] [email protected] 69 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Today I honor Cowbee's Sisyphean task of explaining that production/trade and capitalism are two different things 🫡

[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

It gets easier, actually! So I wouldn't call it Sisyphean. Different parts of Lemmy have different levels of understanding, if I can get parts mostly aware to be more aware, then that helps trickle into other instances, and it's easier than doing so in instances where Marxism is seen hostiley.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

trickle down economics ~~lessons~~. Reagan was right all along

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (25 children)

Not really "trickle down." If I go to a MAGA conference, I am going to be immediately attacked. If I go to a place with progressives, I'll face less hostility. If I go to a place with Leftists, then I'll generally be recieved favorably. If this Leftist base solidifies, it can expand and fold in the more radical of the progressives, and then expand outward.

In other words, if it takes immense effort to "wololo" a MAGA into a Leftist, but much less effort to "wololo" a progressive into one, then it's better to focus on the progressive so that the new Leftist can also aid in the "wololo-ing." As the proportion of Leftists grows, and more proletarians go from MAGA to liberal, and liberal to progressive, this Leftist movement becomes better able to fold more people into it.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

So as a leftist that I think identifies with Marxist-Leninist ideology but that didn’t find the communist manifesto an interesting nor easy read (it was small but not really approachable) are there any books that you recommend? I’m no economist but I do like reading logical arguments as to why capitalism doesn’t work, or better said, doesn’t work for the good of the majority but instead for a small minority (for whom it works very very well)

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Welcome, comrade! @[email protected] has a fantastic Crash Course Socialism you can check out, and if you want to get into theory but don't find the Communist Manifesto to be approachable, I recommend my "Read Theory, Darn It!" introductory Marxist-Leninist reading list. It has audiobooks, and starts off simpler than the Communist Manifesto.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That seems great! I’ll definitely check it out

Any communities here on Lemmy that you’d also recommend?

And thank you once again!

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago

No problem!

As for Communities, I don't really have any recommendations. I do recommend making an account that can interact with Hexbear.net and Lemmygrad.ml, though, as that's where most of us Marxist-Leninists are. You can make a Lemm.ee account or Lemmy.ml, and you'll still be able to see them, just not on Lemmy.world as .world has defederated from them.

I personally use Hexbear.net and Lemmy.ml.

And no problem, once again!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago

Most books by Ha-joon Chang, especially 23 things they don't tell you about capitalism. Fun fact, Ha-joon Chang isn't a Marxist, he's a liberal, but his writing is still critical enough of capitalism that South Korea banned his books.

Anything on prolewiki's library are good reads as well.

For a broad look at the evolution modes of productions and how capitalism came to be there is this 60s textbook from the soviet academy of science, there even are a series of videos following the textbook by the finish bolshevik that is pretty good.

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