Study Center

Reading theory is how we understand the history of our movement, the mechanics of capitalism, and the strategies that have succeeded (or failed) in the past. Theory without action is just academia, but action without theory is a blind struggle.

This library is a curated collection of foundational texts, reading guides, and multimedia resources to support your political education, whether you are reading alone or organizing a study group.

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1. Curated Reading Guides

Instead of jumping blindly into 150-year-old texts, we recommend starting with a structured syllabus based on the topic you want to understand.

• Marxist Economics: Understanding how value is created, stolen, and hoarded.
  • Key texts:
    • Understanding Marxism by Richard D. Wolff: A short, punchy introduction that explains why Marx’s critique of capitalism is more relevant today than ever.
    • Value, Price and Profit by Karl Marx: Marx argues that because the value of a commodity is determined by the labor required to produce it . . . demands for higher pay will simply reduce the capitalist’s profit margin instead of causing inflation.
    • Wage Labour and Capital by Karl Marx: Karl Marx explains that capital is fundamentally an exploitative social relationship.
    • Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism by Richard D. Wolff: This is where he lays out his practical solution for transitioning to socialism by democratizing the workplace through worker co-ops.
• Anti-Imperialism: How capitalism operates on a global scale through war, sanctions, and debt.
  • Key texts
    • Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism by V.I. Lenin: Lenin argues that imperialism is the inevitable, final evolutionary stage of capitalism in which monopolies and finance capital dominate the global economy
    • How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney: Rodney argues that Africa’s systemic poverty is not a natural state or the result of internal flaws, but rather the direct consequence of centuries of European colonialism.
• Black Liberation & Feminism: Understanding how class struggle intersects with race and gender.
  • Key texts
    • Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis: Davis analyzes the history of systemic oppression in the United States to demonstrate that racism, sexism, and capitalism are inextricably linked.
    • Left of Karl Marx by Carole Boyce Davies: Davies recovers the overlooked legacy of Black communist leader Claudia Jones to demonstrate how she expanded traditional Marxist theory by introducing the concept of “triple oppression.”
• The State and Revolution: What is the government, who does it serve, and how do we replace it?
  • Key texts
    • The State and Revolution by V.I. Lenin: Lenin argues that the modern state is fundamentally an instrument of class suppression used by the bourgeoisie to exploit the working class.
    • Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg: Luxemburg argues that social reforms achieved through trade unions and parliamentary democracy cannot gradually transform capitalism into socialism.

2. The Archives (Free Texts)

You do not need to buy theory from massive corporate retailers. A massive amount of socialist literature is in the public domain and available for free online.

• Marxists Internet Archive (MIA): The largest volunteer-run digital library of Marxist writers in the world. You can find almost any foundational text here, completely free, translated into over 80 languages.
• ProleWiki: A collaborative, Marxist-Leninist encyclopedia and library project that hosts modern, accessible summaries of historical events and theoretical concepts.

3. Multimedia Education

Not everyone learns best by reading 500-page books. Audio and video are powerful tools for political education. Here are excellent, highly recommended resources:

Podcasts

• Blowback: A masterfully produced, narrative-driven historical podcast exploring American imperialism, regime change, and the devastating impacts of US foreign policy.
• Revolutionary Left Radio: Deep dives into theory, history, and international struggles from a principled socialist perspective.
• Citations Needed: A podcast about the intersection of media, PR, and power, showing how mainstream journalism manufactures consent for capitalism and war.
• Economic Update with Richard Wolff: A weekly podcast (and YouTube show) produced by his organization Democracy at Work, analyzing current economic news from a Marxist perspective.

Video Essays & Lectures

• Second Thought: High-quality, accessible video essays analyzing modern economic decay, labor struggles, and socialist solutions.
• Midwestern Marx: Short-form and long-form analysis breaking down Marxist concepts from a relatable, working-class perspective.
• Michael Parenti Lectures: Search YouTube for classic, fiery, and deeply educational lectures from the 1980s and 90s by Marxist historian Michael Parenti (we recommend starting with his “Yellow Journalism” lecture).