Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/ComradeHakim Twitter: @YaBoiHakim Obvious joke in the title aside, here's a quick video about something I get asked daily. A general introductory reading list for the basics of Socialism in only a handful of works. This isn't meant to be all-exhaustive, and many other recommendations can be found in the dedicated playlist, or through DMing me whenever you like. I hope you find this useful!
Damn bro i hate to break it to you , but i think your pfp where Lenins hair is yellow and the rest of his face is red looks really hilarious and dumb and not very cool. Thats ok if you didnt mean for it to look cool though, you do you.
“Ten Days That Shook the World” by John Reed; American journalist/author in Russia covering the 1917 Russian Revolution as it is occurring. The film, “Reds”, is based on this non-fiction book. Came out in the 1980s with an all star cast, winning Oscars. Mind you, this was during the Ronald Reagan presidency and his right-ring Reagonmics, and “Star Wars” military defense proposition, which is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Museum.
Im watching this list after reading marxist theory for a couple years and I am very glad to see ive read almost all of these without knowing they were on the only reading list that matters
-Reads Das Kapital once -Notices how Marxism is materialistic -Communism has never worked and therefore is materially impossible -Creates a new and better group of ideas as supossed by the dialectic process instead of being a dogmatic virgin that follows the biggest genocides.
@@figurefiguras4104 just read it such that you learn from it, don't think about what others say about how long they take to do go over a book. I just realised a friend of mine who flexed that he read Fully Automated Luxury Communism by Aaron Bastani in like a day or two had no clue about some books I read which were literally mentioned a few times in FALC
@@maxine3978 Diary of a whimpy kid is a critique of egoist theory when one comes to the conclusion that the antagonist in the story is actually Greg, because he a sociopath.
Texts in order: The Principles of Communism by Friedrich Engels Wage Labour and Capital by Karl Marx Value, Price and Profit by Marx Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engels The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism by Lenin (honorable mention to read Stalin: Basics of Leninism; Dialectical and Historical Materialism) On Practice by Mao Tse-tung On Contradiction by Mao Oppose Book Worship by Mao Combat Liberalism by Mao
@@neinbruderja7519 It was actually somewhere closer to 3.5M but I personally don’t see any problem with reading his literature since it isn’t as if he explains how to cause a famine in any of his work.
Is that rip etika satire lmao XD grrr Rip popsmoke. I love making fun of contemporary art and trends idk why i didn't do it earlier in life, i envy your memes gen z.
@@YEET-yh6qc it’s not satire. And it’s not very kind to make fun of people for remembering someone who’s died. Sure, they may have not known them personally but if that person helped them overcome depression and help them through hard times then I think it’s more than okay. Don’t be that guy, you’re not an intellectual, not a logic based specimen, you’re some guy on RUclips with too much time and not enough ways to spend it. Go f yourself
Hey I know it's been a while since you posted this comment, but as someone who's genuinely been feeling really down about that I have a hard time reading, and thereby have a hard time educating myself. The moment I clicked on this video I was scouring the comments to find someone who linked to audio versions. It truly just means a lot to me that you took your time to help make education more accessible, keep doing what you're doing. You help educate the masses ❤
@@snowy686 no problem! I highly recommend just looking up leftist titles of books with the word audiobook in the search query and you’ll find a reading of it 9/10 times cause leftists just wanna get the info out in as many ways as possible haha
@@JRWall-hf9mq except I have heard this before, and the people who make this argument often forget that it can backfire the other way around. People can often have their radicalisation severely delayed by their comfortable attachment to a funny charismatic RUclipsr or politician, a magazine, a newspaper, or some other medium of mainstream Liberal thought.
@@mrmoneybags390 if you're asking about _Parenti’s_ book, then I'd say, I'm really enjoying its bite-sized, paragraph by paragraph argumentative style, which is then supported by citations time to time. Also the language is so plain yet so powerful that the things he's saying stick with you. But I've only just started reading it so can't say much. But it's definitely a book that will make you question your political beliefs if you are not a communist. So a must read imo.
@@mrmoneybags390 I think why people love it is cos it explains the overall sweep of recent history. If you've only ever been told vague things about history's "progress" by liberals, Parenti shows how communism v imperialism is the primary contradiction that's been driving history since 1917. So then the world starts to make more sense
Hey Hakim! I'm a new viewer of your channel and love your content so far. You have really educated me in a lot of topics and I'm thankful for that! -Beginner communist from Pakistan
Me too new to the thing but unfortunately I can't find these books translated to my speaking language arabic and I think reading in english will make it more difficult
hey hakim, i’m dumb as fuck and struggle with a few learning disabilities, as well as a below-average iq. my reading comprehension is poor, but i will put my anti-capitalist energy into understanding these books. thanks for making clear and easily understandable videos.
hey just so you know, IQ tests are racist, sexist, don't work, and are stupid so don't judge yourself based on whatever number you got. if you're interested in an in depth look at IQ testing check out a great video called the bell curve by a youtuber named shaun
I personally think that “Three parts of Marxism” by Lenin (it’s not the right name of the book) is important for understanding. I began with this exact book and... I think it’s good for starters.
This. It's actually pretty easy to read compared to other works by Marx or Engels, it can be read in like half an hour and it gives a basic breakdown of the marxist thought.
there's a lot of audiobooks that u can listen to while reading to help u concentrate if thats ur problem. if your problem is comprehension then i suggest using annotations as much as possible to write things in your own words and solidify it in your mind. also, make sure you aren't overdoing reading for too long at once, since eventually it gets difficult to continue to comprehend everything.
@@pablog6785 adding on: audiobooks are great but try reading along at the same time, or at least not doing anything else that requires even a little focus. I completely understand eye strain or just preferring listening over reading but it's easy to stop paying attention if your doing other things.
While I am definitely not a Marxist-Leninist (having a lot of critiques of how the Bolsheviks handled the Menshevicks and the Makhnovists) I am willing to work with my Titoist, ML and MLM comrades. We can only find success in a workers united front, a rainbow coalition if you will.
@@joma5721 I mean, that's objectively untrue but go off king. They literally pushed back the white army and were the reason for Lenins victory, and were then attacked unprovoked and destroyed. This is one of the problem I have with some MLs, an inability to admit that there were mistakes made along the way. Lenin, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, etc. All figures weren't perfect and are not beyond reproach. For example, destroying the Ukrainian anarchist society when all they wanted was to live according to their anarcho-communist principles. I want to work with MLs, but this makes it very difficult. I am willing to admit the Anarchists mistakes of the past. I am willing to admit to admit to mistakes made by anarchist movements. How we can improve, how we can better achieve our goals. But Vanguardists need to do the same. We cannot afford to treat past communists as holy figures. Makhno was far from perfect, but he did not deserve the betrayal he recieved. The C.N.T.-F.A.I. was not perfect, but it was because of the Stalinist faction in Spain that Franco was able to take power. If we dont learn from the mistakes of past movements we have no hope of moving forward. Comrade, even Mao was clear about book worship being a bad thing. We cannot be blind to the mistakes of the past, we have to learn from them.
@@castillogrande8926 there is not a single Marxist leninist i know that claims any leader did not make any mistakes. theres mistakes i can name for every single one, especially the ones that actually came to power. ML's admit this whole heartedly and we learn from it. One of the arguments that early on convinced me that anarchism was not correct is this. how many anarchist revolutions have there been? well theres makhno, catalonia/spain, maybe you can count the zapatistas in mexico? and none of these have come to power over their whole country. now compare this to how many marxist leninist revolutions there have been. DOZENS. congo, ethiopia, russia, albania, yemen, vietnam, china, cuba, grenada, etc. Some of these failed, but MOST succeeded in establishing control over their countries almost single handedly. is this a coincedence? i highly doubt it. the reason ML revolutions have been so successful is because marxism leninism is correct. vanguardism, socialism in one country, historical materialism, etc. are all correct and were instrumental. by not adopting these, all other revolutions have failed. from utopian socialists to anarchists to libertarian marxists to trotskyists. really take this to heart. yes, individual marxist leninists made serious mistakes. but this does not discredit marxism leninism as an ideology in the slightest, nor does it fully 100% discredit these individuals.
@@tequestaorangejuice6673 For 1, I did not claim that ALL Marxist-Leninist claim that their leaders did not make mistakes. I simply said that there is a tendency. I'm from Colombia, and many of my comrades there were in fact Marxist-Leninists and Orthodox Sydicalists. People who often I, and my fellow anarcho-communist/syndicalist comrades were at odds with. Yet we agreed with far more than we disagreed with. My observation of Marxist-Leninists having a refusal to critically examine their ideological forbears is a pretty uniquely American thing in my experience. When I make this criticism, it is likely not aimed at you. Second, this is a valid criticism to an extent. However, you must look at the historical context. The reason there were so many Marxist-Leninist revolutions is because of the Russian revolutions success. However, I still have massive criticisms of Marxism-Leninism. Most notably, that when you give power to individuals rather than the people it is a quick way to invite corruption. Also, where are most of these countries now? There are lessons we have to learn by the failures of these previous revolutions. Because they did fail in the end. They didnt establish lasting socialism, let alone communism. Korea is a despotic nation, China long since abandoned the philosophy of Mao, etc. The only countries who are doing ok at this moment are Vietnam who massively rolled back their socialist policies and at this point are more reminiscent of the Social Democracies of Scandinavia and Cuba who, admittedly, are doing rather well despite the odds being so heavily stacked against them. But there are lessons to be learned in failure! This is why I am so adamant in a workers united front. Different forms of leftism appeal to different peoples. And if we can cooperate in building dual power, we can actually start to make progress. I wont discount the strides made by vanguardists of the pasts, but they ultimately failed. We can learn from these mistakes, and make something better. Just as Anarchists should learn from the mistakes of the C.N.T. - F.A.I., the Makhnovists, the IWW, or any other Anarcho-Syndicalist/Communist movement.
@Shoshin I would recommend watching Hakim's conversation with Vaush. The truth is, Anarchists/Libertarian Socialists and Vanguardists dont have nearly as much in opposition as you may think. The truth is that Vanguardism and Syndicalism appeals more to industrial workers where as Anarchist/Lib Soc philosophies appeals to more rural peoples (generally speaking). The only thing that prevents us from creating dual power and working togeather is petty squabbles.
That's par for the course for Hakim, though, he has an extremely negative opinion of non-ML leftism in general. Which is fine, but this is a very dishonest video if you don't know that.
Comrade, can you link to the version of l'internationale that plays in the background of your videos? I'd be much obliged as I can't seem to find it on my own.
I know you’re not an anarchist, but do you have any tips on anarchist literature/books about critiques of anarchism that you could recommend? EDIT: thanks for all the recommendations. I’ll make sure to check some of them out whenever I stop having crippling laziness!
Murray Bookchin, “The Ecology of Freedom” Pyotr Kropotkin, “Mutual Aid: a Factor of Evolution” or “Fields, Factories, and Workshops” Emma Goldman, “Anarchism and Other Essays” David Graeber, “Debt: The First 5000 Years”
Stalin may not be a must if you're already 'pro' on Marx and Lenin works, but it will turn said readings much easier to comprehend. IMO, the way he polymerizes the foundations, is very helpful in easing further readings and a very good starting point.
do you know Mao never read the capital and he also insulted and lied about Stalin, Mao: Marxist-Leninists hold that leaders play a big role in history. The people and their parties need forerunners who are able to represent the interests and will of the people, stand in the forefront of their historic struggles, and serve as their leaders. But when any leader of the Party or the state places himself over and above the Party and the masses, instead of in their midst, when he alienates himself from the masses, he ceases to have all-round, penetrating insight into the affairs of the state. As long as this was the case, even so outstanding a personality as Stalin could not avoid making unrealistic and erroneous decisions on certain important matters... During the later part of his life, Stalin took more and more pleasure in this cult of the individual and violated the Party's system of democratic centralism and the principle of combining collective leadership with individual responsibility. As a result, he made some serious mistakes: for example, he broadened the scope of the suppression of counter- revolution; he lacked the necessary vigilance on the eve of the anti- fascist war; he failed to pay proper attention to the further development of agriculture and the material welfare of peasantry; he gave certain wrong advice on the international communist movement, and, in particular, made a wrong decision on the question of Yugoslavia. On these issues, Stalin full victim to subjectivism and one-sidedness and divorced himself from objective reality and from the masses. The cult of the individual is a rotten carry-over from the long history of mankind. The cult of the individual is rooted not only in the exploiting classes but also in the small producers. As is well known, patriarchism is a product of small-producer economy... The struggle against the cult of the individual, which was launched by the Twentieth Congress, is a great and courageous fight by the communists and the people of the Soviet Union to clear away the ideological obstacles blocking their advance... It must be pointed out that Stalin's works should, as before, still be seriously studied and that we should accept all that is of value in them, as an important historical legacy, especially those many works in which he defended Leninism and correctly summarized the experience of building up the Soviet Union. But there are two ways of studying them - the Marxist way and the doctrinaire way. Some people treat Stalin's writings in a doctrinaire manner and therefore cannot analyse and see what is correct and what is not and everything that is correct they consider a panacea and apply indiscriminately, and thus inevitably they make mistakes. For instance, Stalin put forward a formula that in different revolutionary periods the main blow should be so directed as to isolate the middle-of-the-road social and political forces of the time. This formula of Stalin's should be treated according to circumstances and from a critical, Marxist point of view. In certain circumstances it may be correct to isolate the middle forces, but it is not correct to isolate them under all circumstances. Our experience teaches us that the main blow of the revolution should be directed at the chief enemy and to isolate him, whereas with the middle forces, a policy of both uniting with them and struggling against them should be adopted, so that they are at least neutralized; and'as circumstances permit, efforts should be made to shift them from their position of neutrality to one of alliance with us in order to facilitate the development of the revolution. But there was a time - the ten years of civil war from 1927 to 1936 - when some of our comrades crudely applied this formula of Stalin's to China's revolution by turning their main attack on the middle forces, singling them out as the most dangerous enemy; the result was that, instead of isolating the real enemy, we isolated ourselves and suffered losses to the advantage of the real enemy. In the light of this doctrinaire error, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China during the period of the anti-Japanese war formulated a policy of developing the progressive forces, winning over the middle-of-the roaders, and isolating the diehards for the purpose of defeating the Japanese aggressors...
Would you ever do a reading list of books that debunk capitalist propaganda? I get a lot "learn economics" from liberals, and I've been looking for a reading list to help debunk a lot of myths regarding the workings of the market for example
24 things they don't tell you about capitalism by Chang. The Triumph of Evil by Austin Murphy J is for Junk economics by Hudson. None of these are strictly marxist (Hudson probably closest though few would call him orthodox,) but anti-capitalist. Hakim has some others in his previous reading list videos also.
When reading Mao it's best to read the full Red Book: "The Quotations and Citations of Chairman Mao Zhedong". A lot of really good information is in there from handling contradictions among the people and even to waging guerilla war. It's A very useful book for everyone.
My most favorite books from Stalin are dialectical and historcial materialism and Economic problems of socialisms in USSR, also Maos works are nothing he is just copying other marxists and telling that those are his ideas.
@Prole ́17 first new democracy is just the copy of Lenins NEP, Maos People's war was guerrial warfare which was not his idea, just look at Albanian national liberation army and Yugoslav and many others.
@Prole ́17 and also Culturel Revolution was alerady a thing in USSR but it was more about science and Education but Maos idea of culturel revolution is destroy the entire chinese culturel and put im statues of himself.
@Prole ́17 i understand what your saying tatices chance because of the conditions in the country just like Hoy Chi Minh did and because the world chances. Marx and Engels turn empty idea in to strong ideology, Lenin modifid Marxism and created new tatices and strategy.
I read “The Wealth of Some Nations” by Zak Cope because of one of your previous videos. Though it’s not necessarily an outline of Marxist theory, I think it’s an important read for understanding modern imperialism. Both informative and digestible. Highly recommend it, especially to social democrats and others who are just dabbling in socialism.
Great list! One note though: It’s important that we, as leftists (the critically thinking side of the political spectrum), explore the full range of leftist thought before coming to conclusions. I therefore feel that you ought to have included some preliminary anarchist literature on this list. Even if you don’t agree with it, without it, the reader will attain an incomplete understanding of leftism. Besides which, the strict dichotomy between Marxist and anarchist thought is a false one anyways, and we ought to be incorporating ideas from both camps into our theory and praxis.
Mutual aid by Peter Kropotkin is a really good one, guerilla warfare by Mao gives some insight on organization. Other than that, I can't really offer much besides talk to some other leftists for insights, there's a good number of discord servers for that
What I like about your channel is that you are closer to orthodox Marxism than to Occidental Marxism (= US). Too many American Marxists are negatively influenced by Althusser and his anti-hegelian marxism. For instance, Richard Wolff is interesting, but really lacks of classical European philosophy.
Hey comrade! Good video. I haven't watched it fully but I can tell its an amazing video. I'll check these books out to study some other forms of socialism. I'm currently a mutualist.
I have just recently found your RUclips page and I want to thank you for the time and effort you've put into this page. My understanding of Communism, socialism, Lenin, Marx has improved since viewing your page. I especially enjoyed the Book recommendations which have gone into my TBR pile. I would like to ask if you would consider a fiction review for books dealing with socialism, communism etc. I ask because I have friends who find none fiction books rather dry but if I could find fiction that shares the ideas it might help them. Thanks again.
The first few chapters are what is really dry and dull. Once you get past them, it goes a lot smoother. Listening to an audiobook version can be a way around that. ruclips.net/p/PLUjbFtkcDBlSHVigHHx_wjaeWmDN2W-h8
Why say leftist and not include anarchist literature and Theorie ? If you dont include those you should name your Video The only socialist reading list you'll need.
I had never heard of Fanon. It'll be great to read his books in French to both improve my proficiency at the language and learn more about Marxist theory.
Strange, I commented on this earlier saying it was a great list but my comment is gone. I also notice some comments that were here yesterday missing as well.
1. Engels, Principles of Communism 2. Marx, Wage, Labor and Capital, Value, Price and Profit 3. Engels, Socialism - Utopian and Scientific 4. Lenin, The State and Revolution 5. Lenin, Imperialism - The Highest Stage of Capitalism 6. Mao, On Practice & On Contradiction 7. Mao, Combat Liberalism
All this theoretical optimism should be tempered by a reading of socialist Jack London's letters to Cloudesley Johns. These writings reveal that socialism's true intentions are not as benign or as benevolent as one might think.
No recommendations for anarchist literature? Not even “the conquest of bread” by Kropotkin? Kinda weird that you’d omit this entire ideological school and include Stalin and Mao of all people, who hunted and killed anarchist leftists.
@@ashleydavis3318 I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but I, unfortunately, am continually so. Also, its not even just that many of them hate us... its that they're so god damn condescending about it, and there's no fucking basis for the condescension!
Capital is easy to read compared to other works of the time, and probably easier for someone who speaks English as a secondary language. The language is qualitatively different than 2021 English, and it will grind your gears if that's what the language parts of your brain are molded around. I found that to be the case with Dostoevsky- took awhile for my brain to get into the English patterns, but the Russian was surprisingly less difficult if you don't count needing to look up vocabulary.
For me the 2 most important books I've read, and urge ALL people to read, are The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast and The New Rulers Of The World by John Pilger
I got three of them! And Theyre very thin! at least in Spanish .The book keep was an economist/professor and offered to teach me everything he knows. he said the socialist books get thrown out before they even arrive sometimes. He also told me they were supposed to teach me all these books in my uni, but my SoSci (Social Science) prof was probably a pro-statehood puerto rican capitalist that didn't wanna teach them.
Hey unrelated but am i the only one who wanna know, as a socialist from a muslim background, hakim what do u think about the CCP and its alleged genocide?
I've really enjoyed reading the conquest of bread by Kropotkin, for those who want a different perspective on communism. It's an argument for anarcho communism and very interesting
“Anarcho-communism” does not exist. Communists believe in a proletarian state until its withering away, and anarchists believe in the immediate dissolution of any state. These aren’t compatible
My problem with reading is that if a book is 200 pages I can read it in a week but if it's over 300 pages it takes me well over a month. I just get so overwhelmed by thicker books... I need to get better lol
Principles of Communism - Freidrich Engels Wage-Labour and Capital | Value, Price and profit - Karl Marx Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - Freidrich Engels The State and Revolution - V. I. Lenin Imperialism: The Highest State of Capitalism - V. I. Lenin On Practice & On Contradiction - Mao Zedong Combat Liberalism - Mao Zedong I would like some modern stuff aswell. Like Antonio Negri or Moulier-Boutang
How to contact comrade Hakim? I have a doubt. Since he is a doctor and a Communist, what is his opinion on the nature vs nurture argument. Anders Erriccson who is by the way not a leftist wrote in his book about how talent is a myth (which it really might be) and deliberate practice allows all humans to do all kinds of work and environment playing as crucial factor. Where does our Hakim (Persian for physicist) stand in the issue of nature vs nurture argument.
Can you make a video on Chinas revisionism so we could end this socialism with Chinese characteristics nonsense once and for all. Even by Lenin's standards the country is imperialist: IV. EXPORT OF CAPITAL "The export of capital is made possible by a number of backward countries having already been drawn into world capitalist intercourse; main railways have either been or are being built in those countries, elementary conditions for industrial development have been created, etc. The need to export capital arises from the fact that in a few countries capitalism has become “overripe” and (owing to the backward state of agriculture and the poverty of the masses) capital cannot find a field for “profitable” investment.
Great starting list, im so late cause i just saw this. As someone from latinoamericas left i also have to point out that is still a very ethnocentric list, very european, with a few expections. Wich is fine as a starting point as is been told. But if you happen to not be from europe it will always fall short. Is very important to always keep that in mind. European states can work in ways that colonized countries cant, im not saying this to make anyone feel bad is just how it is. Marx said that capitalism is a verfy flexible system and thats one of the reasons for its power, it adapts not just for the burgueos class, also for patriarchy, white supremacy and more. For example in so many marxist literature avoids th cuban revolution, wich has been very ideologicaly influental in latinoamerica,is not only political process that guides us but is important. So if anyone is interested ill bring new things to read after this. Nuestramerica, Jose Marti, he was a poet thou. Angela davis, anything i guess i havent gotten there Rita segato, the counterpedagoges of cruelty, dont know how much translations it has Paulo freire,the pedagogy of the opressed, in academic terms he means marx opressed Audre lourde, Master’s Tools Will Never Take Down the Master’s House antonio gramcsi, the prision notes and maybe, the intelectuals and the organization of the culture Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie those are the ones i know, obviously from latinamerica, but every country has their own variables of their own history and you should take in consderation that europeans political views are never going to sufice in colonial countries
"As someone from latinoamericas left i also have to point out that is still a very ethnocentric list" What's wrong with that? Marx and Engels were from Europe, and at the time capitalism was mostly contained in Europe, although that has changed today. What hasn't changed is the fact that what Marx and Engels wrote still applies today, but the proletarian movement is now worldwide. From China to South America to even Africa.
@@handsfortoothpicks did you read thehole comment? also, the only people that think that ethnocentricism isnt an issue and get offended when pointed out are europeans
@@handsfortoothpicks socialism is meant to be changed and adapted for different material contexts and cultural values, it is not a static thing. applying cultural relativism and avoiding ethnocentrism is a core value to understanding other humans in a dialectical fashion
@@RM-xr8lq So explain why European staes are different than colonized ones. Crying out "ethnocentrism" or "eurocentrism" is so foolish. The reason the basic Marxist works are "eurocentric" is because capitalism started and was mostly maintained in Europe until it spread to the rest of the world. Changing socialism to fit some nationalist rhetoric, chauvinist ideas, to accept religious values is aMarxist
Love your content comrade, however, I feel as though some of these books are becoming, in a sense, dated. In this day and age, there are a lot of pertinent leftist thinkers that would be better jumping-off points for the modern beginning leftists. Concepts such as intersectionality regarding racism and sexism were not very relevant back when these books were written. I think Walter Rodney, Cedric Robinson, and, say, Angela Davis should also be considered.
This is an old video but does anyone recommend diving into Antonio Gramsci? As a historian I like him and his theory of Hegemony and The Two Fascisms, his hand in organizing the strike against Fiat was amazing, and he's also such a femboy. This all being said I'm not sure where to start when tackling his stuff besides the prison notes. Also for the inclusion of American Leftists I would recommend Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis The Wretched of The Earth by Frantz Fannon
Although I think it's a fair introduction, it makes me a bit angry that your introduction to the left is only to the one-party communist left. You never remember that libertarians exist, and that we are at least half of the left movement. Besides, I'm missing texts that talk not only about anarchism, but also about other communisms that are not exclusively totalitarian (Anton Pannekoek, Rosa Luxemburg, Alexander Berkman...)
Alright I understand youre a marxist leninist but you dont think its important for leftists to at least read anarchist, mutualist, or other branches of theory? I debate MLs daily who cant even properly define anarchism or its means of success. I mean if youre going to critique something, best to know your opposition. I personally find the theory presented in State and revolution attrocious and misguided for instance but I still read it just to understand the viewpoint somewhat.
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Obvious joke in the title aside, here's a quick video about something I get asked daily. A general introductory reading list for the basics of Socialism in only a handful of works. This isn't meant to be all-exhaustive, and many other recommendations can be found in the dedicated playlist, or through DMing me whenever you like. I hope you find this useful!
You did not mention Peter Kropotkin? Angry anarchist here ;-;(lol sarcasm keep up with new content comrade!)
I would add Engel's "Origin of family, private property and State" and "Where does the correct idea come from" in this essential booklist.
Damn bro i hate to break it to you , but i think your pfp where Lenins hair is yellow and the rest of his face is red looks really hilarious and dumb and not very cool. Thats ok if you didnt mean for it to look cool though, you do you.
@@bing4126 I actually think it is simple, cool and bold pfp.
@@primeroyal7434 I think it looks hilarious
“The Mario and Luigi of marxism” is certainly one way to put it
ML actually stands for Marioist-Luigist
Mario Looks more like Stalin
@@elim9054 bro
Sigh... now I am imagining Marx and Engels dancing like Mario and Luigi in Superstar Saga.
More like stalin and lenin
Banger video
Hello Papi
@@juanbermudez6489 Hello 👋
“Ten Days That Shook the World” by John Reed; American journalist/author in Russia covering the 1917 Russian Revolution as it is occurring. The film, “Reds”, is based on this non-fiction book. Came out in the 1980s with an all star cast, winning Oscars. Mind you, this was during the Ronald Reagan presidency and his right-ring Reagonmics, and “Star Wars” military defense proposition, which is now on display at the Ronald Reagan Museum.
Im watching this list after reading marxist theory for a couple years and I am very glad to see ive read almost all of these without knowing they were on the only reading list that matters
Glad to know all I need left is Mao’s work
Thoughts about Infrared? Seems a little disturbing to me.
Marxism-Leninism in the age of multi-polarity in a post covid world, CPUSA 2036!
Excellent video!
-Reads Das Kapital once
-Notices how Marxism is materialistic
-Communism has never worked and therefore is materially impossible
-Creates a new and better group of ideas as supossed by the dialectic process instead of being a dogmatic virgin that follows the biggest genocides.
and what are those ideas
0:18 "a week or two of reading"
You seriously overestimate our capabilities
Literally lol
Your so right :D
I love having a DOCTOR tell me capital isn’t a hard read Lmao but good video Hakim
Dude it's been months am trying to stop procrastinating n finish state ad revolution :(((((
@@figurefiguras4104 just read it such that you learn from it, don't think about what others say about how long they take to do go over a book. I just realised a friend of mine who flexed that he read Fully Automated Luxury Communism by Aaron Bastani in like a day or two had no clue about some books I read which were literally mentioned a few times in FALC
"I read Marx as a strategy for picking up girls."
- Obama
@Karl Marx he wasn't successful
"Obama Is An Incel" - Shonalika, here on youtube
@Christine Online nobody is who they are
@@camelopardalis84
ruclips.net/video/tp_3H2IeZUY/видео.html
@@camelopardalis84 excellent video.
Disappointed I don't see Diary of a Wimpy Kid on there. 😭 Unsubbed
“Peace, Land, Bread, Zoo Wee Mama!”
Diary of a whimpy kid is egoist theory
Lmaooo. C'moon dude, not here! Xp
@@maxine3978 Diary of a whimpy kid is a critique of egoist theory when one comes to the conclusion that the antagonist in the story is actually Greg, because he a sociopath.
Texts in order:
The Principles of Communism by Friedrich Engels
Wage Labour and Capital by Karl Marx
Value, Price and Profit by Marx
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engels
The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism by Lenin
(honorable mention to read Stalin: Basics of Leninism; Dialectical and Historical Materialism)
On Practice by Mao Tse-tung
On Contradiction by Mao
Oppose Book Worship by Mao
Combat Liberalism by Mao
On the correct handling of contradictions among the people by Mao as well
was looking for this ty
Thank you for the printed list
"how to starve 90 millions to death and make them eat their children" by Mao
@@neinbruderja7519 It was actually somewhere closer to 3.5M but I personally don’t see any problem with reading his literature since it isn’t as if he explains how to cause a famine in any of his work.
I’ve been needing this
rip 😔
rest in peace
Is that rip etika satire lmao XD grrr Rip popsmoke. I love making fun of contemporary art and trends idk why i didn't do it earlier in life, i envy your memes gen z.
@@YEET-yh6qc it’s not satire. And it’s not very kind to make fun of people for remembering someone who’s died. Sure, they may have not known them personally but if that person helped them overcome depression and help them through hard times then I think it’s more than okay. Don’t be that guy, you’re not an intellectual, not a logic based specimen, you’re some guy on RUclips with too much time and not enough ways to spend it. Go f yourself
@@YEET-yh6qc You're not an intellectual! Come here! You're a fake and a fraud!
I thought the only theory I needed was 10 minute long RUclips videos by teenagers who skimmed these books?
😅😂🤣👏👏👏
"State and Revolution"
An Absolute Banger.
It just slaps
Hey Gil. Didnae know you watched Hakim
@@Hositrugun he's a good'un.
ruclips.net/video/dxzSxeC7aeA/видео.html
i only wish for a world where the DJ plays state and revolution audio book and the crowd goes crazy
Made a playlist of the audiobooks for these books!
ruclips.net/p/PLl8W0VtTaTN9tb78TkDRSpKu6Gj3QxLMj
ruclips.net/p/PLl8W0VtTaTN8OLOXvnaNU4b282gmrMgfH
Thank you so much!
Hey I know it's been a while since you posted this comment, but as someone who's genuinely been feeling really down about that I have a hard time reading, and thereby have a hard time educating myself. The moment I clicked on this video I was scouring the comments to find someone who linked to audio versions.
It truly just means a lot to me that you took your time to help make education more accessible, keep doing what you're doing. You help educate the masses ❤
@@snowy686 no problem! I highly recommend just looking up leftist titles of books with the word audiobook in the search query and you’ll find a reading of it 9/10 times cause leftists just wanna get the info out in as many ways as possible haha
@@snowy686 glad it could help!
Someone pin this. Absolute KING! Thank you!
Wake up babe, new Hakim just dropped
Hamdullilah!
Mashallah daddy Hakim has uploaded.
You are a bit late this time Naheed
Mashallah daddy Naheed commented.
@@Goateee111 mashallah daddy N1TO 1 replied
daddy sam korth pls come :(
@@robertdickurkelthethird4983 La Hawla Walaquwata Illa Billa Wa AleulAzeem. I'll improve my timing next time insha'Allah.
A lot of "leftists" whom I have debated on Twitter need this reading list tbh
Amen. All those clowns from Jacobin need to read these works.
@@flaflaflooey11 r/shitleftoidssay
@@flaflaflooey11 Jacobin? More like Feuillant lol.
Why, so they can become good authoritarians and prevent the working class from owning and controlling production?
Fuck outta here.
@@JRWall-hf9mq except I have heard this before, and the people who make this argument often forget that it can backfire the other way around.
People can often have their radicalisation severely delayed by their comfortable attachment to a funny charismatic RUclipsr or politician, a magazine, a newspaper, or some other medium of mainstream Liberal thought.
HAH HE SAID PRINCIPALS IS BETTER THEN THE MANIFESTO THE ENGELSIST WINS AGAIN!!!! 🎉🎉🎉
#Engelsist-Leninist Gang
@@NoverMaC ENGELS FOREVER!
Engels forever
@@lukeg452 My guy really replied to his own comment. King shit.
Engels gang just can’t stop winning 😎🤙
Hakim: Encourages reading.
Debatebros of Breadtube: *Screw Reading lol*
breadtube in general tbh.
Breadtube: I don't read theory because I am not a nerd.
Us: Then do you go out and organise?
Breadtube: >:(
@Optics First no it's easy
Shout out to Ewoks Unhinged :)
Why is there that one comment that always brings up breadtube
Great summary, completely agree that principles of communism is a better intro than the manifesto
Based and Effzehpilled
Currently reading _Black Shirts and Reds_ by Parenti and cannot recommend it enough to anyone new to communism. The book is an absolute bombshell. 🔥
Want to recommend Vijay Prashad’s “Washington Bullets” for a very contemporary follow up. They pair nice and are short and well written
I heard it mentioned many times over the years. What makes it special in your opinion?
@@mrmoneybags390 if you're asking about _Parenti’s_ book, then I'd say, I'm really enjoying its bite-sized, paragraph by paragraph argumentative style, which is then supported by citations time to time. Also the language is so plain yet so powerful that the things he's saying stick with you. But I've only just started reading it so can't say much. But it's definitely a book that will make you question your political beliefs if you are not a communist. So a must read imo.
@@mrmoneybags390 It is a GREAT intro to leftist theory and capitalism's failures. An all-in-one. Seriously.
@@mrmoneybags390 I think why people love it is cos it explains the overall sweep of recent history. If you've only ever been told vague things about history's "progress" by liberals, Parenti shows how communism v imperialism is the primary contradiction that's been driving history since 1917. So then the world starts to make more sense
Someone needs to do fanart of Marx and Engels as Mario and Luigi now.
Can we do hitler and ayn rand as Wario and waluigu?
@@alucardprinceofgayvampires8526 yes XD
Also make sure they are kissing
@mkeufish give me an example pf something she wrote that wasn't egocentric gibberish
@mkeufish also you missed the joke, wario hoardes gold rand is associated with ancaps
Hey Hakim! I'm a new viewer of your channel and love your content so far. You have really educated me in a lot of topics and I'm thankful for that!
-Beginner communist from Pakistan
Welcome, comrade! Greetings from Brazil.
Im glad you joined us comrade.
Greetings from Montenegro
Kya sach me army ne Lahore ko take over kar liya?
Hope it works out for you I'm in the same boat. Hakim's video has given me alot of homework I hope you did well getting through your reading
Me too new to the thing but unfortunately I can't find these books translated to my speaking language arabic and I think reading in english will make it more difficult
hey hakim, i’m dumb as fuck and struggle with a few learning disabilities, as well as a below-average iq. my reading comprehension is poor, but i will put my anti-capitalist energy into understanding these books. thanks for making clear and easily understandable videos.
hey, this is just a suggestion but I've found that text-to-speech readers are super helpful for me personally. I hope they can help you aswell
If it makes you feel better IQ is a bogus way of measuring intelligence. Their was a guy who increased his IQ by practicing IQ tests
hey just so you know, IQ tests are racist, sexist, don't work, and are stupid so don't judge yourself based on whatever number you got. if you're interested in an in depth look at IQ testing check out a great video called the bell curve by a youtuber named shaun
don't shit on yourself, iq is nonsense and learning disabilities can impact your score, you aren't stupid.
You got this comrade! 💪
i'm a simple man. i see a hakim video, i click
2:47 “Today, Imperialism: monopoly The Highest has become stage a fact of Capitalism” cant find the book
Is this a joke?
@@romanrussu3403 yes
I personally think that “Three parts of Marxism” by Lenin (it’s not the right name of the book) is important for understanding. I began with this exact book and... I think it’s good for starters.
This. It's actually pretty easy to read compared to other works by Marx or Engels, it can be read in like half an hour and it gives a basic breakdown of the marxist thought.
@@mr.fantasma2632 yes.
god i wish i could read political theory but i have massive problems when reading ;-;
there's a lot of audiobooks that u can listen to while reading to help u concentrate if thats ur problem. if your problem is comprehension then i suggest using annotations as much as possible to write things in your own words and solidify it in your mind. also, make sure you aren't overdoing reading for too long at once, since eventually it gets difficult to continue to comprehend everything.
@@pablog6785 adding on: audiobooks are great but try reading along at the same time, or at least not doing anything else that requires even a little focus. I completely understand eye strain or just preferring listening over reading but it's easy to stop paying attention if your doing other things.
My sister was just diagnosed with dyslexia and we found that there are a lot of free audiobooks/read alongs on RUclips. Hope this helps
No one ever mentions Rosa Luxembourg!😡
Queen
Me, a baby Marxist realising that I can read things FOR FREE
Nothing from Rosa Luxemburg?
While I am definitely not a Marxist-Leninist (having a lot of critiques of how the Bolsheviks handled the Menshevicks and the Makhnovists) I am willing to work with my Titoist, ML and MLM comrades. We can only find success in a workers united front, a rainbow coalition if you will.
the makhnovists were literally just pillaging the ukrainian countryside, what were the reds supposed to do there?
@@joma5721 I mean, that's objectively untrue but go off king. They literally pushed back the white army and were the reason for Lenins victory, and were then attacked unprovoked and destroyed. This is one of the problem I have with some MLs, an inability to admit that there were mistakes made along the way. Lenin, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, etc. All figures weren't perfect and are not beyond reproach. For example, destroying the Ukrainian anarchist society when all they wanted was to live according to their anarcho-communist principles. I want to work with MLs, but this makes it very difficult. I am willing to admit the Anarchists mistakes of the past. I am willing to admit to admit to mistakes made by anarchist movements. How we can improve, how we can better achieve our goals. But Vanguardists need to do the same. We cannot afford to treat past communists as holy figures. Makhno was far from perfect, but he did not deserve the betrayal he recieved. The C.N.T.-F.A.I. was not perfect, but it was because of the Stalinist faction in Spain that Franco was able to take power. If we dont learn from the mistakes of past movements we have no hope of moving forward. Comrade, even Mao was clear about book worship being a bad thing. We cannot be blind to the mistakes of the past, we have to learn from them.
@@castillogrande8926 there is not a single Marxist leninist i know that claims any leader did not make any mistakes. theres mistakes i can name for every single one, especially the ones that actually came to power. ML's admit this whole heartedly and we learn from it.
One of the arguments that early on convinced me that anarchism was not correct is this. how many anarchist revolutions have there been? well theres makhno, catalonia/spain, maybe you can count the zapatistas in mexico? and none of these have come to power over their whole country. now compare this to how many marxist leninist revolutions there have been. DOZENS. congo, ethiopia, russia, albania, yemen, vietnam, china, cuba, grenada, etc. Some of these failed, but MOST succeeded in establishing control over their countries almost single handedly. is this a coincedence? i highly doubt it. the reason ML revolutions have been so successful is because marxism leninism is correct. vanguardism, socialism in one country, historical materialism, etc. are all correct and were instrumental. by not adopting these, all other revolutions have failed. from utopian socialists to anarchists to libertarian marxists to trotskyists. really take this to heart.
yes, individual marxist leninists made serious mistakes. but this does not discredit marxism leninism as an ideology in the slightest, nor does it fully 100% discredit these individuals.
@@tequestaorangejuice6673 For 1, I did not claim that ALL Marxist-Leninist claim that their leaders did not make mistakes. I simply said that there is a tendency. I'm from Colombia, and many of my comrades there were in fact Marxist-Leninists and Orthodox Sydicalists. People who often I, and my fellow anarcho-communist/syndicalist comrades were at odds with. Yet we agreed with far more than we disagreed with. My observation of Marxist-Leninists having a refusal to critically examine their ideological forbears is a pretty uniquely American thing in my experience. When I make this criticism, it is likely not aimed at you. Second, this is a valid criticism to an extent. However, you must look at the historical context. The reason there were so many Marxist-Leninist revolutions is because of the Russian revolutions success. However, I still have massive criticisms of Marxism-Leninism. Most notably, that when you give power to individuals rather than the people it is a quick way to invite corruption. Also, where are most of these countries now? There are lessons we have to learn by the failures of these previous revolutions. Because they did fail in the end. They didnt establish lasting socialism, let alone communism. Korea is a despotic nation, China long since abandoned the philosophy of Mao, etc. The only countries who are doing ok at this moment are Vietnam who massively rolled back their socialist policies and at this point are more reminiscent of the Social Democracies of Scandinavia and Cuba who, admittedly, are doing rather well despite the odds being so heavily stacked against them. But there are lessons to be learned in failure! This is why I am so adamant in a workers united front. Different forms of leftism appeal to different peoples. And if we can cooperate in building dual power, we can actually start to make progress. I wont discount the strides made by vanguardists of the pasts, but they ultimately failed. We can learn from these mistakes, and make something better. Just as Anarchists should learn from the mistakes of the C.N.T. - F.A.I., the Makhnovists, the IWW, or any other Anarcho-Syndicalist/Communist movement.
@Shoshin I would recommend watching Hakim's conversation with Vaush. The truth is, Anarchists/Libertarian Socialists and Vanguardists dont have nearly as much in opposition as you may think. The truth is that Vanguardism and Syndicalism appeals more to industrial workers where as Anarchist/Lib Soc philosophies appeals to more rural peoples (generally speaking). The only thing that prevents us from creating dual power and working togeather is petty squabbles.
Says leftist
Includes only mls
That's par for the course for Hakim, though, he has an extremely negative opinion of non-ML leftism in general. Which is fine, but this is a very dishonest video if you don't know that.
@@Redstarka22 yes
@@Redstarka22 i wasnt aware, thank you
No works of Stalin 😔✌️
Guess why...
@@omarsener8491 because it's only a basic list and many of the works of Stalin regard particular issues rather than broader ideas.
Comrade, can you link to the version of l'internationale that plays in the background of your videos? I'd be much obliged as I can't seem to find it on my own.
It's the Afrikaans version. Here's a link:
ruclips.net/video/bAEO-kiyChA/видео.html
I know you’re not an anarchist, but do you have any tips on anarchist literature/books about critiques of anarchism that you could recommend?
EDIT: thanks for all the recommendations. I’ll make sure to check some of them out whenever I stop having crippling laziness!
"Anarchism or Socialism"
almost any kropotkin.
You may like “Mutual Aid” and “The Conquest of Bread”.
If you are looking for more extensive recommendations I would say that you should check Zoe Baker channel. She created a quite good list.
Murray Bookchin, “The Ecology of Freedom”
Pyotr Kropotkin, “Mutual Aid: a Factor of Evolution” or “Fields, Factories, and Workshops”
Emma Goldman, “Anarchism and Other Essays”
David Graeber, “Debt: The First 5000 Years”
Hakim can you make a video covering the People’s Republic of China if you haven’t already?
Stalin may not be a must if you're already 'pro' on Marx and Lenin works, but it will turn said readings much easier to comprehend. IMO, the way he polymerizes the foundations, is very helpful in easing further readings and a very good starting point.
ruclips.net/video/dxzSxeC7aeA/видео.html
i’ve heard he had a very robotic writing style that’s really hard to enjoy
@@ludmillavrska7116 It's really not that bad actually. It's not as fun to read as Lenin but still quite good.
Stalin failed to consider the negation of the negation
phantom of the paradise is a banger sorry this is off topic just had to comment when I saw the pfp :))
Where is Hoxha? Where is Stalin?
I think Hakim is more pro-Maoist or just Maoist.
do you know Mao never read the capital and he also insulted and lied about Stalin, Mao: Marxist-Leninists hold that leaders play a big role in history. The people and their parties need forerunners who are able to represent the interests and will of the people, stand in the forefront of their historic struggles, and serve as their leaders. But when any leader of the Party or the state places himself over and above the Party and the masses, instead of in their midst, when he alienates himself from the masses, he ceases to have all-round, penetrating insight into the affairs of the state. As long as this was the case, even so outstanding a personality as Stalin could not avoid making unrealistic and erroneous decisions on certain important matters... During the later part of his life, Stalin took more and more pleasure in this cult of the individual and violated the Party's system of democratic centralism and the principle of combining collective leadership with individual responsibility. As a result, he made some serious mistakes: for example, he broadened the scope of the suppression of counter- revolution; he lacked the necessary vigilance on the eve of the anti- fascist war; he failed to pay proper attention to the further development of agriculture and the material welfare of peasantry; he gave certain wrong advice on the international communist movement, and, in particular, made a wrong decision on the question of Yugoslavia. On these issues, Stalin full victim to subjectivism and one-sidedness and divorced himself from objective reality and from the masses.
The cult of the individual is a rotten carry-over from the long history of mankind. The cult of the individual is rooted not only in the exploiting classes but also in the small producers. As is well known, patriarchism is a product of small-producer economy...
The struggle against the cult of the individual, which was launched by the Twentieth Congress, is a great and courageous fight by the communists and the people of the Soviet Union to clear away the ideological obstacles blocking their advance...
It must be pointed out that Stalin's works should, as before, still be seriously studied and that we should accept all that is of value in them, as an important historical legacy, especially those many works in which he defended Leninism and correctly summarized the experience of building up the Soviet Union. But there are two ways of studying them - the Marxist way and the doctrinaire way. Some people treat Stalin's writings in a doctrinaire manner and therefore cannot analyse and see what is correct and what is not and everything that is correct they consider a panacea and apply indiscriminately, and thus inevitably they make mistakes. For instance, Stalin put forward a formula that in different revolutionary periods the main blow should be so directed as to isolate the middle-of-the-road social and political forces of the time. This formula of Stalin's should be treated according to circumstances and from a critical, Marxist point of view. In certain circumstances it may be correct to isolate the middle forces, but it is not correct to isolate them under all circumstances. Our experience teaches us that the main blow of the revolution should be directed at the chief enemy and to isolate him, whereas with the middle forces, a policy of both uniting with them and struggling against them should be adopted, so that they are at least neutralized; and'as circumstances permit, efforts should be made to shift them from their position of neutrality to one of alliance with us in order to facilitate the development of the revolution. But there was a time - the ten years of civil war from 1927 to 1936 - when some of our comrades crudely applied this formula of Stalin's to China's revolution by turning their main attack on the middle forces, singling them out as the most dangerous enemy; the result was that, instead of isolating the real enemy, we isolated ourselves and suffered losses to the advantage of the real enemy. In the light of this doctrinaire error, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China during the period of the anti-Japanese war formulated a policy of developing the progressive forces, winning over the middle-of-the roaders, and isolating the diehards for the purpose of defeating the Japanese aggressors...
Where is Pol Pot?
@@HM-wi4ou why would Pol Pots work be in this video? Pol Pot wasn't even marxist.
Gang? Gang.
Would you ever do a reading list of books that debunk capitalist propaganda? I get a lot "learn economics" from liberals, and I've been looking for a reading list to help debunk a lot of myths regarding the workings of the market for example
24 things they don't tell you about capitalism by Chang.
The Triumph of Evil by Austin Murphy
J is for Junk economics by Hudson.
None of these are strictly marxist (Hudson probably closest though few would call him orthodox,) but anti-capitalist.
Hakim has some others in his previous reading list videos also.
@@carlos_herrera Thanks for the recomendations.
Have you ever considered making a channel in Arabic? The Arab world desperately needs people like you.
I do plan on it, no worries.
When reading Mao it's best to read the full Red Book: "The Quotations and Citations of Chairman Mao Zhedong". A lot of really good information is in there from handling contradictions among the people and even to waging guerilla war. It's A very useful book for everyone.
Always here for Hakim's reading lists!
ruclips.net/video/dxzSxeC7aeA/видео.html
My most favorite books from Stalin are dialectical and historcial materialism and Economic problems of socialisms in USSR, also Maos works are nothing he is just copying other marxists and telling that those are his ideas.
@Prole ́17 first new democracy is just the copy of Lenins NEP, Maos People's war was guerrial warfare which was not his idea, just look at Albanian national liberation army and Yugoslav and many others.
@Prole ́17 and also Culturel Revolution was alerady a thing in USSR but it was more about science and Education but Maos idea of culturel revolution is destroy the entire chinese culturel and put im statues of himself.
@Prole ́17 yea learn from Mao a guy who acted like a emperor and who build a cult of personality.
@Prole ́17 and im not anti-communist, im anti-revisionist
@Prole ́17 i understand what your saying tatices chance because of the conditions in the country just like Hoy Chi Minh did and because the world chances.
Marx and Engels turn empty idea in to strong ideology, Lenin modifid Marxism and created new tatices and strategy.
I canceled netflix, because I find you more interesting
When are you going to make a video about islam and it’s relation to communism I’ve been waiting for so long 😭😭😭😭😭
I got unsubscribed
why tho
I read “The Wealth of Some Nations” by Zak Cope because of one of your previous videos. Though it’s not necessarily an outline of Marxist theory, I think it’s an important read for understanding modern imperialism. Both informative and digestible. Highly recommend it, especially to social democrats and others who are just dabbling in socialism.
_"Left-wing" Communism_ is a great book, too. Very easy to understand, surprisingly entertaining, and valuable information.
Great list! One note though: It’s important that we, as leftists (the critically thinking side of the political spectrum), explore the full range of leftist thought before coming to conclusions. I therefore feel that you ought to have included some preliminary anarchist literature on this list. Even if you don’t agree with it, without it, the reader will attain an incomplete understanding of leftism.
Besides which, the strict dichotomy between Marxist and anarchist thought is a false one anyways, and we ought to be incorporating ideas from both camps into our theory and praxis.
That cover at 3:06 for Lenin's book deserves a spot on r/crappydesign
good design is a bourgeois conspiracy
I really liked it 😢
Could anyone tell me any good books on how to get involved in activism and be effective?
Mutual aid by Peter Kropotkin is a really good one, guerilla warfare by Mao gives some insight on organization. Other than that, I can't really offer much besides talk to some other leftists for insights, there's a good number of discord servers for that
What I like about your channel is that you are closer to orthodox Marxism than to Occidental Marxism (= US). Too many American Marxists are negatively influenced by Althusser and his anti-hegelian marxism.
For instance, Richard Wolff is interesting, but really lacks of classical European philosophy.
ruclips.net/video/dxzSxeC7aeA/видео.html
This is the best time you could have posted this, I've been looking for books to get into
Hey comrade! Good video. I haven't watched it fully but I can tell its an amazing video. I'll check these books out to study some other forms of socialism. I'm currently a mutualist.
İf Marx and Engels are mario and Luigi, is Lenin Yoshi or wario?
Stalin feels like a better wario so Lenin is probably yoshi
Lenin is Princess Peach.
I have just recently found your RUclips page and I want to thank you for the time and effort you've put into this page. My understanding of Communism, socialism, Lenin, Marx has improved since viewing your page. I especially enjoyed the Book recommendations which have gone into my TBR pile. I would like to ask if you would consider a fiction review for books dealing with socialism, communism etc. I ask because I have friends who find none fiction books rather dry but if I could find fiction that shares the ideas it might help them. Thanks again.
1:09
I refuse to trust anyone who says Capital is easy to read.
its not as bad as online leftists screech about
The first few chapters are what is really dry and dull. Once you get past them, it goes a lot smoother. Listening to an audiobook version can be a way around that.
ruclips.net/p/PLUjbFtkcDBlSHVigHHx_wjaeWmDN2W-h8
@@sazhaxeramezha449 listening to an audiobook and reading at the same time can especially help with people who have trouble focusing
However, workers, must not be alienated from reading more. The more you read & think the better. Just dont overthink.
Why say leftist and not include anarchist literature and Theorie ? If you dont include those you should name your Video The only socialist reading list you'll need.
I had never heard of Fanon. It'll be great to read his books in French to both improve my proficiency at the language and learn more about Marxist theory.
if u haven’t read Black Skins, White Masks yet i highly recommended it.
Strange, I commented on this earlier saying it was a great list but my comment is gone. I also notice some comments that were here yesterday missing as well.
Really? Has this been happening a lot?
I haven't noticed anything like this yet.
Wow that's a lot of interesting books I'll never ever read
1. Engels, Principles of Communism
2. Marx, Wage, Labor and Capital, Value, Price and Profit
3. Engels, Socialism - Utopian and Scientific
4. Lenin, The State and Revolution
5. Lenin, Imperialism - The Highest Stage of Capitalism
6. Mao, On Practice & On Contradiction
7. Mao, Combat Liberalism
Swedish Hakim today I see
stalins two wooks u posted are good so im glad u put them despite ur thoughts on if theyre necessary
All this theoretical optimism should be tempered by a reading of socialist Jack London's letters to Cloudesley Johns. These writings reveal that socialism's true intentions are not as benign or as benevolent as one might think.
No recommendations for anarchist literature? Not even “the conquest of bread” by Kropotkin? Kinda weird that you’d omit this entire ideological school and include Stalin and Mao of all people, who hunted and killed anarchist leftists.
not fucking surprised. hating anarchists is the hallmark of a tankie.
@@ashleydavis3318 I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but I, unfortunately, am continually so. Also, its not even just that many of them hate us... its that they're so god damn condescending about it, and there's no fucking basis for the condescension!
How to cause untold suffering and get away with it
Capital is easy to read compared to other works of the time, and probably easier for someone who speaks English as a secondary language. The language is qualitatively different than 2021 English, and it will grind your gears if that's what the language parts of your brain are molded around. I found that to be the case with Dostoevsky- took awhile for my brain to get into the English patterns, but the Russian was surprisingly less difficult if you don't count needing to look up vocabulary.
For me the 2 most important books I've read, and urge ALL people to read, are The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast and The New Rulers Of The World by John Pilger
I got three of them! And Theyre very thin! at least in Spanish .The book keep was an economist/professor and offered to teach me everything he knows. he said the socialist books get thrown out before they even arrive sometimes. He also told me they were supposed to teach me all these books in my uni, but my SoSci (Social Science) prof was probably a pro-statehood puerto rican capitalist that didn't wanna teach them.
Hey unrelated but am i the only one who wanna know, as a socialist from a muslim background, hakim what do u think about the CCP and its alleged genocide?
I've really enjoyed reading the conquest of bread by Kropotkin, for those who want a different perspective on communism. It's an argument for anarcho communism and very interesting
“Anarcho-communism” does not exist. Communists believe in a proletarian state until its withering away, and anarchists believe in the immediate dissolution of any state. These aren’t compatible
The State and Revolution is really bad on anarchism
Anarchism is really bad on revolutions.
@@Oldentide You are not a leftists you are a state cap
the book recommendations are online again 🙌
Where is my boi stalin!?
My problem with reading is that if a book is 200 pages I can read it in a week but if it's over 300 pages it takes me well over a month. I just get so overwhelmed by thicker books... I need to get better lol
Principles of Communism - Freidrich Engels
Wage-Labour and Capital | Value, Price and profit - Karl Marx
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - Freidrich Engels
The State and Revolution - V. I. Lenin
Imperialism: The Highest State of Capitalism - V. I. Lenin
On Practice & On Contradiction - Mao Zedong
Combat Liberalism - Mao Zedong
I would like some modern stuff aswell. Like Antonio Negri or Moulier-Boutang
How to contact comrade Hakim?
I have a doubt. Since he is a doctor and a Communist, what is his opinion on the nature vs nurture argument.
Anders Erriccson who is by the way not a leftist wrote in his book about how talent is a myth (which it really might be) and deliberate practice allows all humans to do all kinds of work and environment playing as crucial factor.
Where does our Hakim (Persian for physicist) stand in the issue of nature vs nurture argument.
Can you make a video on Chinas revisionism so we could end this socialism with Chinese characteristics nonsense once and for all. Even by Lenin's standards the country is imperialist:
IV. EXPORT OF CAPITAL
"The export of capital is made possible by a number of backward countries having already been drawn into world capitalist intercourse; main railways have either been or are being built in those countries, elementary conditions for industrial development have been created, etc. The need to export capital arises from the fact that in a few countries capitalism has become “overripe” and (owing to the backward state of agriculture and the poverty of the masses) capital cannot find a field for “profitable” investment.
Thank you for this list! Theory can be hard, so providing these beginner lists is really helpful. Be well, Comrade.
I misread this as "Racist Leftist Reading List" lol
oh HELL yes
- zero anarchist texts
don't claim to be representing leftism if you're not thanks
It's the only leftist reading list you'll N E E D . No one needs anarchy.
1 view but 23 likes
Great recommendations comrade!
A text I often use in study circles is the “Basic Course in MLM” which was written by the Communist Party of India(Maoist)
What about the works of some anarchist thinkers? Why have you neglected these ideas as part of leftist thought?
Another fantastic video from Comrade Hakim. An excellent list, and it has definitely motivated me to read more.
Great starting list, im so late cause i just saw this. As someone from latinoamericas left i also have to point out that is still a very ethnocentric list, very european, with a few expections. Wich is fine as a starting point as is been told. But if you happen to not be from europe it will always fall short. Is very important to always keep that in mind. European states can work in ways that colonized countries cant, im not saying this to make anyone feel bad is just how it is. Marx said that capitalism is a verfy flexible system and thats one of the reasons for its power, it adapts not just for the burgueos class, also for patriarchy, white supremacy and more. For example in so many marxist literature avoids th cuban revolution, wich has been very ideologicaly influental in latinoamerica,is not only political process that guides us but is important. So if anyone is interested ill bring new things to read after this.
Nuestramerica, Jose Marti, he was a poet thou.
Angela davis, anything i guess i havent gotten there
Rita segato, the counterpedagoges of cruelty, dont know how much translations it has
Paulo freire,the pedagogy of the opressed, in academic terms he means marx opressed
Audre lourde, Master’s Tools Will Never Take Down the Master’s House
antonio gramcsi, the prision notes and maybe, the intelectuals and the organization of the culture
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
those are the ones i know, obviously from latinamerica, but every country has their own variables of their own history and you should take in consderation that europeans political views are never going to sufice in colonial countries
"As someone from latinoamericas left i also have to point out that is still a very ethnocentric list"
What's wrong with that? Marx and Engels were from Europe, and at the time capitalism was mostly contained in Europe, although that has changed today. What hasn't changed is the fact that what Marx and Engels wrote still applies today, but the proletarian movement is now worldwide. From China to South America to even Africa.
@@handsfortoothpicks did you read thehole comment? also, the only people that think that ethnocentricism isnt an issue and get offended when pointed out are europeans
@@miksobrado I'm brown.
also
". European states can work in ways that colonized countries cant"
How
@@handsfortoothpicks socialism is meant to be changed and adapted for different material contexts and cultural values, it is not a static thing. applying cultural relativism and avoiding ethnocentrism is a core value to understanding other humans in a dialectical fashion
@@RM-xr8lq So explain why European staes are different than colonized ones.
Crying out "ethnocentrism" or "eurocentrism" is so foolish. The reason the basic Marxist works are "eurocentric" is because capitalism started and was mostly maintained in Europe until it spread to the rest of the world.
Changing socialism to fit some nationalist rhetoric, chauvinist ideas, to accept religious values is aMarxist
Love your content comrade, however, I feel as though some of these books are becoming, in a sense, dated. In this day and age, there are a lot of pertinent leftist thinkers that would be better jumping-off points for the modern beginning leftists. Concepts such as intersectionality regarding racism and sexism were not very relevant back when these books were written. I think Walter Rodney, Cedric Robinson, and, say, Angela Davis should also be considered.
This is an old video but does anyone recommend diving into Antonio Gramsci? As a historian I like him and his theory of Hegemony and The Two Fascisms, his hand in organizing the strike against Fiat was amazing, and he's also such a femboy. This all being said I'm not sure where to start when tackling his stuff besides the prison notes.
Also for the inclusion of American Leftists I would recommend
Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis
The Wretched of The Earth by Frantz Fannon
Although I think it's a fair introduction, it makes me a bit angry that your introduction to the left is only to the one-party communist left. You never remember that libertarians exist, and that we are at least half of the left movement. Besides, I'm missing texts that talk not only about anarchism, but also about other communisms that are not exclusively totalitarian (Anton Pannekoek, Rosa Luxemburg, Alexander Berkman...)
Any thoughts on Michael Parentis works?
Alright I understand youre a marxist leninist but you dont think its important for leftists to at least read anarchist, mutualist, or other branches of theory? I debate MLs daily who cant even properly define anarchism or its means of success. I mean if youre going to critique something, best to know your opposition. I personally find the theory presented in State and revolution attrocious and misguided for instance but I still read it just to understand the viewpoint somewhat.
Studying this because apparently this is the only way I’ll find a girlfriend
what about stalin?