Marxism-Leninism Study Guide: Basic Course

The following is a guided study plan for Marxism-Leninism. This is not a comprehensive guide, and is instead meant to build solid fundamentals that you can carry on to the advanced course if you wish, and help you in your real life organizing work. Everything is made to be readable on a smartphone, with .epubs and audiobooks provided when available. The entire basic course is targetting 20 hours or less, so it can be completed in 1-2 months of consistent self-study.

Let's get started!

Introduction [~30 min]

Before beginning your studies, it's important to learn how to best economize our time, and why we should study Marxism-Leninism in the first place.

General Rules for Independent Study - N. Krupskaya

Webpage [~5 min]

Written by one of the founding Bolsheviks for students in the early USSR, this is a concise guide on how to best absorb the information to come as efficiently as possible by Nadezhda Krupskaya.

Why Socialism? - A. Einstein

Webpage | Audiobook [~10 min / 22 min]

Wanting to persuade his contemporaries to pursue a path of intentional development in order to avoid nuclear war and escape the profit motive, Einstein argues the case for moving onto a planned and collectivized economy over the chaos of markets and the profit motive.

Why Marxism? - R. Day

Webpage [~15 min]

Roderic Day makes his case for why now, in the 21st century, Marxism-Leninism remains the strongest tool for working-class liberation, and why we should defend the achievements of actually existing socialism.

Fundamentals [~1.5 hr]

To start off your studies, a clear understanding of basic terminology, as well as the historical context that gave rise to Marxism, is necessary.

Principles of Communism - F. Engels

Webpage/.epub | Audiobook [~30 min /48 min]

A glossary of terms and background information, in an FAQ format.

Karl Marx: A Brief Biographical Sketch with an Exposition of Marxism - V.I. Lenin

Webpage | Audiobook [~1 hr / 1hr 28 min]

Lenin, as a part of his rigorous studies of Marx and his writings for application in the conditions particular to his contemporary conditions, came to know and understand Marx and his ideology at a deeper level.

The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism - V.I. Lenin

Webpage | Audiobook [~5 min / 18 min]

Outlaying the 3 major components of Marxism, and a short history of how they came to be.

Philosophy [~2.5 hr]

In order to better understand the later sections, we must understand Marx's materialist outlook and dialectical method.

Dialectical and Historical Materialism - J.V. Stalin

Webpage/.epub | Audiobook [~1hr / 1hr 42 min]

A clear summarization of the fundamental components describing the materialist outlook, the dialectical method, and applying both to analyze the arc of history.

On Practice - Mao Zedong

Webpage | Audiobook [~30 min / 1 hr 9 min]

One of the best primers on the Marxist-Leninist theory of the unity of theory and practice to inform correct understanding.

On Contradiction - Mao Zedong

Webpage | Audiobook [~1 hr / 1 hr 57 min]

Mao explores and elaborates on one of the most fundamental concepts in dialectical materialism, the contradiction.

Political Economy [~1.5 hr]

Using your newfound tool of dialectical materialism, let's explore capitalism, it's contradictions, and the class struggle between laborers and exploiters.

Wage Labor and Capital - K. Marx

Webpage | Audiobook [~1hr / 1 hr 37 min]

Delivered as a speech to workers, Marx explains the fundamental struggle between labor and capital under capitalism.

An Extremely Condensed Summary of Capital - N. Frome

Webpage [~15 min]

Nia Frome, taking inspiration from Marx's Inferno, summarizes the key points of Capital Volume 1.

Scientific Socialism [~4.5 hr]

We must now move on to socialism, not as it exists purely in our heads, but as it comes into being as a consequence of human development and progression via contradictions in capitalism and the class struggle.

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific - F. Engels

Webpage/.epub | Audiobook [~1.5 hr / 1 hr 48 min]

Engels shows how the creation of dialectical materialism, and its application to social development, turned socialism from a practice of "utopia building" into a rigorous science.

The State and Revolution - V.I. Lenin

Webpage | Audiobook [~3 hr / 4 hr]

Lenin concretely explains the Marxist theory of the state, revolution, and how the state is to wither away.

Imperialism [~3.5 hr]

Marxism lives on beyond Marx, but conditions have changed. Marxists have been carrying forward his work to use dialectical materialism in a new context, as capitalism transforms into its imperialist stage.

Imperialism, the Current Highest Stage of Capitalism - V.I. Lenin

Webpage | Audiobook [~3 hr / 4 hr 20 min]

The clearest explanation of imperialism, its origins, and its behavior today. As the principle contradiction the world over, understanding imperialism, how it works, and how we can end it forever is at the core of organizing work today.

Five Characteristics of Neoimperialism - Cheng Enfu

Webpage [~30 min]

Lenin did not live to see the consolidation of imperialism into a single international dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, helmed by the US Empire. Cheng Enfu carries Lenin's analysis forward, to the modern era of moribund neoimperialism.

Leninism [~4.5 hr]

Leninism is where Lenin carried forward Marx's analysis to the age of imperialism, as well as the strategies and tactics of the Marxist-Leninist party and organization.

Understanding Lenin - R. Day

Webpage [5 min]

Putting Lenin in his proper context, and not simply trying to find ready-made solutions in Lenin's works, is how to properly apply his method to our present conditions.

Foundations of Leninism - J.V. Stalin

Webpage | Audiobook [~3.5 hr / 4 hr 53 min]

Leninism, it's historical origins, and its strategy and tactics, stance on nationalism vs internationalism, the role of the peasantry, and more.

What is to be Done? (Abridged) - V.I. Lenin

Webpage | Audiobook [~1hr / 11 hr 17 min] (Note: Audiobook is the full original)

The abridged version was chosen for its clarity, and for bringing its most relevant bits to the modern day. The full original is much longer, and requires much more historical context, but is linked in audiobook form.

Lenin outlines the most pressing stances for the communists to take, and contrasts them with incorrect positions such as "economism" and "adventurism." Useful for avoiding pitfalls in organizing work to this day.

Social Liberation [~1.5 hr]

This is a grand struggle, for the liberation of all oppressed people.

The Women's Liberation and Gay Liberation Movements - H.P. Newton

Webpage [~5 min]

As one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton understood very well the importance of recognizing progressive social stuggle as deeply connected to the class struggle.

The Social Basis of the Woman Question - A. Kollontai

Webpage | Audiobook [~30 min / 42 min]

As one of the leading Bolsheviks, Kollontai had a deep understanding of Marxism-Leninism as she applied it to the struggle for women's liberation.

Transgender Liberation: A Marxist View - L. Feinberg

Webpage [~ 1 hr]

Leslie Feinberg struggled for queer rights as a Marxist for decades, elaborating in this work on the importance of extending social recognition and support to gender-queer struggles.

Western Marxism Loves Purity and Martyrdom, but not Real Revolution - J. Manoel

Webpage | Audiobook [~15 min / 22 min]

Western Marxism is held back by cultural ties to purity and sacrifice, preferring the perfect socialism in our heads to real, existing and thus imperfect socialism.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing the course! For further reading, see the advanced course. With the fundamentals and core under your belt, you can skip around the advanced course and use it more modularly, or you can go through the full advanced course from the beginning to advance to a higher level of understanding.

Make sure to get organized, as well. It is not enough to merely read theory, you must put it to practice. Serve the people! Build up your community! Educate, agitate, and organize! You're more than ready to do so at this point, so try to develop yourself and apply your unique skills and talents to the broader class struggle.

We will win!

Brief FAQ

Q: What is this guide?

A: This is a basic course on understanding the fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism. It is aimed at 20 hours of active reading time, so that it may be completed in 1 month reading at a pace of 30 minutes to an hour a day. It is not a history of actually existing socialism (AES), nor does it have more advanced theory. Just the basics and fundamentals, so that you may learn on your own or continue on with the advanced course.

Q: Who is this guide for?

A: This guide is for those who want a guided course on Marxism and Marxism-Leninism, and have not engaged with the material before and don't know where to start. It is also for those who wish to revisit the fundamentals and check for cracks in knowledge. This is not a comprehensive guide, and is meant to be followed up with the advanced course for areas like colonialism, culture, hegemony, art, propaganda, and more that build on the basics we establish here.

Q: Why make this guide?

A: I made this guide because the older advanced course is too lengthy for many people to follow through, yet not complex enough for many advanced readers. The solution is to reformat the old guide and release this "short course," fulfilling both purposes.

Q: How do I use this guide?

A: This guide is intended to be followed in order, without skipping anything. It builds up from the foundations, and prepares you for the more advanced works later in the guide. It also serves as an excellent primer for the advanced course.

Q: When should I read?

A: I recommend reading at the same time daily, consistently, making it a part of your routine. It works even better if you can gather some like-minded comrades and form a study-circle, so that you can speak your thoughts and criticisms aloud. This isn't strictly necessary, though, and reading on your own when your mind is fresh will get you great results. The audiobooks in particular are great for commutes or working out, though do remember to take notes when you can.

Q: Where should I read?

A: In a comfortable, well-lit area. Try to make it free from distractions. Ideally, with reference books and other learning tools. In a pinch, earbuds or headphones and instrumental music can help drown out noise, if you prefer reading on a commute or on break.

Resources

a. Theory

ProleWiki - A robust library and wiki for Marxism-Leninism.

Red Sails - "Woke ML-MZT Criterion Collection with home videos thrown in"

Comrade's Library - Excellent source for .epubs

Qiao Collective - Connecting western diaspora with Chinese political commentary

b. Podcasts

Blowback - Anti-imperialist podcast about the crimes of the US Empire.

Rev Left Radio - Marxist-Leninist podcast centering theory, history, and current events