I want to read into communism as I have a big knowledge gap regarding it.
I'm not solely interested in Communist theory, but even more so in a comparison of actual Socialist/Communist societies past and present*. How these societies transformed to Socialism/Communism, how the standard of living changed, and how Socialism/Communism perished again. Did the people stood behind their possibly authoritarian government?
It's very important that the author(s) analyze this from an unbiased point of view and analyze unbiased primary sources.
Can you recommend a good book?
*From my noob perspective, "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" is Socialism just in name.. In the state controlled sector of economy, do the workers actually own the means of production?
Bernd
2022-08-09 20:40:55 ⋅ 2y
No. 213641
>I'm not solely interested in Communist theory, but even more so in a comparison of actual Socialist/Communist societies past and present*. How these societies transformed to Socialism/Communism, how the standard of living changed, and how Socialism/Communism perished again
The idea is to establish a Dictatorship of the Proletariat that would raise living standards enough and also use government influence to resolve class contradictions to dissolve the state. Socialism/communism arose in poor countries where the ruling class completely aliennated everyone besides themselves in power. The people stood by communism in places where it rose organically like in Russia or China I think Parentti has books about it
Bernd
2022-10-23 22:41:02 ⋅ 2y
No. 235255
There aren't many societies to write about. The Paris Commune lasted too little and Marx himself covered it in "The Civil War in France". On history of the Soviet Union prior to like 1940s "The History of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks): Short Course" is a good read – bolsheviks had to analyze their history to keep on rolling. I have to mention that even in the USSR, if we take the criteria for Socialism from "The Critique of the Gotha Programme" – "single-mode" economy with no kolkhozes or other kinds of even collective private property and moneyless product exchange inside the country with the dictatorship of the proletariat –, Socialism was not achieved. After 1953 things go bullshit.
I can send links to some materials my buddies have made on the class struggle, economy and politics in the USSR, but they are in Russian yet.
In general, go read Marx and Engels first, then go for Lenin's and Stalin's works, they're good, just don't buy the Plekhanov's bullshit about "Marxist philosophy" – Marxism is a science.
Bernd
2022-10-23 22:50:25 ⋅ 2y
No. 235257
Oh, fuck I also forgot to mention Enver Hoxha, good stuff for that time
Bernd
2022-10-23 22:53:25 ⋅ 2y
No. 235260
They're all biased, the only way is to start with Lenin and go as deep as you want.
Bernd
2023-04-12 12:16:43 ⋅ 1y
No. 265420
>>197719
Hegel, Marx, Engels, Lenin so you understand the basics and learn to think methodologically.
Parentti and Grover Furr for historical analysis.
Bernd
2023-06-05 04:03:19 ⋅ 1y
No. 273547
>>197719
for surface level. read grover furr and dominico losurdo if you want to defend ussr and stalin and things that are like those. if i can i would recomend other than those two or something more obscure. tips is to just search for authors name in counterpunch.