Portal:Marxism: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 08:25, 27 April 2024

Introduction

Marxism is a scientific worldview and school of thought first developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the mid 1800s.

Marxism as a framework contains three components: the philosophical side (dialectical materialism), the economic theory (labour theory of value), and the political analysis (class struggle). Used together, Marxism becomes a very powerful tool with which to analyze the world and the contradictions inherently present in capitalism that inevitably create the foundations for socialism and then communism.

Marx and Engels themselves did not invent socialism, as several theorists had already coined the term and used it. However, these thinkers lacked a grounded framework with which to advocate for socialism and bring it about in society, and became known as utopian socialists. Marxism instead analyzes the world through its three components and, due to this methodic approach, became known as scientific socialism.

Since the 19th century, Marxism has then developed into several different currents of thought, such as Marxism-Leninism, Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought, Ho Chi Minh Thought and many others.

Getting started?

Check out our 1-month reading list for absolute beginners!

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Concepts

Lenin wrote the three sources and components of Marxism to be:

Economics

Philosophy

Start here:

Then follow up with:

Dialectical materialism
- Materialism
  - Historical materialism
  - And its opposite, Idealism
Dialectics
- And its opposite, metaphysics

Class struggle

And historic events:

Library works

We recommend works from the most important theorists of communism:

Karl Marx

(30 works)

Friedrich Engels

(27 works)

Vladimir Lenin

(36 works)

Joseph Stalin

(18 works)

Mao Zedong

(43 works)

Currents

People

Picture of Karl Marx, the founder of scientific socialism

There have been many important people to Marxism. Below, in alphabetical order, are some of them:

Historical gallery

Parties

Countries

Sorted by date of proclamation:

Former Existing Socialism

Currently Existing Socialism

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 '''Marxism''' is a scientific worldview and school of thought first developed by [[Marx|Karl Marx]] and [[Engels|Friedrich Engels]] in the mid 1800s.
-Marxism as a framework contains three components: the philosophical side (dialectical materialism), the economic theory (labour theory of value), and the political analysis (class struggle). Used together, Marxism becomes a very powerful tool with which to analyze the world and the [[contradictions]] inherently present in capitalism that inevitably create the foundations for [[socialism]] and then [[communism]].
+Marxism as a framework contains three components: '''the philosophical side''' (dialectical materialism), '''the economic theory''' (labour theory of value), and '''the political analysis''' (class struggle). Used together, Marxism becomes a very powerful tool with which to analyze the world and the [[contradictions]] inherently present in capitalism that inevitably create the foundations for [[socialism]] and then [[communism]].
 Marx and Engels themselves did not invent socialism, as several theorists had already coined the term and used it. However, these thinkers lacked a grounded framework with which to advocate for socialism and bring it about in society, and became known as [[utopian socialism|utopian socialists]]. Marxism instead analyzes the world through its three components and, due to this methodic approach, became known as [[scientific socialism]].