Either the Communist Manifesto or Engel’s Principles of Communism are pretty good. It depends exactly on what you might be interested into. In my opinion one of the most important things is to learn the material dialectical method of thinking, since this allows you to see the world through this lenses, and therefore some Engel or Stalin’s texts on the subject are better, although maybe harder to understand. For example, Engel’s The Part Played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man is a book that talks about how labour played an important part in the evolution of the human, and how for example Darwin’s evolution fits perfectly with the dialectical method proposed by Marx.
Thanks for the recommendations. I did read the Communist manifesto but still struggled a bit with it, despite it being the more basic entry point. Would Engels be too advanced for me? My basis of knowledge is just what I’ve learned from YouTube channels like Second Thought & prof. Richard Wolff
I wouldn’t say the Communist Manifesto is the most basic entry point. It was written in a different time for an audience who would have understood a lot more of the references than we do today. It also applies dialectical and historical materialism without really addressing what that means, which can create a bit of a sticking point.
I didn’t fully understand it until I’d read a lot of other Marxist texts. The first time I read it (when I wasn’t a Marxist), I just thought it was a bit shit. The second time I read it (when I was becoming a Marxist), I thought that it ignored the crucial information that I was looking for. It was during the third read-through (after becoming a Marxist) that I got the most out of it.
These readings were years apart, btw. And my earlier issues with it were down to having certain expectations of what I would find. I’m only saying this so that you don’t lose heart – texts that should be easy to read or which seem easy to some people aren’t always easy to others.
Now, I’m with Soviet Snake and I do recommend it as an early text. But it’s a starting point, to get a flavour of Marxism. If you don’t/didn’t get on with it, there are other texts.
Engels is a better writer than Marx. He usually gets to the point a little quicker. Not to say I dislike Marx’s style; but Engels is more direct. Give his sole-authored works a try.
If you struggled with the Manifesto then Principles of Communism will be a lot easier. It actually is a draft of the Manifesto written using the catechism convention, so it’s one question, one answer, and it goes really in a simple way about what are the social classes, the relationship that distinguishes for example the serf and the feudal lord from the proletarian and the bourgeois and so on. It’s actual a really good idea to read it before the Manifesto and a lot of editions include it as a preface. Don’t worry about not understanding everything, though, the Manifesto is a work that simple and profound, short but dense, and that you should read multiple times throughout your life to get the most of it, it condenses some really insightful thoughts in a way that’s accessible but that will also reveal more of what it has to offer the more you read Marxist literature.
Either the Communist Manifesto or Engel’s Principles of Communism are pretty good. It depends exactly on what you might be interested into. In my opinion one of the most important things is to learn the material dialectical method of thinking, since this allows you to see the world through this lenses, and therefore some Engel or Stalin’s texts on the subject are better, although maybe harder to understand. For example, Engel’s The Part Played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man is a book that talks about how labour played an important part in the evolution of the human, and how for example Darwin’s evolution fits perfectly with the dialectical method proposed by Marx.
Thanks for the recommendations. I did read the Communist manifesto but still struggled a bit with it, despite it being the more basic entry point. Would Engels be too advanced for me? My basis of knowledge is just what I’ve learned from YouTube channels like Second Thought & prof. Richard Wolff
I wouldn’t say the Communist Manifesto is the most basic entry point. It was written in a different time for an audience who would have understood a lot more of the references than we do today. It also applies dialectical and historical materialism without really addressing what that means, which can create a bit of a sticking point.
I didn’t fully understand it until I’d read a lot of other Marxist texts. The first time I read it (when I wasn’t a Marxist), I just thought it was a bit shit. The second time I read it (when I was becoming a Marxist), I thought that it ignored the crucial information that I was looking for. It was during the third read-through (after becoming a Marxist) that I got the most out of it.
These readings were years apart, btw. And my earlier issues with it were down to having certain expectations of what I would find. I’m only saying this so that you don’t lose heart – texts that should be easy to read or which seem easy to some people aren’t always easy to others.
Now, I’m with Soviet Snake and I do recommend it as an early text. But it’s a starting point, to get a flavour of Marxism. If you don’t/didn’t get on with it, there are other texts.
Engels is a better writer than Marx. He usually gets to the point a little quicker. Not to say I dislike Marx’s style; but Engels is more direct. Give his sole-authored works a try.
In light of your OP question, I suggest Socialism: Utopian and Scientific: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm.
If you struggled with the Manifesto then Principles of Communism will be a lot easier. It actually is a draft of the Manifesto written using the catechism convention, so it’s one question, one answer, and it goes really in a simple way about what are the social classes, the relationship that distinguishes for example the serf and the feudal lord from the proletarian and the bourgeois and so on. It’s actual a really good idea to read it before the Manifesto and a lot of editions include it as a preface. Don’t worry about not understanding everything, though, the Manifesto is a work that simple and profound, short but dense, and that you should read multiple times throughout your life to get the most of it, it condenses some really insightful thoughts in a way that’s accessible but that will also reveal more of what it has to offer the more you read Marxist literature.