From March 14: ABC of Marxism with Ian Spencer

We want to re-discover some of the basic ideas of Marx and Engels – and their political method. Too often, their work has been split up into economics, politics and philosophy, when clearly their ideas in these areas are deeply interlinked. Every two weeks, hosted jointly by LLA and Why Marx? Register here: https://rb.gy/1c0lx

March 14, 7pm

Session 1: Workers as the Grave Diggers of Capitalism

• Marx & Engels – some biographical details: The philosopher & the industrialist: revolutionaries both
• What is a revolution? The transition from feudalism to capitalism
• The Germany of Marx & Engels: Unification, industrialisation & republicanism

Suggested reading:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/granat/ch01.htm

March 28, 7pm 
Session 2: Socialism: Utopian & Scientific

• French politics: From the Great French Revolution to Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
• German idealist philosophy: The World Spirit astride a horse
• Classical political economy & Robert Owen, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Thomas Malthus

Recommended reading:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1859/critique-pol-economy/preface.htm

April 11, 7pm
Session 3: Towards a Theory of Revolution

• Toward a science of history: Hegel – who cares?
• Some early works: The Jewish Question and Engels’ critique of political economy
• Becoming communists. Settling accounts with Hegel

Recommended reading: 

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm

April 25, 7pm
Session 4: Revolution, Class and Party

• 1848 revolution & revolutionaries: The Manifesto of the Communist Party
• Class & party: What is a class? What is a party?
• What do revolutionaries do when revolutions fail? Exile, theory & the British Library

Recommended reading:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm#007

May 9, 7pm
Session 5: Exploitation and the Decline of Capital

• Capital, Wage & Labour: The objective nature of exploitation
• Politics and philosophy: Marx, Engels and the labour movement
• The First International: Intellectuals and workers

Recommended reading:

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/value-price-profit.pdf

May 23, 7pm 

Session 6: Revolutionary Theory and Practice

• Reason in revolt: Marx, Engels & the anarchists

• The Paris Commune: The dictatorship of the proletariat

• Defeat & division: The reaction of the bourgeoisie & La Belle Epoch

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1871/civil-war-france/

June 6, 7pm
Session 7: Mature Capitalism

• The Making of Marx’s Capital: Rising wages & rising exploitation

• The Second International: The changing form of the party

• Imperialism – The highest stage of capitalism?

https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/

June 20, 7pm

Session 8: Did Marxism Fail?

• Marxism after Marx: Engels & Kautsky as Marx’s executors

• Developments in the thought of Marx & Engels. Marxism now & in the future

• 1914: How did it all go so wrong?

https://www.marxists.org/archive/serge/1930/year-one/index.htm