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Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism?
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+1 for reading Blackshirts and Reds, it should be required reading on the subject of fascism.
If you're genuinely curious why I would make such a comparison.. this book would be a great place to start. https://www.amazon.com/Blackshirts-Reds-Rational-Overthrow-Communism/dp/0872863298?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=43d6075e-d31a-471b-ba3a-fb7d8087ab57
Minor restrictions on capitalism are throwing bread crumbs to protect the bakery; it's the same reason the voting rights and civil rights acts were passed. They want to prevent the population from radicalizing so they appease them with minor concessions. However now that the Soviet Union isn't around they don't have as much of a reason to fear the radicalization of the public, especially since the CIA and FBI did such a great job of shutting down every radical organization in the US (Most notably the Black Panthers as well as the Young Lords).
One of the biggest aspects of capitalism is owning private property and gaining profit from it without doing any actual labor, and the way the homes and apartments are owned is the biggest part of this and is why radicals absolutely despise landlords; they profit off of something that should be one of the most basic human rights.
https://www.amazon.com/Blackshirts-Reds-Rational-Overthrow-Communism/dp/0872863298 Here's a good book if you're interested.
Pasted from elsewhere because this question is asked so frequently. You can skip the first one since you've already read it. Obviously everything is only the opinion of me who is nobody special. Reform of Revolution by Luxembourg is great and you can absolutely read it whenever you feel like. I'd put it in block 2 personally. I don't personally think Trotsky has much great insight to offer and reading Revolution Betrayed really solidified that for me
Block 1: Foundations
First, I would read Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engles. This is a very concise contrast between idealism and materialism as well as the basis for understanding historical materialism.
Next, State and Revolution by Lenin. Lenin's works quote Marx and Engles very heavily because most in Russia couldn't be assumed to have read the primary sources. Lenin's quotations, expansions, and explanations of Marx and Engles are so useful to understand the pair. Not to mention Lenin's own enormous contributions. He is the easiest of the European dudes to read and funny as well.
Then, Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism by Lenin. This fundamentally updates Marxism for the era of imperialism and will make your understanding of Marx and Engles better. Just don't get too bogged down in the numbers.
Then, Critique of the Gotha Program by Marx. Most of these texts have been in some way polemics, or disses on someone or something. This is the case here, where Marx has to tear apart the opportunist Gotha Program. He clearly shows the distinctions between opportunism and Marxism as well as explains the state's basic function.
Last, Five Essays on Philosophy by Mao. Mao may be the easiest to read and most profound on the list. Greatly expands understandings on contradictions and discusses the superstructure more than Marx, Engles or Lenin.
Block 2: Deeper Drives
The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State by Engles. This is not one of his most beloved works but I think it is absolutely phenomenal at demonstrating and mapping out exactly how our modes of production, from slave labor to feudal means to capitalism are the determining factor of all social relations. The most specific case is the idea that monogamy was rare to unheard of in primitive communist societies before surplus value was created. Immediately after surplus value monogamy was enforced so that men knew their children and could give them inheritance. This moment is also when slavery and class were introduced. He gives many good examples. This can be seen, to me, as the The Origin of the Species of socialism.
Communism and the Family by Kollontai. Or alternatively her The Soviet Woman collection. Shows again how changing from capitalism to socialism to communism must also coincide with changes in inter-personal relationships.
The Prison Notebooks (or some other such collection) by Gramsci who will really drive home the superstructure issues introduced in the last 3 reads. To me, this is the hardest and least fun read so far so if you struggle go ahead and watch some youtube videos on the ideas, they will help.
"Left-Wing" Communism: an Infantile Disorder by Lenin. This text very successfully illustrates many problems with the historic and modern left.
Block 3: (More) Modern Classics.
Black Shirts and Reds by Parenti which is just a must to understand A) Some of the internal sufficiencies and deficiencies of the USSR which led to its fall and B) the absolutely brilliant ways that American capitalists have manufactured left anti-communism to destroy the movement even within the left within those who believe they are fighting for liberation
Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World by Jayawardena. Just great demonstration of how foundational non-men have been to liberation struggles, as well as the impotence of bourgeois feminism.
The Wretched of the Earth by Fanon. Absolutely critical for understanding the impacts of colonialism on the colonized as well as the colonizer.
The Black Panthers Speak or some other compilation from the Black Panther Party, which was easily the most developed and successful left organization in America post WW2 and to be successful we have to be even better than they were, which means learning from them. Must include Newton, Hampton, and Jackson.
Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat by J Sakai. I haven't actually gotten to this one yet, but it is very often suggested
I personally would go through the first block in order. Then rotate between items in block 2 and 3, just because swapping between older and modern can give your brain a break, like swapping between a textbook and a novel would.
"Newbie"
Since you seem to be new around here I am just going to recommend some literature and leave it at that because you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
Best of luck educating yourself to be a better socialist!
And according to Michael Parenti, they ditched those values and aligned with corporations once they gained power.
Not sure if it's 100% what you wanted but I just recently read Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds and it was great
Also Adam Buick & John Crump - The Alternative To Capitalism
Michael Parenti; with Blackshirts and Reds(pdf), for example. This particular book is about why the red scare happened and why the US supports fascist movements/governments and ends with showing how climate change, instead of beeing fought, will be used to strengthen their agenda
William Blum; with Killing Hope(pdf), for example. It deals with the US regime changes after WWII
Socialism Betrayed(pdf) explains the revisionism in the USSR leadership, which started with Krushev
If you consider works past the dissolution of the USSR to be modern day, they should fit ;)
Hello Carlos,
Communists, Communists are the forces of good in this world.
Most of the arguments backing up this sub require a bit of reading and/or personal experience with the receiving end of Amerikkka’s foreign policy. Since you requested a TL;DR and reading takes a long time, here are a good staple sources to begin your journey. Most of these are Western sources so you can’t say that eBiL CoMmIes made it up. Don’t just take our memes for it, become a comrade yourself!
>Yellow Parenti (Dr. Michael Parenti), and his books but especially “Black Shirts and Reds” which goes on to explain how complicit where the Western powers in propping up the Nazis before the onset of the war. I linked Amazon but you may know how to get it by other means *wink wink*
>The YouTube channel “Hakim” (a medical physician IRL) has a great job a summarizing theory. Plain and simple summary without the over the top writing and visuals characteristic of Liberal (ew) BreadTube™. A few short ones for a quick watch: Socialism Gives a Better Quality of Life, The Undemocratic Dissolution of the USSR, "No Innovation Under Socialism", "X Socialist Country Has Failed!" Is A Stupid Argument.
>Dr. Paul Cockshott (a computer scientist) that has extensively written about how to implement Socialist means of production in our day and age. Famous for “Towards a New Socialism” but good news, he also has a YouTube channel where he regularly uploads lectures! Perhaps you would be interested on his take on how current Economic thinking is unscientific.
>I could keep writing but that may be overwhelming. You can always check the library of sources at r/InformedTankie to explore topics at your heart’s content from historic Socialism to more more modern texts. Lenin (yes that one) is a good start.
>Lastly, theory and liberation form exploitation are good and all but sometimes people need an ideal to look up to, something to aspire to, and with that, please take a moment to look (and listen) to this playlist: Our Dream, Our Future
PS. A good source on understanding what Stalin had to deal with, “The Great Conspiracy Against Russia”. It may not completely explain all he did but it shows you all the bs he had to put up with and how his response was quite tame compared to what Amerikkka and pals would do to such people nowadays.
Pasted from elsewhere because this question is asked so frequently
Block 1: Foundations
First, I would read Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engles. This is a very concise contrast between idealism and materialism as well as the basis for understanding historical materialism.
Next, State and Revolution by Lenin. Lenin's works quote Marx and Engles very heavily because most in Russia couldn't be assumed to have read the primary sources. Lenin's quotations, expansions, and explanations of Marx and Engles are so useful to understand the pair. Not to mention Lenin's own enormous contributions. He is the easiest of the European dudes to read and funny as well.
Then, Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism by Lenin. This fundamentally updates Marxism for the era of imperialism and will make your understanding of Marx and Engles better. Just don't get too bogged down in the numbers.
Then, Critique of the Gotha Program by Marx. Most of these texts have been in some way polemics, or disses on someone or something. This is the case here, where Marx has to tear apart the opportunist Gotha Program. He clearly shows the distinctions between opportunism and Marxism as well as explains the state's basic function.
Last, Five Essays on Philosophy by Mao. Mao may be the easiest to read and most profound on the list. Greatly expands understandings on contradictions and discusses the superstructure more than Marx, Engles or Lenin.
Block 2: Deeper Drives
The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State by Engles. This is not one of his most beloved works but I think it is absolutely phenomenal at demonstrating and mapping out exactly how our modes of production, from slave labor to feudal means to capitalism are the determining factor of all social relations. The most specific case is the idea that monogamy was rare to unheard of in primitive communist societies before surplus value was created. Immediately after surplus value monogamy was enforced so that men knew their children and could give them inheritance. This moment is also when slavery and class were introduced. He gives many good examples. This can be seen, to me, as the The Origin of the Species of socialism.
Communism and the Family by Kollontai. Or alternatively her The Soviet Woman collection. Shows again how changing from capitalism to socialism to communism must also coincide with changes in inter-personal relationships.
The Prison Notebooks (or some other such collection) by Gramsci who will really drive home the superstructure issues introduced in the last 3 reads. To me, this is the hardest and least fun read so far so if you struggle go ahead and watch some youtube videos on the ideas, they will help.
"Left-Wing" Communism: an Infantile Disorder by Lenin. This text very successfully illustrates many problems with the historic and modern left.
Block 3: (More) Modern Classics.
Black Shirts and Reds by Parenti which is just a must to understand A) Some of the internal sufficiencies and deficiencies of the USSR which led to its fall and B) the absolutely brilliant ways that American capitalists have manufactured left anti-communism to destroy the movement even within the left within those who believe they are fighting for liberation
Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World by Jayawardena. Just great demonstration of how foundational non-men have been to liberation struggles, as well as the impotence of bourgeois feminism.
The Wretched of the Earth by Fanon. Absolutely critical for understanding the impacts of colonialism on the colonized as well as the colonizer.
The Black Panthers Speak or some other compilation from the Black Panther Party, which was easily the most developed and successful left organization in America post WW2 and to be successful we have to be even better than they were, which means learning from them. Must include Newton, Hampton, and Jackson.
Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat by J Sakai. I haven't actually gotten to this one yet, but it is very often suggested
I personally would go through the first block in order. Then rotate between items in block 2 and 3, just because swapping between older and modern can give your brain a break, like swapping between a textbook and a novel would.
Bonus material that people have recommended in comments of this post before which I may or may not have read:
Zak Cope's Divided World, Divided Class, and his new amazing book The Wealth of Some Nations.
Reform or Revolution from Rosa Luxemburg, which was initially on my list, but didn't quite make the cut in the first block
Foundations of Leninism by Stalin
Neocolonialism: the last stage of imperialism by Kwame Nkrumah
> Because the words are bullshit cover for what's really going on: great game competition between powers.
It's a matter of class and national liberation struggles. We live in a class divided society/world.
>For example, they engaged in a proxy war in Vietnam against the United States during the Vietnam war. And the USSR was quite imperialistic, taking over nations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to serve the USSR.
Objectively speaking, USSR was not imperialist. One can simply look at the mechanisms by which imperialist powers parasitically get rich off the oppressed nations and see that that didn't exist with USSR and its allies. In fact Eastern Europe was liberated by USSR from Nazi Fascist rule. Also I think you need to be aware of the context in which USSR arose and maintained itself. Firstly this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_intervention_in_the_Russian_Civil_War
Both sides weren't equally aggressive. As usual it was the capitalist imperialists who were the aggressors in their insatiable lust for profiting off of toiling workers and the land they live on.
The socialist camp was a matter of mutual cooperation in the struggle against capitalist imperialist aggression and tyranny. Here is a good place to start understanding the history of communism without the dishonest and self-serving distortions of capitalist class bias:
https://www.amazon.com/Blackshirts-Reds-Rational-Overthrow-Communism/dp/0872863298
You should also look into the struggle of Vietnamese national liberation further. First they overthrew French Colonialism, after which US imperialism stepped in to extract wealth from the Vietnamese people's land and labor. That is when aid from USSR was requested by the self determining and emancipatory government of North Vietnam.
>That means supporting local regimes, even if they support Jihadists, Salafists or crush secular liberals. The solution the is to reduce the need for oil.
The solution can't be implemented without engaging in revolutionary struggle against the ruling capitalist class that keeps us in an anarchical world system and dangerously dependent on carbon based fuels.
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