The tsunami of demonstrations following the murder of George Floyd has awakened an interest in revolutionary ideas and strategy. Militants are confronting sharply posed issues such as what type of society could actually “defund the police” and can the Democratic Party take us even one inch of the way towards our goals?

 Five books, all written by comrades from the International Socialism Project, provide an excellent starting point for looking at a Marxist view of America. These books provide the essential foundation for successfully taking part in today’s discussions.

 The Meaning of Marxism

 The first step in having a Marxist view of anything is to work out what exactly is Marxism? Paul D’Amato book The Meaning of Marxism is a great place to begin. In a lively and readable style, Paul takes the reader through the world view of Marxism. The second, third, and fourth chapters are particularly important. These chapters explain the three fundamental components of Marxism: the dialectical world view, the materialist conception of history, and Marxist economic theory. This section of the book will give the reader a new and exciting way of viewing the world.

 The book is not limited to just explaining Marx’s most important ideas. It’s a manual for militants that discusses a host of issues that activists need to know about. Following its section on Marxism, the book explains why the working class is the fundamental force for social change, the relationship between class and oppression, the nature of the capitalist state and its army and police, and how we can begin working towards our revolutionary goals.

 Socialism and Black Liberation

 Ahmed Shawki’s book Black Liberation and Socialism could not be more relevant if it was written this morning. The George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks demonstrations have led to a greatly renewed interest in Black history. This book is a Marxist examination of the roots of racism in this country. Ahmed carefully uncovers the ways in which class exploitation nurtured racism. He takes us on a journey through the beginnings of slavery, King Cotton, the Civil War, Radical Reconstruction, through Jim Crow, and the great move north. 

 Black Liberation and Socialism then proceeds to discuss the civil right movements and the rise of black elected officials. Perhaps the strongest parts of the book are the sections on radical politics in the Black movement. Shawki goes through the Communist Party in Harlem and the south, Malcolm X, the Panthers and DRUM. Unfortunately, radical discussion of these movements often consists of cheerleading and sycophancy. This book is distinctive in that, while being one hundred percent on the same side of the barricades as these inspiring fighters, it also puts forward a friendly yet independent balance sheet of the movements. Many readers may find this the most interesting part of the book.

 The Democrats: A Critical History

 The Democratic Party is the number one issue of debate and discussion in the radical movement. We can anticipate the controversy growing as the November election looms closer. The International Socialism Project has been characterized by a sharp contention that the Democratic Party is a crucial component of US ruling class and a perpetual “graveyard” of social movements”.

 However, this viewpoint cannot just be asserted, it has to be proved. This is the great strength of Lance Selfa’s The Democrats: A Critical History. It provides the facts and history that have forged our view of the Democratic Party. One of the most interesting sections of the book is the part that shows how the Democrats do not just have wrong positions on this or that issue. Instead they are “history’s second- most enthusiastic capitalist party”. Many readers will find the discussion of the origins of the party as the party of the slavocracy particularly interesting.

 Militants who want to get a handle on the discussion on the left around voting for Biden as a way of “Defeating Trump” will find this book to be important reading.

 Women and Socialism: Class, Race, and Capital

 Young people participating in today’s demonstrations put the battle against the oppression of women at the center of their view of the world. The new militants will find many different theories of why women are oppressed. In particular, they will come across theories that stress difference and individual perception and experience. They will also find a common prejudice against Marxism, a belief that Marxism is “class reductionist” and limits everything to economics. The books by Paul D’Amato and Ahmed Shawki discussed above show that our Marxism is of a very different type. It is a Marxism that places great stress on understanding all the forms of oppression engendered by the capitalist society. Sharon Smith’s book Women and Socialism: Class, Race, and Capital is a powerful example of this approach. This book is a thorough study of the how the oppression of women originated and of the movements against that oppression. There are a number of interesting features to this book. The book has a sweeping scale. The author takes us from the origin of the family to the latest debates on intersectionality. Sharon openly explains how the book is now substantially different from its original version. She changed the book due to an intellectual dialog with social reproduction theories and with Black feminism.

 Smith also provides a very clear Marxist explanation of how unpaid domestic labor by women helps raise up new generations of labor whose paid exploitation by capital creates massive surplus value for capitalism. She also provides an easily accessible account of the difference between productive and unproductive labor in Marxist economic theory

Working-class radicalism in the United States

 One part of the Marxist and socialist approach appears quite unrealistic to many of those fighting racism today. This is the idea that the working class is the fundamental force capable of achieving social change and human progress. This is where our fifth and final book, also by Sharon Smith, comes. The book Subterranean Fire: A History of Working-Class Radicalism in the United States is a Marxist history of the American working class. It shows that workers in this country are not only potentially capable of massive fightbacks, but they have a very long history of them . Subterranean Fire provides the factual background to our assertion that the working class and its struggles are the only way to change the world.

To back up this idea, Sharon has to do more than just provide a labor history. She has written an overview of US capitalism and politics in the last 150 years. However, this book is no dry college history book. The author’s deep commitment to workers struggles comes through in the exciting and vivid discussions of strikes and battles, particularly during the turbulent 1930s. 

 The authors of these books would not see them as finished products. Instead, they are works in progress. As new realities develop, they need to be incorporated into the theoretical outlook of revolutionary Marxism. One of the principal tasks of this website and its supporters is to apply the method of these books to today’s new situation. We look forward to doing this through common activity and dialog with the tens of thousands of young activists who have poured into the streets as the George Floyd summer begins.