AI Reads Marx

Marx's Critique of the Gotha Program (1875)

Critique of the Gotha Program (1875) is Karl Marx's sharp analysis of the draft program of the German Social Democratic Workers' Party, in which he critiques its concessions to bourgeois ideology and its lack of revolutionary clarity.
Marx argues for a scientific understanding of socialism, emphasizing that it must emerge from the contradictions of capitalism and transition through a dictatorship of the proletariat before achieving a stateless, classless society.
He also introduces the famous principle "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" for the higher phase of communism, distinguishing it from the transitional socialist phase where distribution is based on labor contribution.

Marx's Value, Price and Profit (1865)

Value, Price, and Profit (1865) is a foundational work by Karl Marx, presented as a lecture to the General Council of the First International, addressing debates about wages and their impact on capitalist production.
In it, Marx critiques the notion that workers' demands for higher wages harm the economy, instead arguing that the real issue lies in the exploitation of surplus value by capitalists.
He provides a concise explanation of labor value theory, surplus value, and the dynamics of profit, while advocating for workers to engage in class struggle to ultimately abolish the wage system and capitalism itself.

Marx's The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1851)

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte is a seminal work by Karl Marx that analyzes the 1851 coup d'état by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in France, drawing broader lessons about the relationship between class struggles, political leadership, and state power.
Marx dissects how historical conditions and class dynamics allowed a demagogue to exploit the fractured working class and reactionary bourgeoisie, crystallizing his theory of the state as a tool of class domination.

Engels' Principles of Communism (1847)

Principles of Communism by Friedrich Engels is a foundational document that outlines the goals and theoretical underpinnings of communism in a clear and systematic way.
 
Written in 1847 as a preparatory draft for the Communist Manifesto, it uses a question-and-answer format to address key topics such as the origins of class struggle, the contradictions inherent in capitalism, and the necessity of abolishing private property to establish a classless society.

Marx & Engels' Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848)

The Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, first published in 1848, is a foundational text for modern socialism and communism.
Emerging during a period of widespread industrialization and social unrest, the Manifesto was commissioned by the Communist League, a small but influential international workers' organization, to articulate their goals and unify the growing socialist movements against the entrenched power of monarchies and capitalist elites.

Marx & Engels' The German Ideology (1846)

The German Ideology by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels critiques the philosophical idealism of their time, arguing that material conditions and economic systems shape human consciousness and societal structures. They introduce the concept of historical materialism, emphasizing that history is driven by class struggles rooted in the means of production.
 
This foundational work lays the groundwork for Marxist theory, challenging readers to rethink the relationship between ideology, economics, and social change.

Engels' Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy (1843)

Written during the rise of industrial capitalism, Engels challenges the dominant economic theories of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, exposing their contradictions and the exploitation underlying the system.
Written during the rise of industrial capitalism, Engels critiques the economic theories of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, highlighting contradictions like wage inequality, market crises, and alienation.
 
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Engels' The Condition of the Working Class in England 1845

AI-generated commentary on Engels' Condition of the Working Class in England (1845), a detailed exposé of the harsh living and working conditions faced by the proletariat during the early Industrial Revolution.
 
Engels calls attention to the social and moral consequences of industrialization, laying the groundwork for a revolutionary critique.

Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844

AI-driven commentary on Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, exploring themes of labor, alienation, and human nature in a concise and accessible commentary.
These early writings lay the groundwork for Marx's critique of political economy, emphasizing the estrangement of workers from their labor, products, and social relationships under capitalist systems.