Introduction to Marxism

by Ernest Mandel

This is a second, enlarged and corrected edition of this extremely popular introduction by Ernest Mandel whose prolific writings range from the heights of economic theory to polemical works or studies of concrete politicaland economic situations. His best known work popularizing Marxism prior to this book was An Introduction to Marxist Economic Thought.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Theory

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Ernest Ezra Mandel was a German born Belgian-Jewish Marxian economist and a Trotskyist activist and theorist. He fought in the underground resistance against the Nazis during the occupation of Belgium and he became a member of the Fourth International during his youth in Antwerp. Mandel is considered to be populariser of marxism.

Reviews

[C. Varn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated but concise

Mandel's introduction to Marxism is a solid introduction to Marxism as understood by most of the variants of Orthodox Trotskyism by the 1970s. This codification of Marx AA interpreted by Lenin and then Trotsky is concise and yet thorough. It does, however, systematize the works of Marx and Engels into a world view that is easier to critique than what Marx and Engels themselves wrote. Like almost all Trotskyist (and Marxist-Leninist ) sectarian understandings, it takes the schemas of the early Soviet Union as a given even when critiquing the Soviet union. Furthermore, the developments in the CCP, the fall of the USSR, the end decline in influence of national liberation movements, and coming of neoliberalism are unaddressed in this book given when it was written. Those events significantly alter if not invalidate much of Mandel's understanding of things like the nature of geopolitics and the best way for workers to approach politics. That said, Mandel does offer the most concise and developed articulation of this period of Marxist thought in a introduction I have read: the historical materialism chapter alone is highly clarifying, removing a lot of vulgarizations even believed by contemporary Marxists both in and out of the Leninist tradition.

[Nihan D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bu konulara ilginiz var ise başlangıç için güzel bir kaynak. Yazar Troçkist olduğu için Stalin bürokrasisi ile ilgili de bilgilendirici bölümler var.

[Oğulcan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harika bir Marksizme giriş kitabı.
Kitabı bitirdiğinizde Marksizm,Komünist toplum,Diyalektik Materyalizm,SSCB,Stalinizm gibi sol fraksiyonun temel konuları hakkında genel bir fikriniz oluyor. Bence kitap içerik ve akıcılık olarak gayet doyurucuydu. Marksizm için okuma yapılacaksa listede üst sıralara konulabilir.
Yalnız, yazarın Leninist ve Troçkist olduğu kaleminden açıkça belli oluyor. Bazı noktalarda kitap ile ters düşüp düşmemeniz sizin fikirlerinize bağlı.

[Teo García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cómo introducción, habiendo leído ya de por sí textos marxistas, me resultó bastante útil. Mandel decide comenzar por el principio, haciendo un análisis histórico desde la perspectiva marxista para posteriormente poder usar los ejemplos contenidos en los primeros capítulos para explicar conceptos más complejos del materialismo dialéctico e histórico. Al ser un libro relativamente reciente, si lo comparamos con otros autores marxistas relevantes, nos brinda una perspectiva algo más acercada a nuestro tiempo. (Salvando las propias distancias en materia temporal, claramente)

Me falta tal vez cierto análisis de las corrientes dentro del marxismo, aunque sí que se abordan en cierta medida las luchas intestinas dentro del marxismo, especialmente las surgidas en el seno del SPD en la época de la Gran Guerra y postrimerías de esta misma.

Lógicamente es notable la influencia del pensamiento del propio Mandel en el libro, especialmente en la crítica que hace del estalinismo, y la defensa que hace de los postulados de Trotsky, la revolución permanente y la IV Internacional durante el tomo. Un manual útil y clarificador, lógicamente sesgado, como es inevitable.

[Nathaniel Flakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernest Mandel’s Introduction to Marxism was first published in 1975 and has appeared in numerous languages. Even though it’s 50 years old, this is the best book I know to give people an initial overview of Marxist ideas. I have read it 3-4 times in reading groups. What’s your favorite introductory book? It looks like the last edition in English was published by Pluto way back in 1992 — maybe time for a 50th anniversary edition?

[João Mata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially I was very interested .
Eu gostei dos capítulos sobre lutas sociais, lutas de classes, capitalismo, o estado enquanto instrumento de dominação, monopólios, imperialismo etc.

Depois ficou super focado em história e em dialéctica e perdeu-me.

A minha parte favorita foi a concepção de uma sociedade sem classes, como é que se caminharia nesse sentido e as várias etapas. Achei interessante.

Overall acho que não gostei muito pq tive de saltar umas partes

[Leonid Levin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, but very thorough introduction to Marxism. It took me quite some time to finish the book, also because I was studying it with a group of people. The book is definitely worth reading and coming back to. The last two chapters (Materialist dialectics and Historical materialism) have been especially dense and would each deserve a whole book on their own. In short, not an easy read, but well worth it!

[asliarp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marksizm için ideal bir giriş kitabı.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good up until his rather weak treatment of dialectics and materialism.

[Marcos92 · Rating 3 out of 5]

El típico libro de formación marxista. Cumple su propósito divulgativo, pero es largo y reiterativo. No lo recomendaría.

[Pau Guillén · Rating 3 out of 5]

El llibre comença millor del que acaba sense cap mena de dubte. Potser m'esperava un llibre que tractés més a fons la teoria marxista i els seus fonaments econòmics, hi ha moments que em sembla excessivament històric i que dóna per suposat que coneixes esdeveniments del sXIX els quals no tens perquè conèixer.
Amants de Stalin eviteu últims capítols, us faran hiperventilar. Últims capítols ja comença a especular sense cap mena de base racional hipòtetics futur i lluites futures.
És el que és, per començar a manejar certs noms i conceptes està molt bé i sobretot t'obr eles portes a lectures més profundes dels clàssics del tema (Lenin, Luxemburg...).

Pero aunque toda revolución social sea al mismo tiempo una revolución política, toda revolución política no es necesariamente una revolución social. Una revolución que sólo sea política implica el cambio por vía revolucionaria de una forma de dominación, de una forma de Estado de una clase por otra forma de Estado de la misma clase.

[Raya Al-Raddadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good and simple introduction!