The Meaning of Marxism

by Paul D'Amato

Book Overview

A lively and accessible introduction to the ideas of Karl Marx, with historical and contemporary examples. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1931859299
• ISBN13: 9781931859295
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Haymarket Books
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Essential reading

"The Meaning of Marxism" by Paul D'Amato provides an accessible introduction to Marxist thought for general readers. Mr. D'Amato is an accomplished editor and writer of socialist publications who displays both a thorough knowledge of the Marxist ouevre and a knack for connecting Marxist theory to contemporary world events. The book fills a void by helping us understand the importance and relevancy of Marxism towards helping us remedy the failures of an increasingly dysfunctional and unstable capitalist system. At a time when the word 'socialism' is casually but erroneously thrown about to describe public bailouts for reckless private bankers and short-sighted businesses whose excesses have driven them to financial crisis, Mr. D'Amato reminds us that socialism is actually about empowering the people to democratically manage their own affairs. According to Mr. D'Amato, this definition explains why the Soviet Union and Cuba have failed the socialist test and undeservedly tarnished the Marxist brand. Yet, to the extent that inequality and injustice persist, Marxism has inspired new generations of activists to struggle for political and revolutionary change in our time. As promising as this might be, Mr. D'Amato cautions that the kind of socialism envisioned by Marx can not merely be championed by individual leaders but must be supported by bottom-up movements whose ultimate objective must be the withering away of the state, which is the mechanism by which the rich and powerful have institutionalized their dominion over the poor. Mr. D'Amato goes on to discuss the major themes analyzed by Marx, including materialism, profits, working class politics, human nature, racism, imperialism and war, the environment, and much more. The numerous insights gained are enormously helpful to the reader who wishes to understand the various forces that have shaped the modern experience. As Mr. D'Amato makes clear, Marx' compelling arguments remain essential reading to anyone seeking to develop a coherent and critical worldview. With laissez-faire ideology currently in ill repute, there can be no doubt that the markeplace of ideas is in dire need of the enrichment that can be provided by thought-provoking books such as this. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Terrific summary

This is a wonderful summary of Marx and Marxist thought. With great regularity, Marxism is dismissed as (a) passe, (b) false, (c) ridiculous, (d) evil, and much else. Invariably, the people who do this dismissing either have no idea what Marxism is, and/or have a gilt-edged interest in maintaining the (oppressive) status quo. D'Amato does a wonderful job of putting Marxist thinking into contemporary terms--and of translating difficult jargon into accessible explanations. He is also great at explaining the economic mechanisms that Marx saw and described. We are now entering one of the late phases of capitalism--intense concentration and monopolization, along with imperialist conquest or squeezing of resource-rich and cheap-labor-rich areas. This brings back into focus all of Marx's dire warnings and predictions. Naturally, opponents of Marxist ideas have been vehement to denounce or deride; but once again, the dynamics of capitalism have proved him right and them wrong. (Remember Fukuyama's "End of History"????? Now it's on the scrap-heap of that very history.) A clear, detailed, and inspiring book.

Excellent survey of Marx's thought

Paul d'Amato has done a great service to Marxists and radicals everywhere by giving a concise, thorough, and up to date exposition of the thought of Marx and Engels, and their followers to the present day. The book makes short work of Marxist political economy, which is a rare accomplishment in and of itself, and also provides an engaging case for why Marx's thought is still relevant today. In the Marxist spirit, it does not stop at explaining a theory in mid-air; it never fails to make the ideas practical and concrete. The Meaning of Marxism is essential for anyone who wants to understand this never-more-relevant philosophy, and then use it to change the world.

You just can't keep a good theory down

Every so often we hear pundits declare Marxism is dead and that he was proved wrong because capitalism is flourishing. However, the poverty, the growing gap between the have and have nots, the ongoing wars, the growing number of working people without health coverage, tuition rising for students, and the environmental degradation portray that this is not so for the majority of the people in society. This book is the most liveliest and detailed introduction to the ideas of Karl Marx and Frederick Engel's. Essential for any activist who wants to see change who without a doubt needs to understand how the world works.

Best introduction to Marxism available

Since Marx and Engels first developed their ideas about capitalism, class struggle, and workers' revolution, those ideas have been systematically slandered, distorted, and perverted. After reading D'amato's book, it is easy to see why. Marxist ideas and analysis of capitalism and its built-in flaws and contradictions are dangerous for the capitalist order because they actually explain the roots of war, the massive inequalities between workers and the poor and CEOs, the birth (or rather, creation) of racism, why women are oppressed, environmental destruction, why people starve in a world of food surpluses, and the booms and slumps of the economic cycle. More importantly, Marxism explains how we can get out of the mess that capitalism has put us in: international working class revolution led by revolutionary workers' parties modeled on the Russian Bolsheviks and the early Communist International. D'amato does not simply assert that this is the answer, he explains why and how it is possible in a convincing and accessible way. D'amato takes up common objections to socialism: "it's against human nature," "abolishing capitalist competition would mean crappy products and conformity" etc. He lays out why Marx argued that the working class would inevitably come into conflict with capitalism and why it and it alone has the potential to overthrow the system and create an egalitarian, classless, stateless society, provided a revolutionary party with strong roots and influence in the working class at a time of revolution exists and makes the right moves. He also explains how the Russian revolution of 1917, the first time the working class overthrew capitalism, degenerated and turned into state capitalism, where party bureaucrats set up Gulags to extract huge amounts of surplus value from workers in order to build up heavy industry to compete militarily with western capitalism. The last chapters focus on why socialism can happen in the U.S. and what a future socialist society would be like. This is the only short, well-rounded introduction to Marxism out there. Activists fighting racism, sexism, Islamophobia, environmental destruction, the Iraq/Afghan wars, the attacks on free speech and civil liberties, and corporate greed will find it indispensible as a source of analysis and strategy. This is especially true in the U.S. where a principled and militant left is sorely needed and has to be rebuilt almost from scratch. You can't fight the system if you don't understand it, and you can't win unless you understand the contradictions and weaknesses that make it vulnerable. If you believe that another world is possible and you want to win it, read this book.