Fundamentals of Marxism
The Marxist theory of the state: An introduction

The Marxist theory of the state: An introduction

Editor's note: A Spanish translation of this article is available here. Introduction Our understanding of the state lies at the heart of our struggle to create a new society and fundamentally eliminate the oppression, exploitation, war, and environmental destruction...

What does it take to make a socialist revolution?

What does it take to make a socialist revolution?

Editor’s note: A Spanish translation of this article is available here. “The passing of state power from one class to another is the first, the principal, the basic sign of a revolution, both in the strictly scientific and in the practical political meaning of that...

The base-superstructure: A model for analysis and action

The base-superstructure: A model for analysis and action

Introduction Although Marx himself only mentioned the “base” and “superstructure” in (by my count) two of his works, the base-superstructure “problem” remains a source of serious contention for Marxists, our sympathizers, and our critics. Despite its outsized role in...

What is imperialism? An introduction

What is imperialism? An introduction

Editor's note: A Spanish translation of this article is available here. In the suffering of the Global South, the brutality of capitalism lies bare. In a footnote toward the end of Capital, Marx wrote that the colonized subject reveals “what the bourgeois makes of...

Relative surplus value: The class struggle intensifies

Relative surplus value: The class struggle intensifies

Introduction Toward the end of our earlier introduction to surplus value, the heart and motor of the class struggle, we wrote that: “The rate of surplus value for the capitalist is the rate of exploitation for the worker. By merely prolonging the working day, the...