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 U.S. state and the U.S. revolution

The U.S. state and the U.S. revolution

It is no exaggeration to say that the principal disputes between activists, organizations and political trends in U.S. social movements have hinged on different understandings of, and attitudes toward, the state. What distinguishes a revolutionary communist...

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...