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audiobooks.md
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- [Eduardo Galeano - Open Veins of Latin America, Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:3cc58222c97db89a139260f0ca11368671bea60)
- [Marx and Engels - The Communist Manifesto](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:7428b83a5f9a51885e12166c0895a41f7f05396a&dn=Audiobook+The+Communist+Manifesto+by+Karl+Marx+and+Friedrich+Eng)
- [Fidel Castro - My Life](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:22156961fcefdb4b9cc4ab458f4c60b0fd186761&dn=Fidel%20Castro%20-%20My%20Life)
- [Robert Cialdini - The Psychology of magnet:?xt=urn:btih:e23a07e07eea40cb172625b03253b6484fb27e2f)
- [Robert Cialdini - The Psychology of Persuasion (New and Expanded)](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:e23a07e07eea40cb172625b03253b6484fb27e2f)
- [Walter Rodney - How Europe underdeveloped Africa](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:C8EA24A6B93F427D17585CBDE9F31EE2F5ACF2EB&dn=Walter+Rodney+-+How+Europe+Underdeveloped+Africa+%5Baudiobook%5D+audible)
- [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - An indigenous peoples history of the US. ](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:1ae24bda86bd23da6edad32568ad5ff574663f88&dn=Roxanne%20Dunbar-Ortiz%20-%20An%20Indigenous%20Peoples'%20History%20of%20the%20United%20States.mp3)
- [Autobiography of Malcolm X - as told to Alex Haley](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:4e1ba39a81f987fddf7e6abf9e49e2a0c8490168&dn=Malcolm X - The Autobiography of Malcolm X)

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crash_course_socialism.md
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<!-- toc -->
- [Crash Course Socialism](#crash-course-socialism)
* [Surplus Value](#surplus-value)
* [History, and Human Nature](#history-and-human-nature)
* [Value](#value)
* [Risk](#risk)
* [Conformity](#conformity)
* [Democracy](#democracy)
* [Late Stage Capitalism](#late-stage-capitalism)
* [Defending the Status Quo](#defending-the-status-quo)
* [The State, and Revolution](#the-state-and-revolution)
* [The Communist Legacy](#the-communist-legacy)
* [The Communist Future](#the-communist-future)
* [FAQ](#faq)
- [Surplus Value](#surplus-value)
- [History, and Human Nature](#history-and-human-nature)
- [Value](#value)
- [Risk](#risk)
- [Conformity](#conformity)
- [Democracy](#democracy)
- [Late Stage Capitalism](#late-stage-capitalism)
- [Defending the Status Quo](#defending-the-status-quo)
- [The State, and Revolution](#the-state-and-revolution)
- [The Communist Legacy](#the-communist-legacy)
- [The Communist Future](#the-communist-future)
- [FAQ](#faq)
- [Media](#media)
* [Videos](#videos)
* [Literature](#literature)
+ [Modern introductory books](#modern-introductory-books)
+ [Essays/Introductions](#essaysintroductions)
+ [Marxist literature](#marxist-literature)
+ [Marxian economics](#marxian-economics)
+ [History books](#history-books)
+ [Psychology](#psychology)
+ [Fiction](#fiction)
* [Audiobooks](#audiobooks)
* [Films](#films)
* [Documentaries](#documentaries)
* [Podcasts](#podcasts)
* [Channels](#channels)
- [Videos](#videos)
- [Literature](#literature)
- [Modern introductory books](#modern-introductory-books)
- [Essays/Introductions](#essaysintroductions)
- [Marxist literature](#marxist-literature)
- [Marxian economics](#marxian-economics)
- [History books](#history-books)
- [Psychology](#psychology)
- [Fiction](#fiction)
- [Audiobooks](#audiobooks)
- [Films](#films)
- [Documentaries](#documentaries)
- [Podcasts](#podcasts)
- [Channels](#channels)
- [Organizations](#organizations)
* [Parties / Groups](#parties--groups)
* [Online Communities](#online-communities)
- [Parties / Groups](#parties--groups)
- [Online Communities](#online-communities)
<!-- tocstop -->
*If this is too long to read right now, I recommend /u/thedashrendar's [excellent summary of Capitalism](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/a0mwut/what_exactly_is_capitalism/eaj3b4a/), then coming back to this.*
_If this is too long to read right now, I recommend /u/thedashrendar's [excellent summary of Capitalism](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/a0mwut/what_exactly_is_capitalism/eaj3b4a/), then coming back to this._
# Crash Course Socialism
@ -46,13 +46,13 @@
[Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism) is an economic and social system defined by **social ownership of the means of production**. (Workers democratically own and operate their workplaces, as opposed to private control of production aka [Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism)).
The [means of production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Means_of_production) are non-human inputs that help create economic value, such as **factories, industrial machinery, workplaces, large tracts of land, stores of raw materials**, etc. The means of production are the means of life. Socialists refer to the means of production as *capital*, or [private property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_ownership), i.e., the things which give the people who own them power over those who don't.
The [means of production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Means_of_production) are non-human inputs that help create economic value, such as **factories, industrial machinery, workplaces, large tracts of land, stores of raw materials**, etc. The means of production are the means of life. Socialists refer to the means of production as _capital_, or [private property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_ownership), i.e., the things which give the people who own them power over those who don't.
Private property in the socialist context shouldn't be confused with [personal property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_property#Personal_versus_private_property), such as your home, car, computer, and other possessions, which would be protected. Private property is in actuality another word for *absentee property*, whose ownership is claimed through title only (and not use), for the purpose of extracting rent from the *actual* users, occupants, or workers.
Private property in the socialist context shouldn't be confused with [personal property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_property#Personal_versus_private_property), such as your home, car, computer, and other possessions, which would be protected. Private property is in actuality another word for _absentee property_, whose ownership is claimed through title only (and not use), for the purpose of extracting rent from the _actual_ users, occupants, or workers.
In a Capitalist society the means of production are owned and controlled privately, by those that can afford them (the Capitalist, aka those with Capital). Production is carried out to [benefit the capitalist](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/a0mwut/what_exactly_is_capitalism/eaj3b4a/) (production for profit). Workers are paid a wage, and [receive that amount regardless of how much value they produce](https://www.marxists.org/archive/harman/1979/marxism/ch04.html).
This price of labor power ( called the wage ) becomes a commodity like any other, whose value isn't determined by how much real value the worker adds, but by the absolute minimum amount required for workers to sustain themselves and raise the next generation of workers ( called the cost of social reproduction ).
This price of labor power ( called the wage ) becomes a commodity like any other, whose value isn't determined by how much real value the worker adds, but by the absolute minimum amount required for workers to sustain themselves and raise the next generation of workers ( called the cost of social reproduction ).
Socialists call this difference the [surplus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value), profit, unpaid labor, exploitation, or **wage theft**.
@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ Unlike workers, Capitalists make their living, not by clocking in and being paid
For example, a Copper mine owner neither physically mines the copper, and (living thousands of miles away) likely delegates day-to-day operations to a hired manager. Yet, **because they have a piece of paper that says they own it, they get a large cut of everything that was mined**: the ultimate free lunch.
A 1983 report by England national income and expenditures found that on average, **26 minutes of every hour worked** (or 43% of labor value added) by English workers across a wide range of industries went to various exploiting or unproductive groups, with workers receiving only *57% of their pre-tax productive output as wages*<sup>[1](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf)</sup>. In other words, at least **40% of the work you do every day is stolen by Capitalists.**
A 1983 report by England national income and expenditures found that on average, **26 minutes of every hour worked** (or 43% of labor value added) by English workers across a wide range of industries went to various exploiting or unproductive groups, with workers receiving only _57% of their pre-tax productive output as wages_<sup>[1](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf)</sup>. In other words, at least **40% of the work you do every day is stolen by Capitalists.**
Capitalists use the surplus to [push out competitors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-competitive_practices) and gain market share, leading to the destruction of most small businesses, with [just a few companies](http://imgur.com/a/xgnEp) controlling our food, media, [news](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6U2Un5kEdI), energy, transportation, and finances.
@ -125,79 +125,79 @@ In the table below, both capital and surplus value are controlled by a company's
[Wage workers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oztdRo9GLLk) are **completely dependent** on selling their labor power to those in control of production in order to gain access to the necessities of life (money for food, shelter, clothing, etc). Its similarities to chattel slavery has lead many to term wage work as [wage slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery), with voluntary employment being simply a false choice between **one exploiter or another**.
Technological advancements, instead of benefiting workers, result in decreased or stagnant wages, worsening bargaining power, or **mass layoffs**. For example, a machine that replaces 10 workers *leads to their firing*, resulting in a benefit for the machine owner, and an economic hardship to the fired workers.
Technological advancements, instead of benefiting workers, result in decreased or stagnant wages, worsening bargaining power, or **mass layoffs**. For example, a machine that replaces 10 workers _leads to their firing_, resulting in a benefit for the machine owner, and an economic hardship to the fired workers.
**Increase in profits due primarily to automation**
![The difference between these two lines is the surplus](http://i.imgur.com/FPr1mCB.png)
*The difference between these two lines is a measure of the surplus.*
_The difference between these two lines is a measure of the surplus._
## History, and Human Nature
**Capitalism has nothing to do with human nature**. People can be greedy, or cooperative, depending on the incentive structure and ideology of the socioeconomic system they live in, which is usually out of their control. For the vast majority of human history, small groups of people survived by foraging, growing, or hunting for food **as a community**, in a mode of life termed [primitive communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_communism). Communal sharing was essential to the survival of the group.
**Capitalism has nothing to do with human nature**. People can be greedy, or cooperative, depending on the incentive structure and ideology of the socioeconomic system they live in, which is usually out of their control. For the vast majority of human history, small groups of people survived by foraging, growing, or hunting for food **as a community**, in a mode of life termed [primitive communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_communism). Communal sharing was essential to the survival of the group.
Markets likewise were rare, since communities tended to be self-sufficient. Rituals, harvest festivals, a group of elders deciding fair distribution, or communal decision-making accomplished what markets do today. Private property (and male-dominated societies) came into existence with the growth of large-scale agriculture and animal domestication (A historically male-dominated activity). These tended to be passed on to male descendants (which in turn required strict female sexual control, isolation, and increasing objectification), aggregating into fewer and fewer land-owners, and creating class antagonisms between an owning, and a working class.
Markets likewise were rare, since communities tended to be self-sufficient. Rituals, harvest festivals, a group of elders deciding fair distribution, or communal decision-making accomplished what markets do today. Private property (and male-dominated societies) came into existence with the growth of large-scale agriculture and animal domestication (A historically male-dominated activity). These tended to be passed on to male descendants (which in turn required strict female sexual control, isolation, and increasing objectification), aggregating into fewer and fewer land-owners, and creating class antagonisms between an owning, and a working class.
In the modern day, there is the **communism of the family**, in which family members share freely with one another. There are community welfare organizations, food banks, as well as thousands of undocumented and unpublicized acts of kindness which show that cooperation endures even in spite of the individualism of the current dominant economic system. Popular phrases like, "Money is the root of all evil", hint at our societal dislike of selfishness, and persist alongside the capitalist myths of the "self-made man", and, "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" (which shows the power of capitalist indoctrination: in a nonsensical world, *the impossible becomes possible*).
In the modern day, there is the **communism of the family**, in which family members share freely with one another. There are community welfare organizations, food banks, as well as thousands of undocumented and unpublicized acts of kindness which show that cooperation endures even in spite of the individualism of the current dominant economic system. Popular phrases like, "Money is the root of all evil", hint at our societal dislike of selfishness, and persist alongside the capitalist myths of the "self-made man", and, "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" (which shows the power of capitalist indoctrination: in a nonsensical world, _the impossible becomes possible_).
Capitalism evolved historically out of [feudalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) and [slave societies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery), all three being examples of *class society*, with a dominant [ruling class](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruling_class) receiving the surplus of a subordinate class.
Capitalism evolved historically out of [feudalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) and [slave societies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery), all three being examples of _class society_, with a dominant [ruling class](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruling_class) receiving the surplus of a subordinate class.
Socialism as a diverse philosophy arose out of a criticism after the French revolution, in which a capitalist class (the [bourgeoisie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie)) seemed to merely replace [feudal lords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) to become the new ruling class. At the same time, the exploited serfs were moved off the land ([enclosure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure)) and forced into the cities to become wage-workers.
Socialism as a diverse philosophy arose out of a criticism after the French revolution, in which a capitalist class (the [bourgeoisie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie)) seemed to merely replace [feudal lords](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) to become the new ruling class. At the same time, the exploited serfs were moved off the land ([enclosure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure)) and forced into the cities to become wage-workers.
Marxism is a socialist tradition, which places emphasis on the means of production, your relation to them, and the inherent class struggles involved between **those who control the productive forces and those who don't**, as the primary force driving economic and social relations.
## Value
Economic systems, such as Capitalism, don't invent, *create* or *build* anything. Workers do (See [Soviet Space Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_program)). The "isms" only determine who gets compensated.
Economic systems, such as Capitalism, don't invent, _create_ or _build_ anything. Workers do (See [Soviet Space Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_program)). The "isms" only determine who gets compensated.
Nor does [capitalism spur innovation](https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateCommunism/comments/9c9qj6/in_a_communist_society_what_are_people_motivated/); the pursuit of new ideas is fundamental to humanity, and takes place regardless of the economic system in place. Inventions like rocketry, the internet, space travel, GPS, mobile phones, vaccines, [were all developed under public funding](https://gowans.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/do-publicly-owned-planned-economies-work/).
Nor does [capitalism spur innovation](https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateCommunism/comments/9c9qj6/in_a_communist_society_what_are_people_motivated/); the pursuit of new ideas is fundamental to humanity, and takes place regardless of the economic system in place. Inventions like rocketry, the internet, space travel, GPS, mobile phones, vaccines, [were all developed under public funding](https://gowans.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/do-publicly-owned-planned-economies-work/).
[The labor theory of value (LTV)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_theory_of_value) recognizes that our most valuable resource is time, specifically **socially useful/necessary** labor time. There is after all only a **finite number of hours of work humanity can perform in a given day**; and at least half of that value is going to a few absentee owners.
[The labor theory of value (LTV)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_theory_of_value) recognizes that our most valuable resource is time, specifically **socially useful/necessary** labor time. There is after all only a **finite number of hours of work humanity can perform in a given day**; and at least half of that value is going to a few absentee owners.
The labor theory was commonly accepted in the 19th century ( especially by Smith and Ricardo ), but fell out of favor as capitalist states began to cement economics as a discipline to justify the new status quo.
The labor theory was commonly accepted in the 19th century ( especially by Smith and Ricardo ), but fell out of favor as capitalist states began to cement economics as a discipline to justify the new status quo.
Most capitalist economists treat value like magic fairy dust: it can be created and destroyed with a thought. [Many modern economists and economics professors serve a role akin to the priests during feudalism](https://truthout.org/articles/economic-theorists-the-high-priests-of-capitalism/): treating value and rewards in idealist terms, rather than as scientific concepts, justifying capitalism's immense inequality ( whilst often getting paid to promote it ), and demonizing other theories ( such as LTV ) as heresy.
Most capitalist economists treat value like magic fairy dust: it can be created and destroyed with a thought. [Many modern economists and economics professors serve a role akin to the priests during feudalism](https://truthout.org/articles/economic-theorists-the-high-priests-of-capitalism/): treating value and rewards in idealist terms, rather than as scientific concepts, justifying capitalism's immense inequality ( whilst often getting paid to promote it ), and demonizing other theories ( such as LTV ) as heresy.
Coming down to reality from idealist and subjective experience, value, like any other scientific concept, such as energy, **is preserved** in a closed system.
The labor theory of value [has been proven empirically correct in recent decades](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emnYMfjYh1Q), by comparing the amount of labor required in given industries, and the money output of those industries. For nearly every country with sufficient economic data, **the correlation is > 95%**.
The labor theory of value [has been proven empirically correct in recent decades](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emnYMfjYh1Q), by comparing the amount of labor required in given industries, and the money output of those industries. For nearly every country with sufficient economic data, **the correlation is > 95%**.
Under capitalism, [the subjective theory of value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjective_theory_of_value) is based almost entirely on the [supply and demand curve model which is unscientific](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmbm3u2r_Cs), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGYzhoYK2I) since it presupposes more unknowns than knowns, and as such is useless at making any predictions. Capitalist value theories are based around [utility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility), IE joy, which isn't quantifiable, measurable, comparable, or falsifiable, and as such is *useless* as a scientific concept. Its greatest use is to allow the mega-rich to justify owning [thousands of lifetimes](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/comments/4wxdnb/how_many_lifetimes_of_labor_has_bill_gates_stolen/?ref=search_posts) of stolen labor.
Under capitalism, [the subjective theory of value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjective_theory_of_value) is based almost entirely on the [supply and demand curve model which is unscientific](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmbm3u2r_Cs), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGYzhoYK2I) since it presupposes more unknowns than knowns, and as such is useless at making any predictions. Capitalist value theories are based around [utility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility), IE joy, which isn't quantifiable, measurable, comparable, or falsifiable, and as such is _useless_ as a scientific concept. Its greatest use is to allow the mega-rich to justify owning [thousands of lifetimes](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/comments/4wxdnb/how_many_lifetimes_of_labor_has_bill_gates_stolen/?ref=search_posts) of stolen labor.
[The planned economies](capitalism_doesnt_work.md) such as that of the USSR, while imperfect, often provided [better social outcomes](https://gowans.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/do-publicly-owned-planned-economies-work/) than its Western equivalents. Its publicly owned, planned economy brought it from feudalism to a world superpower, with the [fastest growing economy of the 20th century](https://artir.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/captura-de-pantalla-de-2016-05-26-10-15-23.png), despite starting out at the same level of economic development as Brazil in 1920.
This video by [Paul Cockshott - Going beyond Money](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI01-5zhwdA), illustrates how it is currently possible to go beyond money, and to build a democratically planned, labor-time based economy **for human needs, rather than private profit.**
This video by [Paul Cockshott - Going beyond Money](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI01-5zhwdA), illustrates how it is currently possible to go beyond money, and to build a democratically planned, labor-time based economy **for human needs, rather than private profit.**
## Risk
A common argument is that *Capitalists should be rewarded* for their [financial risk](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/av92oi/someone_said_the_following_in_a_debate_and_i/). The only *risk* owners take is that of being [forced to become a worker like everyone else](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/a7fo1y/does_marx_ever_go_over_risk_in_his_works/) if the business fails.
A common argument is that _Capitalists should be rewarded_ for their [financial risk](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/av92oi/someone_said_the_following_in_a_debate_and_i/). The only _risk_ owners take is that of being [forced to become a worker like everyone else](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/a7fo1y/does_marx_ever_go_over_risk_in_his_works/) if the business fails.
Risk also isn't proportional to reward; Big Capitalists risk much less, and gain much more than smaller ones, just as wage workers risk starvation and homelessness if forces outside their control lead to their firing. The nearer the bottom you are, the **greater your risks.**
Slavemasters took financial *risk* in buying slaves, but that risk doesn't negate the harm done to their slaves, or entitle them to their slaves' labor output. Capitalist risk likewise doesn't entitle them to a portion of their workers' output.
Slavemasters took financial _risk_ in buying slaves, but that risk doesn't negate the harm done to their slaves, or entitle them to their slaves' labor output. Capitalist risk likewise doesn't entitle them to a portion of their workers' output.
The socialist argument is not that individual passive investors should still bear all the risk, it's that they never should have been in a position to bear that risk to begin with, and only got there by exploiting workers. **Society and workers should bear the risk**, make the decisions, and own the means of production that their labor made possible.
The socialist argument is not that individual passive investors should still bear all the risk, it's that they never should have been in a position to bear that risk to begin with, and only got there by exploiting workers. **Society and workers should bear the risk**, make the decisions, and own the means of production that their labor made possible.
## Conformity
[Socialism has nothing to do with conformity](https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/mar/11.htm), restriction of artistic expression, or equality in abilities. It instead proposes *economic and political equality* through the abolition of classes, placing all citizens on an equal footing *with regard to the means of production*. It is Capitalism, with its inherent class hierarchies, that imposes conformity on society through [vapid consumerism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_fetishism), and through the authoritarian nature of capitalist firms themselves. A [chain of command](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_hierarchy) ensures that orders from capitalists drop like a rock, to dominate the actions of every worker.
[Socialism has nothing to do with conformity](https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/mar/11.htm), restriction of artistic expression, or equality in abilities. It instead proposes _economic and political equality_ through the abolition of classes, placing all citizens on an equal footing _with regard to the means of production_. It is Capitalism, with its inherent class hierarchies, that imposes conformity on society through [vapid consumerism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_fetishism), and through the authoritarian nature of capitalist firms themselves. A [chain of command](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_hierarchy) ensures that orders from capitalists drop like a rock, to dominate the actions of every worker.
## Democracy
Socialists view democracy under capitalism to be an unrealistic utopia, better labeled as [Bourgeois Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Marxism), or democracy for the rich, which socialists contrast with proletarian democracy. Under capitalism, political parties, representatives, infrastructure, and the media **are controlled by capitalists**, who place restrictions on the choices given to workers, limit their representative options to vetted capitalist puppets, and limit the [scope of public debate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) to pro-capitalist views.
Socialists view democracy under capitalism to be an unrealistic utopia, better labeled as [Bourgeois Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Marxism), or democracy for the rich, which socialists contrast with proletarian democracy. Under capitalism, political parties, representatives, infrastructure, and the media **are controlled by capitalists**, who place restrictions on the choices given to workers, limit their representative options to vetted capitalist puppets, and limit the [scope of public debate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window) to pro-capitalist views.
[Bourgeois democracies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy#Dictatorship_of_the_bourgeoisie) are in reality [Capitalist Dictatorships](https://i.imgur.com/8vDYw17.jpg), resulting in legislation favorable to the wealthy, regardless of the population's actual preferences. [The Princeton Study, conducted in the US in 2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tu32CCA_Ig), found that the preferences of the average US citizen exert a near-zero influence on legislation, making the US system of elections and campaigning little more than political theater. **Multi-party, Parliamentary / representative democracy has proven to be the safest shell for capitalist rule**, regardless of voting methods or differing political structures, for countries as diverse as Australia, Japan, Sweden, the UK, the US, South Korea, or Brazil.
Examples of restrictions include a [media and news monopoly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership), the [First Past the Post](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo) voting system (which enforces capitalist two party domination), [gerrymandering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering), long term limits with no way to recall unpopular representatives, restrictions crafted to disenfranchise poor and minority voters, bills directly crafted by lobbyists and bourgeois lawmakers, voter suppression, electoral fraud, unverifiable closed source electronic voting systems, capitalist campaign financing, low voter to representative ratios, inconvenient voting locations and times, and most pervasive, *candidate stacking*. **Most elections are performed before we ever get to the polling booth**. In short, political democracy can't exist without economic democracy.
Examples of restrictions include a [media and news monopoly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership), [2](https://swprs.org/the-propaganda-multiplier/), the [First Past the Post](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo) voting system (which enforces capitalist two party domination), [gerrymandering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering), long term limits with no way to recall unpopular representatives, restrictions crafted to disenfranchise poor and minority voters, bills directly crafted by lobbyists and bourgeois lawmakers, voter suppression, electoral fraud, unverifiable closed source electronic voting systems, capitalist campaign financing, low voter to representative ratios, inconvenient voting locations and times, and most pervasive, _candidate stacking_. **Most elections are performed before we ever get to the polling booth**. In short, political democracy can't exist without economic democracy.
The impossibility of Capitalist democracy to make a transition to working-class democracy is best shown by the phrase: **Capitalists will not allow you to vote away their wealth.** Pacifism, and elections have [never been an effective means of disenfranchising the ruling class.](https://theredphoenixapl.org/2011/08/11/pacifism-how-to-do-the-enemys-job-for-them/)
The impossibility of Capitalist democracy to make a transition to working-class democracy is best shown by the phrase: **Capitalists will not allow you to vote away their wealth.** Pacifism, and elections have [never been an effective means of disenfranchising the ruling class.](https://theredphoenixapl.org/2011/08/11/pacifism-how-to-do-the-enemys-job-for-them/)
Communists propose building alternatives alongside of bourgeois democracy, with the goal of to replacing it with **Proletarian democracy**. Measures might include:
- Replacement of bourgeois parliamentary bodies with broadly inclusive workers organizations, such as unions, councils, or syndicates.
- Replacement of bourgeois parliamentary bodies with broadly inclusive workers organizations, such as unions, councils, or syndicates.
- Seizing land, productive facilities, and housing and putting them under democratic control.
- Elimination of all debts, suppression of all private banks and stock markets.
- Elimination of all debts, suppression of all private banks and stock markets.
- Direct democracy in as many decisions as possible, often called [cyber communism](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI01-5zhwdA). A site called [Simplevote](https://simplevote.tk/), a direct democracy voting platform.
- A democratically planned economy for human needs, with open participation.
- Low-level workplace democracy.
@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ Communists propose building alternatives alongside of bourgeois democracy, with
## Late Stage Capitalism
During Capitalism's growth period (early Capitalism), when there are new markets and labor forces to expand to, capitalism can appear stable for the richer consumers whose products *are actually being produced* by exploited, poorer workforces. Likewise, in a labor shortage, as existed in the newly industrializing US, capitalists *have no choice* but to keep wages high (and the rate of exploitation low) in order to bring in workers from other countries, and keep them from becoming subsistence farmers.
During Capitalism's growth period (early Capitalism), when there are new markets and labor forces to expand to, capitalism can appear stable for the richer consumers whose products _are actually being produced_ by exploited, poorer workforces. Likewise, in a labor shortage, as existed in the newly industrializing US, capitalists _have no choice_ but to keep wages high (and the rate of exploitation low) in order to bring in workers from other countries, and keep them from becoming subsistence farmers.
In the southern US, **African slavery was used to solve the labor shortage**, and keep exploitation high (since no wages were paid), and consumer products such as tobacco and cotton cheap. In order to take advantage of cheap labor, capitalists usually build production far away from where those products are actually bought and consumed, meaning that most consumer goods are shipped by ocean-freight, wasting energy and **polluting the environment**.
@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ Since the 1960s, there has been a [labor surplus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Since workers have less money to survive, there is a [tendency for the rate of profit to fall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tendency_of_the_rate_of_profit_to_fall), and capitalists fight and wage wars over the decreasing surplus. [Late stage capitalism](https://www.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/top/) refers to the extreme polarization of the two classes, the increasingly absurd and cruel ways our society copes and justifies such stark inequality, and the horrible things capitalism forces people to do to survive.
As the supply of labor outstrips the demand, it becomes cheaper to employ workers rather than to sink startup costs into innovative technology. Soon, **the technological growth rate grinds to a halt** ([as of 2018 technological growth in Europe has slowed to ~1-2% per year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTl4b0w6mpk)), just as in ancient Rome, inexpensive slave labor lead to stagnant technological progress.
As the supply of labor outstrips the demand, it becomes cheaper to employ workers rather than to sink startup costs into innovative technology. Soon, **the technological growth rate grinds to a halt** ([as of 2018 technological growth in Europe has slowed to ~1-2% per year](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTl4b0w6mpk)), just as in ancient Rome, inexpensive slave labor lead to stagnant technological progress.
In actuality, **capitalism is highly unstable**, made up of a series of crises, economic bubbles, booms, and eventual busts, termed [business cycles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_cycle), that occur every few years with varying intensity, but with most of the resulting burden shifted to workers. The capitalist state often intervenes to prop up failing businesses, and bail out members of its own class.
@ -239,25 +239,25 @@ Many of the largest corporations in the US, [openly bankroll police departments]
Private ownership of the means of production was established through force and [private tyranny](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVt7U2YIgZs), and is only upheld through force. The state is a **special organization of force used for the suppression of one class by another** which (in capitalist society) exercises a monopoly on violence to forcibly maintain the right to private property. The modern state developed alongside the emergent capitalist system as the bourgeoisie seized political and economic control. It arises from the irreconcilable class antagonisms that exist in society.
The State, under capitalist society, which protects private property and upholds the capitalist mode of production, is an instrument wielded by the bourgeoisie to *suppress the proletariat*. **So long as there are classes in society, a State (or any organization that uses force in the interests of a class) must exist.**
The State, under capitalist society, which protects private property and upholds the capitalist mode of production, is an instrument wielded by the bourgeoisie to _suppress the proletariat_. **So long as there are classes in society, a State (or any organization that uses force in the interests of a class) must exist.**
Marxists aim to replace the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, with a transitional [dictatorship of the proletariet](https://theimmortalscience.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/the-state-and-revolution-an-overview/), smashing the presently existing bourgeois state apparatus, and replacing it with a new state, constructed on the basis of worker power, destroying all the elements which exist to oppress workers, and safeguarding the ones that help workers. Once the proletarian state possesses political power and controls the means of production, it will *wither away* over time as it suppresses the bourgeoisie and moves toward a classless, egalitarian society. Eventually, the use of force *is no longer necessary* to suppress class antagonisms, because there *are no classes*, and the oppressive elements of the proletarian state wither away.
Marxists aim to replace the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, with a transitional [dictatorship of the proletariet](https://theimmortalscience.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/the-state-and-revolution-an-overview/), smashing the presently existing bourgeois state apparatus, and replacing it with a new state, constructed on the basis of worker power, destroying all the elements which exist to oppress workers, and safeguarding the ones that help workers. Once the proletarian state possesses political power and controls the means of production, it will _wither away_ over time as it suppresses the bourgeoisie and moves toward a classless, egalitarian society. Eventually, the use of force _is no longer necessary_ to suppress class antagonisms, because there _are no classes_, and the oppressive elements of the proletarian state wither away.
Socialism as an economic system is distinct from [neoliberalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism), as well as [social democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy)/Welfare [state capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism), which aims to band-aid the ills of capitalism while leaving the exploitation inherent in [wage slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery) intact. Social services provided by the capitalist-controlled state have nothing to do with socialism.
## The Communist Legacy
Some Marxists say the regimes typically called socialist are more correctly defined as [State Capitalist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism), since production was controlled by state bureaucracies who also distributed the surplus, rather than through the democratic input of workers. Other Marxists call them *siege socialist*, contrasting it with *pure socialism*, stating that siege socialism is a natural reaction to the external pressures of capitalist encirclement, and that *pure socialism* is an ideal which is [ahistorical and nonfalsifiable.](http://www.greanvillepost.com/2015/05/23/left-anticommunism-the-unkindest-cut/) The US for example, has been involved in [militarily crushing nearly every socialist attempt](us_atrocities.md) for the last 80 years, and installing right-wing fascist dictatorships (friendly to US interests) in their place. Needless to say, **capitalist encirclement has a profoundly distorting affect** on the building of socialism; very few attempts have survived US interventionism. [This talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7WmYEoNtPY&feature=youtu.be) by Micheal Parenti is a good reflection on the soviet experiment.
Some Marxists say the regimes typically called socialist are more correctly defined as [State Capitalist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism), since production was controlled by state bureaucracies who also distributed the surplus, rather than through the democratic input of workers. Other Marxists call them _siege socialist_, contrasting it with _pure socialism_, stating that siege socialism is a natural reaction to the external pressures of capitalist encirclement, and that _pure socialism_ is an ideal which is [ahistorical and nonfalsifiable.](http://www.greanvillepost.com/2015/05/23/left-anticommunism-the-unkindest-cut/) The US for example, has been involved in [militarily crushing nearly every socialist attempt](us_atrocities.md) for the last 80 years, and installing right-wing fascist dictatorships (friendly to US interests) in their place. Needless to say, **capitalist encirclement has a profoundly distorting affect** on the building of socialism; very few attempts have survived US interventionism. [This talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7WmYEoNtPY&feature=youtu.be) by Micheal Parenti is a good reflection on the soviet experiment.
The early stages of the [1917 Russian Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution) were far more progressive than is typically portrayed; Divorce was legalized, **Homosexuality was decriminalized**, land was distributed to the peasantry, banks were nationalized, control of factories was given to worker's councils, **the workday was shortened**, wages were fixed at a higher rate, all elected officials could now be immediately recalled; it created mass literacy drives, free nurseries, communal kitchens, and laundries. 14 Western nations (including the US) [sent troops to Russia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_intervention_in_the_Russian_Civil_War) to fight against the gains of the revolution.
Contrary to the popular phrase, [Communism did work](capitalism_doesnt_work.md): within a few short years, the **Soviet Union doubled its life expectancy**, became a world super-power, and the second fastest growing economy of the 1900s. Other achievements include: near-zero unemployment, continuous economic growth for 70+ years (*excluding WW2*), near-zero homelessness, higher caloric intake than the US, 99% literacy, free education, free health-care (most doctors per capita in the world), free childcare, low poverty, and low levels of sex and racial inequality, not to mention the soviet space program's achievements. [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/comments/86tqdd/but_socialism_doesnt_work_s/dw7qco0/)
Contrary to the popular phrase, [Communism did work](capitalism_doesnt_work.md): within a few short years, the **Soviet Union doubled its life expectancy**, became a world super-power, and the second fastest growing economy of the 1900s. Other achievements include: near-zero unemployment, continuous economic growth for 70+ years (_excluding WW2_), near-zero homelessness, higher caloric intake than the US, 99% literacy, free education, free health-care (most doctors per capita in the world), free childcare, low poverty, and low levels of sex and racial inequality, not to mention the soviet space program's achievements. [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/comments/86tqdd/but_socialism_doesnt_work_s/dw7qco0/)
These achievements were possible due to efficient use of resources resulting from the lack of a parasitic capitalist class expropriating the majority of the nation's wealth. Similar outcomes in other socialist countries prove that [socialism did indeed work](capitalism_doesnt_work.md), and provided an alternative to the private property system. This is why it was *intentionally and systematically* attacked by Western capitalist nations.
These achievements were possible due to efficient use of resources resulting from the lack of a parasitic capitalist class expropriating the majority of the nation's wealth. Similar outcomes in other socialist countries prove that [socialism did indeed work](capitalism_doesnt_work.md), and provided an alternative to the private property system. This is why it was _intentionally and systematically_ attacked by Western capitalist nations.
The famines and economic hardship typically associated with communism in Russia and China, were partially a result of the painful process of [industrialization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrialisation), and the transition from agriculture to industry. It would be the case whether capitalists, communists, or enlightened rulers were in power. During England's rapid industrialization, life expectancy in some cities was less than 30 years. This is the case with every country in the process of industrialization. [Lysenkoism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism), and [a period of droughts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine) made the problem worse. The scale of famines were also exaggerated by capitalist historians, whose brinkmanship in quoting higher death counts is contradicted by the **massive population growth** of those countries. Even in spite of this, a look at a [drastic increase in the life expectancy in the USSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Soviet_Union#Life_expectancy_and_infant_mortality) should put to rest the notion of socialism as contributing to starvation.
The famines and economic hardship typically associated with communism in Russia and China, were partially a result of the painful process of [industrialization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrialisation), and the transition from agriculture to industry. It would be the case whether capitalists, communists, or enlightened rulers were in power. During England's rapid industrialization, life expectancy in some cities was less than 30 years. This is the case with every country in the process of industrialization. [Lysenkoism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism), and [a period of droughts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chinese_Famine) made the problem worse. The scale of famines were also exaggerated by capitalist historians, whose brinkmanship in quoting higher death counts is contradicted by the **massive population growth** of those countries. Even in spite of this, a look at a [drastic increase in the life expectancy in the USSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Soviet_Union#Life_expectancy_and_infant_mortality) should put to rest the notion of socialism as contributing to starvation.
Exaggerated death counts blamed on *communism* and usually attributed to Stalin or Mao are often due to Western historians attributing **all deaths** to the economic system (One stark example, is the US-state-run organization "victims of communism", which counts German WW2 casualties as communist victims). This would be the equivalent of attributing deaths from the [Dust Bowl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl) to FDR. Yet [UNICEF](http://www.unicef.org/sowc06/pdfs/sowc06_chap1.pdf), [RESULTS](https://web.archive.org/web/20080527011602/http://www.results.org/website/article.asp?id=241), and [Bread for the World](http://www.bread.org/hunger/global/facts.html) estimate that **15 million** people die **each year** from preventable poverty, of whom 11 million are [children under the age of five.](http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/08/crimes-against-humanity-01-poverty-murder-over-400-million-people-since-1995-more-than-all-wars-in-recorded-history.html)
Exaggerated death counts blamed on _communism_ and usually attributed to Stalin or Mao are often due to Western historians attributing **all deaths** to the economic system (One stark example, is the US-state-run organization "victims of communism", which counts German WW2 casualties as communist victims). This would be the equivalent of attributing deaths from the [Dust Bowl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl) to FDR. Yet [UNICEF](http://www.unicef.org/sowc06/pdfs/sowc06_chap1.pdf), [RESULTS](https://web.archive.org/web/20080527011602/http://www.results.org/website/article.asp?id=241), and [Bread for the World](http://www.bread.org/hunger/global/facts.html) estimate that **15 million** people die **each year** from preventable poverty, of whom 11 million are [children under the age of five.](http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/08/crimes-against-humanity-01-poverty-murder-over-400-million-people-since-1995-more-than-all-wars-in-recorded-history.html)
Even if we were to fully accept the Western propaganda that socialist regimes have killed 100 million people, then within 10 years, **capitalism kills more children under the age of 5 than socialism did in 150 years**.
@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ Communism is the highest developed stage of socialism wherein there is no state,
Many socialists point to [directly democratic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy) [worker’s councils](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers'_council) as an ideal way to organize production, with [gift economies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy) for abundant goods, and [labor voucher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_voucher) economies for scarce/luxury goods. Here is an example of a [moneyless, Cyber-Communist system](paul_cockshott_cyber_communism.md), [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI01-5zhwdA).
Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_commune), [Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia), [USSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union), [People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China), [Socialist Republic of Vietnam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam), [Laos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos), [Belarussian SSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byelorussian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic), [Peoples socialist republic of Albania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Socialist_Republic_of_Albania), [Peoples republic of Bulgaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Bulgaria), the [GDR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Democratic_Republic), [Hungary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_People%27s_Republic), the [Democratic people's republic of Korea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_People%27s_Republic_of_Korea), [Mongolian people's republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_People%27s_Republic), and [Cuba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba).
Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_commune), [Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia), [USSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union), [People's Republic of China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China), [Socialist Republic of Vietnam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam), [Laos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos), [Belarussian SSR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byelorussian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic), [Peoples socialist republic of Albania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Socialist_Republic_of_Albania), [Peoples republic of Bulgaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Bulgaria), the [GDR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Democratic_Republic), [Hungary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_People%27s_Republic), the [Democratic people's republic of Korea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_People%27s_Republic_of_Korea), [Mongolian people's republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_People%27s_Republic), and [Cuba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba).
[Revolutionary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_socialism) vs [Evolutionary (Reformist)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformism) socialism, [Economic planning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_economy) with [labor vouchers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_voucher) vs. [Market socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_socialism), are a few debated topics within socialism.
@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wi
- [Introductory books](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:6980fde654f217ec9c81b30eab1ca3a13bbbca1e&dn=Socialist+books+starter+pack)
- [Paul D’Amatto - the meaning of Marxism](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:24c9a942f97f99c1816a344292b7baff5f289986&dn=The+Meaning+of+Marxism+-+Paul+D%27Amato.epub)
- [Danny Katch - Socialism…. Seriously](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:1565682421ff7082fdad461266ab9e403fb50cfc)
- [Danny Katch - Socialism…. Seriously](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:1565682421ff7082fdad461266ab9e403fb50cfc)
- [Chris Harman - How Marxism Works](https://www.marxists.org/archive/harman/1979/marxism/index.html). [Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjob9lPqBGAyQAX6lhxm5fE_d)
- Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds. [Youtube audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjoak57jcXDh1rY4n7Ic-EVsE)
- [Peter Gelderloos - How Nonviolence Protects the State](https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how-nonviolence-protects-the-state)
@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wi
- [Howard Zinn - A Peoples History of the United States](http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html)
- [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz - An indigenous peoples history of the US. ](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:1ae24bda86bd23da6edad32568ad5ff574663f88&dn=Roxanne%20Dunbar-Ortiz%20-%20An%20Indigenous%20Peoples'%20History%20of%20the%20United%20States.mp3)
- Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds. [Youtube audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjoak57jcXDh1rY4n7Ic-EVsE)
- Michael Parenti - Inventing Reality. [Youtube audiobook](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjob0rkb9-tZlCvHAKse_HtF6)
- Michael Parenti - Inventing Reality. [Youtube audiobook](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjob0rkb9-tZlCvHAKse_HtF6)
- [Parenti - Inventing Reality: A critique of US media](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:e6c5eaf8b2844984394ac9901c0e563785ba4bb2&dn=Michael%20Parenti%20-%20Inventing%20Reality%20%5baudiobook%5d%20by%20dessalines)
- [Eduardo Galeano - Open Veins of Latin America](https://www.amazon.com/Open-Veins-Latin-America-Centuries/dp/0853459916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485894404&sr=8-1&keywords=open+veins+of+latin+america)
- [Walter Rodney - How Europe underdeveloped Africa](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:C8EA24A6B93F427D17585CBDE9F31EE2F5ACF2EB&dn=Walter+Rodney+-+How+Europe+Underdeveloped+Africa+%5Baudiobook%5D+audible)
@ -385,10 +385,10 @@ Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wi
- [I, Daniel Blake (2016)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5168192/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)
- [The Proud Valley (1940)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Proud_Valley)
- [The Young Karl Marx (2017)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Karl_Marx)
- [Network (1976)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_(1976_film))
- [Network (1976)](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_(1976_film)>)
- [The Hospital (1971)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hospital)
- [Burn! (1969)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn!_(1969_film))
- [Trumbo (2015)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumbo_(2015_film))
- [Burn! (1969)](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn!_(1969_film)>)
- [Trumbo (2015)](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumbo_(2015_film)>)
- [Walter defends Sarajevo (1972)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Defends_Sarajevo)
- [Rosa Luxemburg (1986)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091869/?ref_=ttls_li_tt)
- [Joe Hill (1971)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067276/?ref_=ttls_li_tt)
@ -420,6 +420,7 @@ Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wi
- [Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in Seoul (서울의 평양 시민들)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktE_3PrJZO0)
- [The Haircut - A North Korean Adventure](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BO83Ig-E8E)
- [Weight of Chains - The overthrow of Yugoslavia.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weight_of_Chains)
- [Coup 53](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_53)
## Podcasts
@ -455,6 +456,7 @@ Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wi
- [/r/socialistprogrammers](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialistprogrammers/)
- 101s
- [/r/GenZhou](https://www.reddit.com/r/genzhou/)
- [/r/asktankies](https://www.reddit.com/r/asktankies/)
- [/r/communism101](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/)
@ -464,4 +466,4 @@ Past and present socialist societies include - The [Paris Commune](https://en.wi
- [/r/FULLCOMMUNISM](https://www.reddit.com/r/FULLCOMMUNISM/)
- [/r/ShitLiberalsSay](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitLiberalsSay/)
*Credit to [/u/gab91](https://www.reddit.com/u/gab91), [/r/socialism](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/), [/r/socialism_101](https://www.reddit.com/r/Socialism_101/), [/r/communism101](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/)*
_Credit to [/u/gab91](https://www.reddit.com/u/gab91), [/r/socialism](https://www.reddit.com/r/socialism/), [/r/socialism_101](https://www.reddit.com/r/Socialism_101/), [/r/communism101](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/)_

10
dessalines_marxism_study_plan.md
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@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Here's an ordered list of Marxist books and essays that can serve as a reading l
This isn't a comprehensive list: these are the ones I wish I could go back in time to give to middle-school me.
It alternates between theory, history, and psychology.
It alternates between theory, history, and psychology.
- [Engels - Principles of Communism](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/11/prin-com.htm) [Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS4cpvvLeYo&t=14s) A glossary of terms to get us all on the same page.
- [Lenin - The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism](https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1913/mar/x01.htm). The best short essay introduction to Marxism.
@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ It alternates between theory, history, and psychology.
- (Optional) [Paul D’Amatto - the meaning of Marxism](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:24c9a942f97f99c1816a344292b7baff5f289986&dn=The+Meaning+of+Marxism+-+Paul+D%27Amato.epub). [Youtube audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX9h_ApIRc0&list=PL0-IkmzWbjoaJXdItsv-JPqE7gBW2M80o). A modern introduction to Marxism, only read if you have been having trouble understanding concepts.
- (Optional) [Chris Harman - How Marxism Works](https://www.marxists.org/archive/harman/1979/marxism/index.html). [Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjob9lPqBGAyQAX6lhxm5fE_d) Another shorter modern introduction to Marxism: read this if you've been having any trouble.
- [Lenin - State and Revolution](https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/). [Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GrP0EVJkVE&list=PL0-IkmzWbjoatUez9-2vaAvB78afoKNRC). The most important political work of the 20th century. Through a clarifying and critical analysis of Marx and Engels's thoughts on the state, Lenin explains the class nature of the state, and argues convincingly for the creation of proletarian states: the vehicle which can bring about socialism. This strategy and analysis would be adopted and sucessfully carried out in dozens of countries following this blueprint. Focuses on the most important question for all socialists: What is to be done?
- Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds. [Youtube audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjoak57jcXDh1rY4n7Ic-EVsE). Brandolini's law: It takes 10x the amount of energy required to refute bullshit, than it does to produce it... IE, it's far easier to learn theory, than it is to undo a lifetime of anti-communist propaganda. This book explains *why* that cradle-to-grave anti-communist indoctrination process exists (from school to workplace to media), and why the mere existence of communist countries is so threatening to the wealthy. It gives an overview of the soviet experiment: what it achieved for humanity, the history of its anti-fascist struggle, and its struggle for human equality, and how its overthrow, and how the US entrenchment of neoliberal globalization and neo-colonialism has wrought destruction in the global south.
- Michael Parenti - Blackshirts and Reds. [Youtube audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjoak57jcXDh1rY4n7Ic-EVsE). Brandolini's law: It takes 10x the amount of energy required to refute bullshit, than it does to produce it... IE, it's far easier to learn theory, than it is to undo a lifetime of anti-communist propaganda. This book explains _why_ that cradle-to-grave anti-communist indoctrination process exists (from school to workplace to media), and why the mere existence of communist countries is so threatening to the wealthy. It gives an overview of the soviet experiment: what it achieved for humanity, the history of its anti-fascist struggle, and its struggle for human equality, and how its overthrow, and how the US entrenchment of neoliberal globalization and neo-colonialism has wrought destruction in the global south.
- [Stephen Gowans - Do Publicly Owned, Planned Economies Work?](http://gowans.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/do-publicly-owned-planned-economies-work) [audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYf3gZZFa0k&list=PL0-IkmzWbjobDdDbSC_YgZfV94BQiRIB8) A great essay to accompany the previous book, about the tremendous success of the soviet planned economy, and the real reasons for the USSR's downfall.
- [Marx - Critique of the Gotha Programme](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/Marx_Critque_of_the_Gotha_Programme.pdf) An invaluable essay from Marx dissecting a weak socialist party program, where Marx also outlines the transition from capitalism to communism, as well as a description of how a labor-time based economy can function.
- [Rosa Luxemburg - Reform or Revolution](http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1900/reform-revolution/index.htm) . [Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhzmaUofLS8&list=PL0-IkmzWbjoYqO_Yec4sWzPeeFXMOkPWs). Why electoralism will not save us, and revolution is the only way forward.
@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ It alternates between theory, history, and psychology.
- [Kwame Nkrumah - The Mechanisms of Neo-colonialism.](https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/nkrumah/neo-colonialism/ch01.htm) Essay describing how neocolonialism and US "aid" impoverishes Africa.
- [Ward Wilson - The bomb didn't beat Japan, Stalin did.](http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/05/30/the-bomb-didnt-beat-japan-stalin-did/) [Audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjoaLP3G2HGj-O5JTepm0Kjt-). Essay on the mythology around the US use of atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- (Optional) [Zinn - A people's history of the US.](https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States/dp/0060838655) A good beginner US history book, looks at US history from the lens of its most oppressed populations. The chapters on the US constitution and civil wars are excellent.
- [Fidel Castro - My Life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Life_(Fidel_Castro_autobiography)) (Audiobook on torrents). This book will get you into the mindset of what it means to be a socialist: to rebel, to teach, to be a good comrade, and to fight for the betterment of humanity. Castro was an active part of many of the most important events of the 20th century; but not only is his wisdom on these events invaluable, his life was truly extraordinary. You will learn hundreds of lessons from communist grandpa reading this book.
- Michael Parenti - Inventing Reality. [Youtube audiobook](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjob0rkb9-tZlCvHAKse_HtF6). A great expose of US / western media, examining the tactics employed by a small number of capitalist media companies to indoctrinate the population, backed up by comprehensive historical examples.
- [Fidel Castro - My Life](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Life_(Fidel_Castro_autobiography)>) (Audiobook on torrents). This book will get you into the mindset of what it means to be a socialist: to rebel, to teach, to be a good comrade, and to fight for the betterment of humanity. Castro was an active part of many of the most important events of the 20th century; but not only is his wisdom on these events invaluable, his life was truly extraordinary. You will learn hundreds of lessons from communist grandpa reading this book.
- Michael Parenti - Inventing Reality. [Youtube audiobook](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjob0rkb9-tZlCvHAKse_HtF6). A great expose of US / western media, examining the tactics employed by a small number of capitalist media companies to indoctrinate the population, backed up by comprehensive historical examples.
- [Frantz Fanon - The Wretched of the Earth](https://groveatlantic.com/book/the-wretched-of-the-earth/). A great look at the psychology of settler-colonialism, and the path to liberation.
- [J. Sakai - Settlers: the Mythology of the White Proletariat](http://readsettlers.org/text-index.html), [audiobook](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-IkmzWbjoZEICtu8cocz_3oRFS6L7wN). The most important US history book. Analyzes the US's settler-colonialist foundations, its history of genocide, exploitation, social bribery, and the spoils that went to those who willingly absorbed into whiteness and the murican dream (even if they had to kill indians to get some cheap land to do so.) Excellent and unique analysis of FDR's new deal as the bribery and absorption of the labor movement into the murican dream.
- [Marx - Wage Labour and Capital](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1847/wage-labour/) A great primer to read before diving into Capital.
@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ It alternates between theory, history, and psychology.
- [Stalin - The foundations of Leninism.](https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1924/foundations-leninism/index.htm) An invaluable text on what Marxism-Leninism adds to the Marxist tradition.
- [Zak Cope - Divided world divided class.](https://www.amazon.com/Divided-World-Class-Stratification-Capitalism-ebook/dp/B00SE3V9GY) A look at the imperialist division of the world, and modern class politics of the imperial-core labor aristocracy.
- [Cockshott and Cottrell - Towards a New Socialism (pdf)](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/%7Ecottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf) [epub](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/TNS.epub) [audiobook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjHCPWs5sl4&list=PL0-IkmzWbjoZNiItBbuVvKQBdE80tsyhx) Many books talk about what communists are against: this book is about what we're for: it outlines how we can use modern technology to go beyond money, and implement a planned economy based on human labor time.
- [CLR James - The Black Jacobins](http://www.ouleft.org/wp-content/uploads/CLR_James_The_Black_Jacobins.pdf) A story of the only successful slave revolt in world history, that occurred in Haiti in the late 1700s.
- [CLR James - The Black Jacobins](http://www.ouleft.org/wp-content/uploads/CLR_James_The_Black_Jacobins.pdf) [Audiobook](magnet:?xt=urn:btih:d205972f1200de9670514679710cd3da3a3c2774&dn=The%20Black%20Jacobins%20Toussaint%20L%27Ouverture%20and%20the%20San%20Domingo%20Revolution%20-%20C.L.R.%20James). A story of the only successful slave revolt in world history, that occurred in Haiti in the late 1700s.
- [John Smith - Imperialism in the 21st century.](https://www.amazon.com/Imperialism-Twenty-First-Century-Globalization-Super-Exploitation/dp/1583675779) An update to Lenin's imperialism, this is an advanced level book that shows how imperialism functions in the era of neoliberal globalization and transnational corporations.
- [The quotations of Chairman Mao Zedong "the little red book"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotations_from_Chairman_Mao_Tse-tung). A greatest hits of Mao's wisdom on many subjects.
- [Eduardo Galeano - Open Veins of Latin America](https://www.amazon.com/Open-Veins-Latin-America-Centuries/dp/0853459916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485894404&sr=8-1&keywords=open+veins+of+latin+america) A history of imperialist exploitation of latin America by Europe.

27
mandarin_guide.md
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@ -1,5 +1,30 @@
# Mandarin Study Plan
- [Refold Mandarin Guide](https://refold.la/quickstart)
## Daily study
| Type | Time (minutes) |
| --------- | -------------- |
| Vocab | 15 |
| Grammar | 15 |
| Immersion | 30 |
## To Watch
- https://youtu.be/dpQ3IMd4AMg?list=PLwFUKjRMEUxw2IRsDA8GZGW1AZdgCoiAA
- https://youtu.be/q2hrlAGewvY
- https://youtu.be/Ng3UC894haQ
- https://youtu.be/qrXIeWGvHDg?list=PLrYgra2FrMh-fQrd59Gdqn9Jq9ZLTqfJc
- https://youtu.be/mfBwNIjMbss?list=PL7VdqFXO0Lzdu2U1q-_vZxcuWyqJEitZV
## Immersion resources
- [Refold mandarin main guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vS5Hri7NoO6bhY4rFpCGpkPCB46OS2ZCX7bpDiRU2dNA0CJnHwWKG885NdAbREzXVRkSnbVO8ODaVwv/pub)
- [Refold Mandarin resources](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1mq3sfslUsC9WlPM7pJN5A7hOFdVqpEFBbiU8-fgmRUw/htmlview#gid=0)
- [Heavenly path resources](https://heavenlypath.notion.site/heavenlypath/Heavenly-Path-d9be1806465b4525afeb132d1079194c)
- Chinese marxism lectures youtube?
## Apps
- [HelloChinese](http://hellochinese.cc/)
@ -26,5 +51,7 @@
### Anki decks
- [HSK](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1907668496)
- [Zhongwen red green blue](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/3169370251)
- [Domino Chinese](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/722819818)
- [Spoonfed Chinese](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/53920083)

59
recipes/cold_brew_coffee.md
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@ -1,10 +1,63 @@
# Iced filtered coffee
# French press
- 32.5g coffee/500ml
- 30g medium coarse grounded Coffee + 500 ml water
- leave it 4 minutes
- mix a bit at top, remove foam and fines with spoon
- let it rest 5 or + minutes
- After that, press the filter just until the surface and pour the coffee through it (without pressing the plunge all the way).
# Hot coffee v60
- Grind 30 g of coffee
- Rinse paper filter with water just off the boil
- Add coffee grounds to V60
- Create well in the middle of the grounds
- Start timer
- t = 0:00
- Add 2x coffee weight = 60 g of bloom water
- Swirl the coffee slurry until evenly mixed
- Bloom for up to 45 s
- t = 0:45
- Add water aiming for 60% of total brew weight = 300 g in the next 30 s
- Since you already added 60 g bloom water, add 240 g in 30 s (flow rate = 8 g/s)
- t = 1:15
- Add water aiming for 100% of the total brew weight = 500 g in the next 30 s
- Since you already added 300 g water, add 200 g in 30 s (flow rate = 6.66 g/s)
Poor a little slower than in the first phase, not too aggressively
- t = 1:45
- Stir 1x clockwise and 1x anticlockwise with spoon. This knocks off grounds from side wall
- Allow V60 to drain a little
- Give V60 a gentle swirl
- Let brew drawdown. Aim to finish drawdawn by t = 3:30
- Enjoy!
# Iced filtered coffee
## Ingredients
- 20g Coffee ( medium coarse, not too fine or else it will be bitter)
- 150g Ice
- 150ml hot water (205°F)
## Brew
- Put ice into the decanter.
- Wet filter with hot water.
- Put coffee in filter. Make a divot in the middle.
- Bloom the coffee with 50g of hot water.
- Swirl
- Add 100g of water to reach 150g total.
- Swirl to get extra bits.
- Should take ˜2-3 minutes total
- Serve over ice cubes
---
- 30g coffee/500ml
- 200g ice
- 300g hot water
1. 97g bloom (45sec) stir bloom
1. 60g bloom (45sec) stir bloom
2. pour remain water in 2:30 to 3 minutes
3. stir once circular motion once in opposite motion
4. after drawdown, swirl canister to melt ice

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socialism_faq.md
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workout_routine.md
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@ -2,13 +2,15 @@
## Week
Day | Workout
--- | ---
Mon | Lower
Tues | Upper + Abs
Wed | Rest
Thurs | Lower + Abs
Fri | Upper + Cardio
| Day | Workout |
| ----- | --------- |
| Mon | Full Body |
| Tues | Rest |
| Wed | Rest |
| Thurs | Full Body |
| Fri | Rest |
Order: Chest, Legs, Arms, Cardio / Core, Posture
## Equipment
@ -20,20 +22,44 @@ Fri | Upper + Cardio
Use the android app XPlayer, a video player you can mute, so I can listen to audiobooks / music while I work out.
## Videos
## Videos
### Upper videos
### Chest
#### Chest
- [MiDASMVMT - 15 min dumbell chest workout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o1YzksPuqg)
- [Fraser Wilson - 20 min chest and shoulder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDtemhu9PjA)
#### Arms
### Arms
#### Back
- [Fraser Wilson - 15 min arm workout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY6-JzdnHUM)
- [Fraser Wilson - 20 min dumbell arms](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzwU9RR6l2w)
#### Shoulders
### Back
### Lower
- [MiDaSMVMT - 15 min Dumbbell back](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjzlUcjsRLs)
### Shoulders
- [MiDaSMVMT - 15 min shoulders and traps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ5kX8BBmw4)
### Lower
- [FitnessBlender - 30 min dumbbell squats and deadlifts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0FxMguetIw)
- [Juice & Toya - 20 min lower body dumbell workout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PRk8DH2_mY)
- [Fraser Wilson - 20 min home leg workout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wg9g9Uxomg)
### Cardio / abs
- [FitnessBlender - 20 min Brutal HIIT Ladder Workout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZnsLVArIt8)
- [Fraser Wilson - 20 min Dumbell abs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9HcNA2AXnQ)
- [Pamela Reif - 10 min hiit workout](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr08J6wB53Y)
- [Athlean X - 6 pack abs workout (10 mins)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OF3q6MHie8)
### Posture / corrective
- [Jeremy Ethier / GjustLink - Follow-along 12 min posture routine ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV67sCZwBuc)
## Dieting
- [Jeff Nippard - The smartest way to get lean](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8V9ZaSq9Oc)
### Abs / core
### Cardio