A series of 8 sessions introducing Platypus’s approach to the history of Marxism.

• required / + recommended [ / ++ supplemental ] readings

Essential background reading:

• Leszek Kolakowski, “The Concept of the Left”

Recommended preliminary/background readings:

+ Edmund Wilson, To the Finland Station: A Study in the Writing and Acting of History (1940), Part II. Ch. (1–4,) 5–10, 12–16; Part III. Ch. 1–6
+ James Joll, The Second International 1889-1914 (1966)
+ Sebastian Haffner, Failure of a Revolution: Germany 1918-19 (1968)

Week 1

• Marx and Friedrich Engels, selections from the Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), pp. 469-500
• Marx, To make the world philosophical (from Marx’s dissertation, 1839–41), pp. 9–11
• Marx, For the ruthless criticism of everything existing (letter to Arnold Ruge, September 1843), pp. 12–15

Week 2

• Screening: Margarethe von Trotta, dir., Rosa Luxemburg (1986 film)
• Rosa Luxemburg, “The Crisis of German Social Democracy” Part 1 (1915), and “Order Reigns in Berlin” (1919)
• J. P. Nettl, “The German Social Democratic Party 1890-1914 as a Political Model” (1965)
[ ++ James Joll, The Second International 1889-1914 (1966) ]

Week 3

• Cliff Slaughter, “What is Revolutionary Leadership?” (1960)

Week 4

• Richard Appignanesi and Oscar Zarate / A&Z, Introducing Lenin and the Russian Revolution / Lenin for Beginners (1977)

Week 5

• Spartacist League, Lenin and the Vanguard Party (1978)

Week 6

• Luxemburg, “The Russian Tragedy” (1918), “Order Reigns in Berlin” (1919)
[ ++ Sebastian Haffner, Failure of a Revolution: Germany 1918-19 (1968) ]

Week 7

• Tariq Ali and Phil Evans, Introducing Trotsky and Marxism / Trotsky for Beginners (1980)

Week 8

• epigraphs by Louis Menand (on Edmund Wilson) and Peter Preuss (on Nietzsche) on the modern concept of history
+ Charles Baudelaire, from Fusées [Rockets] (1867)
+ Bertolt Brecht, "To posterity" (1939)
+ Walter Benjamin, "To the planetarium" (from One-Way Street, 1928)
+ Benjamin, "Fire alarm" (from One-Way Street, 1928)
[JPG] [PDF]
+ Benjamin, "Experience and poverty" (1933)
+ Benjamin, Theologico-political fragment (1921/39?)
+ Benjamin on history chart of terms
• Benjamin, "On the Concept of History" (AKA "Theses on the Philosophy of History") (1940) [PDF]
• Benjamin, Paralipomena to "On the Concept of History" (1940)
+ Benjamin, Arcades Project Convolute N, "On the theory of knowledge, theory of progress" (see especially p. 471 [N8,1] on Horkheimer on unredeemablility of past suffering)
+ Being and becoming (freedom in transformation) / immanent dialectical critique chart of terms

Zum historischen Verhältnis zwischen Anarchismus und Marxismus

Zeit: 03.03. - 07.04.2022 (6 Termine), immer donnerstags 19:00-22:00 Uhr
Ort: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82748045479

Die Texte werden im Voraus gelesen und dann zusammen diskutiert. Neueinsteiger/innen sind herzlich Willkommen. Vorkenntnisse werden keine benötigt.

• vorausgesetzte Texte

+ zusätzlich empfohlene Texte 

Empfohlene Vorbereitungs- und Hintergrundliteratur:

+ Chris Cutrone, "On anarchism and Marxism" (2008)

+ Trevor Bark, "Half-time team talk" (response to Cutrone) (2008)

+ Chris Cutrone, "Against dogmatic abstraction" (2010)

+ Edmund Wilson, Der Weg nach Petersburg (1940), Part II. Kapitel 12–16 (von "Marx und Engels wenden sich der Geschichtsschreibung zu” bis "Karl Marx stirbt an seinem Schreibtisch") (1924)

+ James Joll, The Second International 1889-1914 (1966)

1. Woche | 03.03.22

• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Was ist das Eigentum?, vor allem Kapitel 1, 3 und 4 (1840)

• Karl Marx’ Brief “über P. J. Proudhon” an J. B. v. Schweitzer (1865)

2. Woche | 10.03.22

+ Karl Korsch, "Der Marxismus der Ersten Internationale“ (1924)

• Marx, Inauguraladresse der Internationalen Arbeiter-Assoziation (1864)

• Ferdinand Lassalle, ''Offenes Antwortschreiben'' (1863)

• Michael Bakunin, "A Critique of the German Social-Democratic Program" (1870)

• Bakunin, Marxism, Freedom and State (1872)

3. Woche | 17.03.22

• Marx, Kritik des Gothaer Programms (1875)

• Marx, "Einleitung zum Programm der französischen Arbeiterpartei" (1880)

• Karl Kautsky, Das Erfurter Programm (1892)

+ Korsch, Einleitung zu Marx, Randglossen zum Programm der deutschen Arbeiterpartei (1922)

4. Woche | 24.03.22

• Kautsky, Die soziale Revolution (1902), Teil 1 [in GER (Fraktur) oder ENG] und Teil 2

5. Woche | 31.03.22

• Peter Kropotkin, Die Eroberung des Brotes, vor allem Kapitel 3, 11 und 12 (1906)

• Kropotkin, Anarchist Communism (1909)

+ Errico Malatesta Syndicalism and Anarchism (1926)

6. Woche | 07.04.22

• Kautsky, Der Weg zur Macht (1909)

On this episode, Pamela sits down with our Toronto member Cam Hardy to discuss Canada's "Freedom Convoy", and the responses by the "Left". They investigate Jacobin's hot take on the "inauthentic" working-class character of the protests, and the call by the Canadian Communist Party to criminalize the convoy. In the second segment, Andreas interviews Amir Sturm, a member of the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ). Andreas asks about the current state of the KPÖ, its history & political self-understanding and the relationship between the KPÖ and Junge Linke, an Austrian leftist youth organization. Finally, our Shit Platypus Does team, Rebekah and Lisa, chat with our members Ryan, Daniel, and Phedias about how Platypus has engaged the Left over the Legacy of Occupy, the meaning of Capitalism, and the politics of COVID-19 in our panel events in 2021.

+ The Left on the "Freedom Convoy"
> Jacobin
jacobinmag.com/2022/02/canada-fr…rker-anti-vaccine
jacobinmag.com/2022/02/freedom-t…au-vaccines-covid
> Communist Party of Canada
communist-party.ca/freedom-convoy-…e-ruling-class/
> The Communist League
themilitant.com/2022/02/12/trucke…ght-boss-attacks/

+KPÖ Segment Links
>Platypus Interview with Tobias Schweiger platypus1917.org/2021/12/20/inter…_kpoe_schweiger/
> Platypus panel on the KPÖ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayjLSqH3Y…AffiliatedSociety
> Jacobin article about the election in Graz, September 2021: jacobinmag.com/2021/09/communist…tory-red-fortress
>Links to websites of KPÖ and Junge Linke
www.kpoe.at/?playlist=17a123d&video=2bd4121
www.jungelinke.at/

+ Mentioned in our Shit Platypus Does segment
> What is capitalism and why should we be against it? - Panel Melbourne www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii8nVnWeUu0&t=174s or in the PR What is capitalism, and why should we be against it? platypus1917.org/2021/09/01/what-…be-against-it-2/
> From Protest to Politics? What was the Millennial Left? - Panel youtu.be/NDB0LyeQiU4
> Giving voice to Occupy: An interview with John Leveille platypus1917.org/2021/03/01/givin…h-john-leveille/
> What was Occupy? Ten years later - Panel www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5-4GyAgwFw&t=146s
> D.L. Jacobs, What was the Millennial Left? platypus1917.org/2021/06/01/what-…millennial-left/
> The Millennial Left and the Democratic Party: A response to D. L. Jacobs platypus1917.org/2021/10/01/the-m…e-to-d-l-jacobs/
> Pam N., Platypus at #Occupy: Lessons learned from the death of the Millennial Left
platypus1917.org/2021/06/01/platypus-at-occupy/
> Coronavirus and the Left - Panel Melbourne www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqeIcDT7ys4
> SPS interview with Sue Bolton on Aussie Protests against the Vaccine Mandate platypus1917.org/2021/12/05/ep-41…vaccine-mandate/
> Anti-fascism in the Age of Trump 2017 - Panel Houston www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eaRuXRqP9c
> Hegel and the Left 2020 - Panel www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Pjhv7kDF0
> Corona und die Linke - Panel Germany www.youtube.com/watch?v=cynozxmZQsg
> Police Brutality and the Left - Panel www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwf1_df6FiA