Learn about Marxism-Leninism

FOR COMMUNISTS, THEORY AND PRACTICE, UNDERSTANDING AND ACTION, GO HAND IN HAND.

Scotland Class

The tasks of the Young Communist Leagues might be summed up in a single word: Learn. — Lenin, The Tasks of the Youth Leagues, October 1920.

The Young Communist League should distinguish itself with one single word: Vanguard. Comrades, you must be the vanguard, at the forefront of every movement. The first on the job. The first at their studies. The first in the defence of our people. — Che Guevara, What a young Communist should be, October 1962.

Marxism-Leninism is a combination of scientific, philosophical and political theories, developed since Marx and Engels up to the present day.

Marxism-Leninism, also known as Scientific Socialism, allows human beings to understand the problems of history and humanity and find our way in a complex and chaotic modern world.

It allows us to understand the realities of today’s social and economic system, capitalism, and organise to overthrow this degenerate system, save the planet and replace capitalism with a system based on social and economic progress, common ownership and working people’s democracy, Socialism.

YCL and Communist Party documents:

  • Britain’s Road to Socialism, the regularly updated programme of the Communist Party, to which we are constitutionally bound, explains the long-term context and strategy of the fight for working class power and Socialism in Britain.
  • The Britain’s Road to Socialism Study Guide helps readers gain a greater understanding of Britain’s Road to Socialism (BRS) and also related areas of Marxist theory.
  • Back2Basics from Challenge is our series on Marxist concepts made easy, an excellent resource for those interested in learning more about Communist politics.
  • The YCL’s Congress Political Resolution is a medium-term summary of what we think and what we are going to do, agreed by members at Congress every two years. Our most recent 49th Congress was in December 2018.
  • Our Constitution explains our organisation’s rules and expectations of members.

The Communist Manifesto, first published in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, explains the nature of capitalism and the inevitability of working class revolution, Socialism and Communism.

Introducing Marxism is a short study pamphlet on Marxism, capitalism, Socialism, Communism and revolution.

Visit Challenge for the news, views and culture of the YCL and young workers and students in Britain, as well as the Challenge Podcast and Challenge TV.

Buy and read the people’s daily socialist newspaper, the Morning Star, available at newsagents (you can ask them to stock it on sale or return) and online.

The Morning Star is the only daily socialist newspaper in the English language, focused on building and providing voices for the broad labour and progressive movement while its editorial policy follows the Communist Party programme, Britain’s Road to Socialism.

Learn more about Socialism and what the Communists are fighting for in Britain and worldwide on the Communist Party website.

Further reading from the Marxists Internet Archive:

  • What is to be Done?, written by Lenin in 1902, discusses the creation of a new type of revolutionary working class party — the Communist Party.
  • The State and Revolution, written by Lenin in 1917, discusses the Marxist analysis of the capitalist state and working class revolution.
  • Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, written by Lenin in 1916, discusses the division and subjugation of the world by the most powerful capitalists (imperialism).

Our friends at the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School organise regular events, online courses and more on Marxism, Socialism and the working class movement.

Ed. July 2020