What is Marxism?

In this epoch of instability, crisis, war and ever‑growing inequality, Marxism is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition to millions of workers and young people around the world. The old mole of revolution, to use Karl Marx's own phrase, is burrowing deep into the foundations of society.

Marxism — or scientific socialism — is the name given to the body of ideas first worked out by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In their totality, these ideas provide a fully worked-out theoretical basis for the struggle of the working class to attain a higher form of human society — socialism.

This book is aimed specifically at newcomers to Marxism. A bestseller now in its third edition, it features introductory pieces on the three component parts of Marxist theory: dialectical materialism, historical materialism and Marxist economics. Complementing these introductions are key extracts written by Marxism's most outstanding revolutionaries — Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Leon Trotsky.