English-Language Reading Group in Berlin: „State and Revolution“

Our reading group will be discussing Lenin’s classic, and what the Marxist theory of the state means for today.

Why can’t the state be made to serve the interests of working people? There has never been a shortage of sincere, dedicated reformist politicians with visions of change. With a few tweaks to laws and regulations, they promise they can end inequality and injustice. Yet whatever these politicians do, the cops keep killing folks and the „representatives of the people“ continue to pass austerity budgets.

Marxist theory has an explanation for this. In the midst of the Russian revolution of 1917, the exiled Russian revolutionary V.I. Lenin reconstructed Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels views on the state. State and Revolution shows how the bourgeois state is not all of us. It is not neutral. It is an instrument of the ruling class to secure their power—”a special body of armed men.”

This book shows why reformist approaches are doomed to fail. The working class cannot simply take over the bourgeois state apparatus—but rather must smash it. While it covers complex debates between revolutionaries, reformists, and centrists, State and Revolution is accessible to workers and students, full of crucial lessons for present-day struggles.

Our reading group is open to all, whether you’ve read any Marxism before or not. We will discuss one chapter every two weeks in English, though you can read the text in any available language. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, March 17, at 18:00, at Rosa&Karl, Sonnenallee 152, Berlin-Neukölln. We will be discussing Chapter 1: Class Societies and the State. The meetings last roughly two hours, and besides the text, we also discuss current events and important mobilizations in Berlin. 

The reading group is organized by members of Klasse Gegen Klasse along with independent activists. 

Bündis „Keine Einzelfälle“

15. März: „Keine Einzelfälle – Polizei tötet!“

Iran: „Unsere Aufgabe als Linke muss es sein, die Kriegslügen zu entlarven“

Wie stehen Kommunist:innen zum Krieg gegen den Iran? 

Eine Welt im Umbruch: Antiimperialistische Workshopreihe in Berlin

Iran: Linkspartei-Vorstand legitimiert imperialistischen Krieg

Berliner Hochschulen: Freiräume im Fadenkreuz?

Berlinale: Tagesschau und Regierungspolitiker hetzen gegen palästinensischen Regisseur

Siko: Großmacht oder „Friedensmacht“ Europa?

© Klasse Gegen Klasse