Theoretical struggle is a form of class struggle alongside political and economic struggles. The great leader Lenin once elaborated on the significance of theoretical struggle in his book “What Is To Be Done,” asserting the correct conclusion that “Without revolutionary theory, there will be no revolutionary movement,” and citing Engels’ statements along with actual examples from the workers’ movements in Britain, Germany, and France at the time to point out that without insisting on theoretical struggle, it is impossible to counter the influence of opportunism and reformism on the revolutionary movement, impossible to draw useful lessons from other countries’ revolutionary movements and apply them after critique and transformation to our own revolutionary practice, impossible to respond calmly when the revolutionary movement is severely tested, and impossible to enable the Party to “play the role of advanced fighters.” Currently, as Chinese revolutionary intellectuals organize and prepare ideologically and organizationally to establish a unified proletarian party, and as various reactionary ideologies have gained considerable influence under the support and nurturing of the revisionist clique during over forty years of capitalist restoration in China, we must follow Lenin’s teachings and insist on theoretical struggle.
To uphold theoretical struggle, one must systematically study Marxism. Currently, there is a prevalent view of “revisiting the mentor’s path,” which begins learning from the old direct sources of the three components of Marxism—philosophy, political economy, and socialist theory—believing that understanding Marxism requires going to Hegel or Adam Smith, which is incorrect. As Lenin said, Marxism is “the direct continuation of the teachings of the greatest representatives of philosophy, political economy, and socialism,” and it is a more thorough, complete, and scientific development of these doctrines:
In philosophy, Marx and Engels defended the French materialist philosophy of the eighteenth century and extended it into the realm of social history, reaching heights that old exploitative classes’ philosophies could not touch. At the same time, Marxism critically inherited the dialectical system of German classical philosophy, mainly Hegel’s dialectics, overturning it because it was based on idealism, stripping away its complex and mysterious exterior. When discussing the relationship between material dialectics and Hegel’s dialectics, Marx once said: “My dialectical method, fundamentally, is not only different from Hegel’s dialectical method but is diametrically opposed to it. In Hegel’s view, the process of thinking, which he calls the idea and even makes it an independent subject, is the creator of real things, and real things are merely external expressions of the thinking process. My view, on the other hand, is that the idea is nothing but the material things transferred into the human mind and transformed there,” and “In his view, dialectics is inverted. It must be turned upside down to discover the rational kernel within the mysterious shell.” Thanks to Marx’s materialist dialectics being more thorough than Hegel’s dialectics, he could clearly point out the essence of materialist dialectics as the most thorough dialectics: “…Dialectics, in the understanding of existing things, contains both the affirmation and negation of those things, i.e., the understanding of their inevitable demise; dialectics perceives each established form as arising from continuous motion, and therefore, from its temporary aspect; dialectics worship nothing, and in its essence, it is critical and revolutionary.”
In political economy, Marxism inherited the labor theory of value established by Adam Smith and David Ricardo in British classical political economy, and developed it further, proposing the surplus value theory which the old political economists, due to their exploitative class stance, would never admit. This revealed the secrets of capitalist exploitation and the roots of proletarian poverty, scientifically explaining the emergence of capitalist society and the inevitable differentiation of petty bourgeoisie and the strengthening of proletarian forces accompanying its development.
In socialist theory, Marxism inherited the critique of private ownership and the vision of future public ownership from French utopian socialists Saint-Simon, Fourier, and Owen. Marx and Engels used their developed theory of class struggle to chart the path for the abolition of private ownership and the establishment of public ownership. Since the advent of class society, “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” In capitalist society, this class struggle inevitably leads to proletarian dictatorship, and society transitions into communism through this dictatorship. This eliminated all utopian notions of peace and compromise with capitalism held by old socialist theories, elevating socialism to a scientific level. As Lenin said: “If people truly believe they have advanced science, they will not demand the freedom for new ideas to coexist with old ones, but will seek to replace old ideas with new ones.” Recognizing and admitting that Marxism is the most complete, thorough, and scientific theory, there is no need to start learning from old philosophies, political economy, and socialist theories. We should abandon selfish interests and petty thoughts, maintain humility, and follow Lenin’s teaching: “Learn, learn, and learn again!”
However, because Marxism is highly comprehensive and rigorous, understanding what the authors intended in their original works requires considerable time and effort, which can be challenging even for beginners or those with certain theoretical backgrounds. Fortunately, today we can utilize many valuable legacies left by socialist China. Under Chairman Mao’s call to “Study diligently, understand Marxism,” socialist China has published many accessible Marxist works covering the three components of Marxism—dialectical materialism and historical materialism in philosophy, political economy, and scientific socialism. Notable examples include “Outline of Marxist Philosophy” and “Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism” compiled by Li Da and the Philosophy Department of Wuhan University, as well as “Introduction to Political Economy,” “Socialist Political Economy,” and “Imperialism and Political Economy” compiled by Xu He, the Shanghai Municipal Committee writing group, and Nankai University. Reading these valuable achievements of theoretical struggle in socialist China helps improve our Marxist theoretical literacy.
Based on the experience of past association study activities, the forum has compiled a list of “Recommended Must-Read” books from these accessible works. This list includes systematic introductions to Marxism as well as reference books to aid understanding and learning. Users visiting the forum can download these for self-study:
Proletarian Liberation Struggle Association Recommended Must-Read Download Link
