RP Book Club

Upcoming Book Club

Come to RP Book Club every Thursday from October 23 to November 20, 8pm ET/5pm PT 

State and Revolution by V. I. Lenin 

State and Revolution is not a user manual; it’s a profound work of political theory. It’s a short book (a pamphlet, really) that shines a light on the dismal failures of our current system, where governing is done by the capitalist class and an unaccountable, permanent bureaucracy. At the same time, it’s a warning about the dangers of revolutionary violence. The book also presents a “what if?” of radical democracy, capturing our imaginations with Lenin’s vision of the future. 

Some ideas to discuss:  

• The state is not neutral! It’s an instrument of class rule. 
• If reform is impossible, then peaceful electoral paths to socialism are an illusion. 
• We deplore the current surveillance state and militarization of police. So, do we approve of violence when it’s used in the name of revolution? 
• “Dictatorship of the proletariat” – We’ve all heard the phrase, but what does it mean? What should the transitional state look like? 
• We can fantasize about the perfect society, but it doesn’t magically occur. It’s a lengthy, complicated process. According to Lenin, the withering away of the state can only happen after certain conditions are met. What are those conditions?  

RP Book Club invites you to read and listen along with us. For more on State and Revolution, read this article by Zeta Violet Koloskzi.

We will meet every Thursday, six weeks in a row. In each session we’ll listen to the audio, with text on the screen, then talk about it together. In most cases we’ll cover one chapter each week. 

The schedule is as follows. If you wish to read ahead, use these chapter links: 

October 23: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 
October 30:  Chapter 3 
November 6:  Chapter 4 
November 13:  Chapter 5 
November 20:  Chapter 6 

REGISTER HERE

The book is free to read online at marxists.org 
An audio version is available for free on YouTube