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
Previous Book Clubs

The Iron Heel
“The Iron Heel” by Jack London is a dystopian novel written during the early 20th century, particularly reflective of the socio-political climate in the United States. The story is told through the eyes of Avis Everhard, who chronicles the rise of a repressive oligarchy in a future America, detailing her husband Ernest Everhard’s revolutionary activities and the struggle for social justice against overwhelming oppression.
Link to full text pdf, audio with transcript links below.
Dec 5th – Chapters 1-12
- Foreword (7:58)
- Chapter 1 – My Eagle (25:49)
- Chapter 2 – Challenges (23:53)
- Chapter 3 – Jackson’s Arm (18:27)
- Chapter 4 – Slaves of the Machine (15:04)
- Chapter 5 – The Philomaths (38:05)
- Chapter 6 – Adumbrations (12:38)
- Chapter 7 – The Bishop’s Vision (11:55)
- Chapter 8 – The Machine Breakers (27:13)
- Chapter 9 – The Mathematics of a Dream (25:48)
- Chapter 10 – The Vortex (17:02)
- Chapter 11 – The Great Adventure (14:19)
- Chapter 12 – The Bishop (20:27)
Dec 12th – Chapters 13-26
- Chapter 13 – The General Strike (15:47)
- Chapter 14 – The Beginning of the End (13:36)
- Chapter 15 – Last Days (10:52)
- Chapter 16 – The End (21:08)
- Chapter 17 – The Scarlet Livery (10:12)
- Chapter 18 – In the Shadow of Sonoma (15:29)
- Chapter 19 – Transformation (15:02)
- Chapter 20 – A Lost Oligarch (13:42)
- Chapter 21 – The Roaring Abysmal Beast (10:51)
- Chapter 22 – The Chicago Commune (23:53)
- Chapter 23 – The People of the Abyss (26:57)
- Chapter 24 – Nightmare (11:09)
- Chapter 25 – The Terrorists (02:14)