why do communists reject personal gain even if they know that everyone might work harder or be lazier?

I've been a member of a couple communist organizations, and I'm having an issue with my current organization.

In the meetings, all the points are handled in the same way:

• exposition
• round of manifestations from the members (called "debate")
• maybe a second round (very rare)
• propositions

My issue is with the "debate" part. Since it is a single round (meaning each member has a single ~3 minutes slot of time), there isn't much actual debate or discussion. The propositions are usually marginally discussed as well.

This ends up leading to a situation where the first/most articulate members make a point and the rest all use their time to agree with said point (since there is no back and forth). I've been called out a couple for times for extending the discussion trying to refine a point because it was taking too long to arrive at a finished proposition (because there was back and forth going on).

Is that common in communist parties? My previous experience was quite different and we had a lot more discussion, so I'm not sure if that is a characteristic of this particular organization or if that is a consequence of democratic centralism or maybe excess bureaucracy.

Hi, can anyone propose me some book about URSS history that is not effected by Wester propaganda? I was looking both from Lenin and Stalin era and post Stalin death. I'm Italian so I prefer read in my native language but English is welcome too. Thanks everyone .

Does anyone have any pdf's of, or links to, archives magazines of the french Maoist magazine La Cause du Peuple which was popular from the late 60's to the mid 70's.
The archive on Bibliothèque Marxiste has unfortunately expired, as all the links to the archived magazines have disappeared.
Thank you so much in advance!

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The state of Israel exists as an outlet of imperial interests and power in the Middle East, and benefits the western bourgeoise. It seems as though antisemitism is now against the interests if the bourgeoisie. Is there any subsection that still benefits from it? The petit-bourgeoisie?

I am neurodivergent and dyslexic and always had a very bad problem with reading, specially too extensive and academic pieces of literature, the main thing that led to my academic failures in college. I wish to dive deeper in the works of Karl Marx but also in his life story through an unbiased (or the least unbiased possible) telling of his life and his literary works. Video essays or tips of places where I could find audiobooks is very much appreciated, thank you.

I always ask myself this, but I honestly don't believe that we are at a time when the working class is organized in this way anywhere in the world. If you think so, where could the first socialist revolution of the 21st century take place?

Some of my favorite people have been my past English teachers, and they’ve taught me a lot of genuinely helpful things—I want to help teach people in a similar manner, and hopefully subtly promote class consciousness along the way, since the American school system runs on propaganda and explicit statements against it get you punished and fired. So, are there any books which are communist without being just straight theory or blatant with it? Essentially something that would plant the seeds. Education of the youth is so valuable in allowing them to break free from oppressive systems, and I want to do my part as much as possible. Thanks.

(And, this is looking forward into hopefully a future where books are no longer pretty much banned from public schools.)

Asking as a person with mixed feelings abt this so I’m asking y’all. What do y’all think about the right to bear arms?

And how would the fact that this person underage influence the consequences? Should the membership be mandatory?

So, besides being a communist, I've also always had a healthy fascination with cults and cult-like groups. My very first introduction to activism back in the day was actually when I took part in the Anonymous organized protests against Scientology (this was back before Anonymous was entirely coopted by the alt-right), which lead to a fascination that's never went away.

So one day I was looking around Youtube for new videos on cults I hadn't seen before - And this one popped up:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FghSUttp6Lc

It features a "cult expert" named Janja Lalich, who I had never seen before. And as a neuro-divergent weirdo with a ridiculously specific obsession, i've watched a LOT of videos with interviews with "cult experts" lol. So I googled her, and it turns out she claims she was part of a group called the "Democratic Workers Party" (most non-descript name ever) lead by someone named Marlene Dixon.

Does anyone know anything about this group? I was hoping to get perspective from fellow leftists, so I know if this lady is correct (I've definitely seen some Trotskyist groups that verged on cult-like, then theres the Posadists lol) or if she's just an anti-communist nut who's claiming she was in a cult?

Here's the wiki article for the group in question:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Workers_Party

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Hi everyone, I'm looking for articles, pamphlets, any writings you know of that are somewhat non-partial on the Tito-Stalin/Yugoslav-Soviet split. Literally anything you have, I've read most of what Hoxha wrote about it and I'm looking for more.

Why is it that in the case of Palestine, things like BDS and such actually work? Or more so, what makes some movements in history more effective than others in its support for anti-colonial movements? For example, the anti-apartheid protests in the first world which contributed to the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa?

I'm sharing reels about important issues like Palestine in my stories, and I often start personal discussions with interested people, but I don't think that's enough.

What I'm considering: I'm thinking about posting summaries of theory works on Instagram etc, so all my open-minded friends can get a rough overview of actual theory. Also, a comrade and I want to start a public Marx/Engels reading circle on our university together.

Do those ideas sound good? Do you have anything to add?

Yuri Gagarin (born March 9, 1934, near Gzhatsk, Russia, U.S.S.R. [now Gagarin, Russia]—died March 27, 1968, near Moscow) was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first man to travel into space.

https://science.nasa.gov/resource/yuri-gagarin-first-human-in-space/

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https://preview.redd.it/7idx5c1qz6nc1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad0a3d824911eb16b882f95d71abf1891bfe3ed9

Has anyone read the book Toward a Marxist Humanism: Essays on the Left Today by Leszek Kolakowski? What are your thoughts on his view of marxism, or maybe the strain of marxist humanism in general? Just asking to see what people think of the book, as I got a cheap copy of it.

I graduated from University with a degree in Economics in 2018, before my "radicalization". Before I even dared to call myself a leftist, I had this feeling that economics as a field of science was kind of bullshit. Out of University I worked in finance (i quickly got out of finance and into tech), did an internship for a mutual fund firm, got really into reading investment books. All of this only to put my education face to face with the fact that the markets in the real world don't follow of these scientific rules that I had learned, at least in the capitalistic hellscape, you cannot quantify the human condition.

So I don't know where this leaves me. Is learning economics only useful to poke holes into it? Like today I can point to all the tech industry layoffs despite record profits and show how (i guess keynsian) economic principles are built upon a bedrock of lies. It makes sense that there are those fight to label economics as a social science, but even then there are so many variables to consider. Maybe macro is more bullshit than micro and i'm just not thinking about things from an appropriate level. I have no idea, my head is spinning.

Can anyone guide me to frameworks that...work? Or just share some of your insights if you've had a similar awakening?

last thing, I truthfully haven't really read any marxian economics stuff, if there are recommendations for resources there, i'm definitely take them.

Really interested in learning more about this topic, so please let me know about any recommendations

I figured I'd reach out here because I'm in a really difficult position. I'd love nothing more than to get organized as a Marxist-Leninist in Canada right now, but yet the only two ML parties here don't do anything, don't respond at all (believe me, I've tried; never a damn word from either) and the only org I see around here gaining any significant footing is the IMT section here. It's soon to be the RCP and it's a Trotskyist org - obviously a big damn no-go.

I'm willing at this point to put myself out there in my city to start from scratch. I'm willing to put out fliers and go out postering every day I'm physically able at this point to just get something, literally anything at all fucking actually started. We need this right now and I'm more than willing to go full force with literally everything I can do. I have absolutely zero prior connections to any living soul in my city and would be putting myself out there in a sea of strangers trying to organize but I'll do it without a shadow of a doubt.

TL;DR really stumped with the lack of places to go and get serious in terms of organization here.

If anyone could point me to literally anything at all, or on the contrary would be willing to start something with me, even if it starts online, I'm willing to do it at literally any moments notice. LMK!