In this section we will answer the most commonly asked questions in regard to Marxism,socialism, and communism. Please check if your question is answered here, and if it is not, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will try and get it answered and posted ASAP.

Due to the large number of questions and answers, the Marxism FAQ has been divided into several sections.  Keep the questions coming!

By Topic:

• Glossary of Marxist Terms
• Principles of Communism (1st Marxism FAQ - by Engels in 1847!)
• Brief Biographies
• Marxism Basics
• Brief History of Marxist Internationalism
• Marxist Theory
• Stalinism
• China and Maoism
• Marxism and Religion
• Marxist Philosophy
• Marxist Conception of History
• Marxist Economics
• On the Revolutionary Party
• The Kronstadt Revolt
• War in Yugoslavia FAQ
• Marxist Trivia

Brief Biographies

• Who was Karl Marx?
• Who was Frederick Engels?

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Marxism Basics

• What is Marxism?
• What are Marxism/Leninism and Trotskyism?
• What do people mean when they say they are "socialists"?
• What is the difference between 'Communism' and 'communism'?
• What is the diffference between socialism and communism?"
• What About "Human Nature"?
• What will socialist society look like?
• What about individualism under socialism?
• What do Marxists think about technological innovation?
• If socialism is the next stage of human society, why bother fighting for it?
• How can Democracy and Socialism exist at the same time?
• How will production be socialized and wealth distributed under socialism?
• What is the attitude of Marxists to small farmers and business people?
• Where is the incentive under Socialism?

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Brief History of Marxist Internationalism

• Why must socialism be international?
• What was the First International
• What was the Second International?
• What was the Third International?
• What was the Left Opposition?
• What was the 4th International?
• What were Trotsky's Perspectives for after WWII?

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Marxist Theory

• Why is it only the working class which can develop a collective, socialist consciousness?
• What is Trotsky's Theory of the Permanent Revolution? (see here also)
• What are the elements required for workers' democracy?
• What Do Marxists think about Terrorism?
• What Do Marxists think about Guerrillaism?
• What is the basic role of the state and police in society?

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Stalinism

• Why is socialism in one country impossible?
• Why did Russia degenerate into a totalitarian, Stalinist dictatorship, and how does the planned economy work to develop the productive forces without the "check" of the market?
• More on the Permanent Revolution and how it relates to the revolutions in colonial countries. (plus more on Russia, Stalinism, and the "two stages theory")

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China and Maoism

• What about Mao and the Chinese Revolution?

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Religion

• Socialism and The Churches
  A brilliant summary of the history and role of religion from a Marxist perspective. By Rosa Luxemburg.

• Socialism and Religion
  A look at the Marxist view of religion and religious people in the socialist movement. By V.I. Lenin.

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Marxist Philosophy

• What is Philosophical Materialism?
• What is Dialectics?
• What is Alienation?
• What about Marxism and Existentialism, Post-Modernism, etc?
• On the Prevailing Ideas of Any Age

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Marxist Conception of History

• What is the Materialist Conception of History?
• What is the Role of the Individual in History?
• What is the Class Struggle?
• What Was Marx's View on the Tactics of the Class Struggle of the Proletariat?
• What Was Marx's View on the Inevitability of Socialism?
• On the Material Basis of Society
• On the Laws of Social Development
• On the Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation

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Marxist Economics

• What is Marx's Economic Doctrine?
• What is value According to Marx?
• What is surplus value according to Marx?
• On Economic Determinism

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On the Revolutionary Party

• What Exactly is the Revolutionary Party?
• Why Must There be a Revolutionary Party?

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The Kronstadt Revolt:

• Hue and Cry Over Kronstadt
  In this article from 1938, Trotsky gives an excellent summary of the controversial Kronstadt uprising. He explains the social roots of the uprising, and makes clear the counter-revolutionary character of the mutiny.

Marxist Trivia

• What is the Significance of the Red Flag?