State Capitalism and World Revolution (Revolutionary Classics) by C.L.R. James

State Capitalism and World Revolution (Revolutionary Classics) Reviews

• 
  Jim

  Fascinating and intense. An extremely theoretical book that gives no quarter, expecting that the reader is well-versed in an array of subjects, not limited to Marxism, Russian History, economics, Stalin, Trotsky, and the Communist Internationals. I loved this book immensely. It has a powerful undercurrent of revolution and resistance, but threaded continuously with a sprawling intellectualism and an fervent hope for change and improvement. An essential book for understanding what Marxism is and is not.
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  Joe Xtarr

  I'll echo the other reviews. Not enough emphasis and accuracy regarding Lenin (to be fair, we have the present benefit of access to more literature and sources). James didn't spend any/enough time explaining why state-capitalism is undesirable. Because of that, a novice student may come away from this book with an undeveloped criticism that will lead to more perversions of Marx. Overall, this book lacked more than it offered, and it's real value is in capturing an historical moment. It's short enough that you can read it while being aware of its failures, and not feel like you've wasted your time.
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  Juniper

  This book is phenomenal. My only criticism of James is that he is incapable of criticizing Lenin. The Lenin era USSR disempowered the workers councils, after all. But Lenin did become aware of the failures of the Russian revolution before he died. James is a Leninist in so far as he utilizes the method of Lenin, which eventually led to the split of the JFT. This book demonstrates State Capitalism as it functioned in the USSR, in Detroit, and in Tito’s Yugoslavia. for James, the self activity of a creative working class towards its own self emancipation is the revolution and this is integral to any legitimate Marxist understanding of the transformation from capitalism to socialism.
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  Sugarpunksattack Mick

  CLR James wonderful critique and (perhaps) departure from more orthodox Trotskyism. This book is steeped in the sometimes esoteric splits among the Trotskyist, but is still worth while as a peak into the discourse between those who follow Trotsky's opposition to Stalinism, but also See Trotsky as failing to really overcome Stalinism in the end. The more important aspect from my perspectives were the almost anarchist leanings presented throughout the book--the trouble is that he attributes these to Lenin despite the historical record.
• 
  Steven

  Relatively difficult if someone were not already versed in the differences of Stalinism, Trotskyism, Leninism (and Marxism, clearly). However, it does a good job of criticizing Stalinism/Trotskyism and also likening them to Capitalist societies (especially reading it in 2018!).
• 
  Radia

  “In this mentality can be seen the germs which in maturity make the complete Stalinist - absolute hostility to capitalism as we have known it but a resigned acceptance that Marx’s and Lenin’s ideas of proletarian power are Utopian. No more deadly deviation has ever appeared in our movement.”
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  Justin Evans

  If you can only read one turgid, over-cooked, Leninising, intra-Trotskyist, polemic, let it be this one.
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  J.P.

  It's a short book, at just over 100 pages, but a very solid critique of Stalinism & the State Capitalism of his government in Russia that was "Socialist" in name only. James breaks down quickly different parts of what the government in Russia actually was under Stalin. He takes critics to task who did not see it as State Capitalism & thus missed important things in their critiques. State Capitalism is but the other side of the coin in regards to how Capitalism functions I'm the U.S. Focused on production & not in the hands of the people but in the hands of the same bureaucrats from the previous government that was to be overthrown, what else could it be? An island of socialism, especially one socialist in name only, is hard pressed thrive in an ocean of capitalism. The last chapter brings it all together to show State Capitalism for what it is & also as a warning to a possible future which the rest of the world is slowly marching towards if it isn't careful as capitalism must extract every little thing from us.
  
  Not hard to see why it is considered among his best works, even if not his most popular. Definitely a must read.
• 
  Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea

  I read this in a few days and every bit of Marxist theory helps prepare me for actually reading more of Marx. Well, I also read Grace Lee Boggs autobiography and so I know more the context of this left tendency. And I've heard CLR lays down some solid writing elsewhere--all reasons to read it. Ok OK. basically, I'm reading Marcus Rediker's The Slave Ship and needed something to break it up a little to process what I was reading. That's why I read this book.
  
  So, now that you know the why, how was it. It was ok. Nothing, generally speaking, new here. It's a critique of Stalinism, Russia, Yugoslavia, and generally the party bureaucracy with its fully planned state capitalist economic agenda. Totalitarianism. James and his comrades offer critique and analysis against this but I'm not learned enough in the ways of Marxist-Leninism to have it mean much to me. I'm hoping down the line that it will take on more meaning for me.
  
  For the time being, I don't have much else to say about it.