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Marxist Theory

Jeff Hurford provides an illuminating discussion on Leon Trotsky's attitude to the debates on art after the Russian revolution. His talk also deepens our knowledge of the Proletkult, it's political origins and it's strengths and weaknesses.

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Trotsky And The Debate On Proletarian Culture - Jeff Hurford

Japan is today the world’s third largest industrial power, measured in terms of gross national product. Yet, in the mid-19th century, the Japanese economy was at a level not dissimilar to that in England under the later Tudors. The story of Japanese industrial growth is quite spectacular.
Colin Barker provides a great description of how this change was achieved.

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Origins and Significance of the Meiji Restoration - Colin Barker

Michael Löwy following his book Fire Alarm discussed Walter Benjamin's Marxism From 2007. He talks about Benjamin's revolutionary pessimism. For Benjamin the train of history was heading for disaster and revolution is needed to interrupt that, to pull on the brakes.
The second discussion of Benjamin by Löwy on Bookmarks Soundcloud

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Walter Benjamin's Marxism - Michael Löwy

Michael Bradley offers a brilliantly clear and classically Marxist account of the rise of the Nazis and the left's failure to stop them.
Bradley points to the collusion of the German ruling class in aiding the NSDAP but also to the political failures of the socialist in the SPD and the communists in the KPD despite the combativity and heroism of many of their rank and file members.
From 2003

Fighting Fascism

Could Hitler Have Been Stopped? - Michael Bradley

Colin Barker in an interesting talk about Socialism and emotions given at Marxism at the Millennium.
He talks about the great emotions released at the high points of class struggle.
Colin was a long time member of the SWP and a lecturer in Manchester.
This was recorded 24 years ago on cassette tape.
Problems with the volume and quality are in the original.

Marxism 2000

Socialism And Emotion In Politics

Alex Callinicos introduces a discussion on Equality.
The talk, recorded on cassette tape in 2000, took place at the time of the Tony Blair Labour government. Useful as we consider the prospect of a new Labour government.
Blair projected his ideas as being a 'Third way' that is between Socialism and Thatcherism.
Almost stunning to hear that governments and politicians had ideas and strategies rather than the simple desire to cling to or gain power.
Any problems with quality are due t the original recording 24 years ago.

Equality versus the Third Way

Holocaust scholar Norman Finkelstein talks in 1998.
He takes on the ideas elaborated in the book, 'Hitler's Willing Executioners' whose author Goldhagen argues that eliminationist antisemitism was the cornerstone of German national identity and was unique to Germany.
Finkelstein examines German attitudes to the Jews and makes comparison with white attitudes to black people in the US in the same period.
He also looks at the relationship of Goldhagen's ideas to Zionism.
Finkelstein's summing up ends abruptly as the tape runs out.

Marxism 1998

Were all Germans To Blame For The Holocaust?

Hallas brilliantly outlines the basics of Marxist economics. Hallas talks about Adam Smith, Ricardo and Marx. He deals with the Labour Theory of Value amongst other question.
Recorded on Cassette tape at Marxism 1998.
With thanks to Charlie Hore for this recording.

Books by Hallas

Marxist Economics - Duncan Hallas

First of a two part talk on the February 1917 revolution in Russia. Duncan Hallas introduces the great dress rehearsal for the October revolution.

February 1917 Part 1 - Duncan Hallas

Second part of Duncan Hallas talk on the February 1917 Revolution in Russia, the overture to the great October revolution.

Marxism 1987

February 1917 Part 2 - Duncan Hallas

Speaker: Paul Foot
Recorded: February 1977 in London
Time: 85 minutes
From schooldays onwards we are given a completely false picture of the poet Shelley. It is an image painted by the establishment, literary critics and school textbooks and the product is a Shelley stripped of all his ideas--a poet who writes only on skylarks and the west wind.
Yet Shelley was hounded throughout his life because he was a revolutionary, an atheist, a republican and a feminist. He hated all those parasites, unelected and unrepresentative, who control our lives: kings, queens, bishops, judges and all the petty dictators we come up against.
Paul Foot uncovers that other Shelley and brings to life the poet who was an outspoken champion of all oppressed people.

Shelly and Revolution Part 2 - Paul Foot

Shelley and Revolution Part 1 - Paul Foot

Introduction by Paul Foot at Marxism 1997 to a staged performance of the Putney Debates 0f 1647 from Caryl Churchill's play A Light Shining In Buckinghamshire.

Marxism 97

Books

When Democracy was Born: the Putney Debates

A talk from Alex Callinicos on the late John Rose's book, Revolutions Thwarted: Poland, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, and the Legacies of Communism. Given in Haringey on 5 November 2025

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Revolutions Thwarted: Poland, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, and the Legacies of Communism

Possible the best Foot meeting of all time. A passionate plea for the recognition of the great struggle for freedom fought by the slaves of San Domingo to free themselves. In which they defeated the armies of the French, the British and the Spanish. Foot at his best.

To Toussaint L’Ouverture
William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
TOUSSAINT, the most unhappy man of men! 
Whether the whistling Rustic tend his plough 
Within thy hearing, or thy head be now 
Pillowed in some deep dungeon’s earless den;— 
O miserable Chieftain! where and when 5
Wilt thou find patience? Yet die not; do thou 
Wear rather in thy bonds a cheerful brow: 
Though fallen thyself, never to rise again, 
Live, and take comfort. Thou hast left behind 
Powers that will work for thee; air, earth, and skies; 10
There’s not a breathing of the common wind 
That will forget thee; thou hast great allies; 
Thy friends are exultations, agonies, 
And love, and man’s unconquerable mind.

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Paul Foot: Toussaint L'Ouverture

The story of Louise Michel and the Paris Commune. Edited transcript of the speech: https://www.marxists.org/archive/foot-paul/1979/xx/louisemichel.html

Paul Foot: Louise Michel and the Paris Commune

An important debate from Marxism 1987 on how Marxists understand how things change.
Transcript of Harman article here:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/harman/1986/xx/base-super.html

"In the social production of their life, men enter into definite relations that are independent of their will, relations of production which correspond to a definite stage of development of their material productive forces.
The sum total of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society, the real basis on which rises a legal and political superstructure and to which correspond definite form of social consciousness.
The mode of production of material life conditions the social, political and intellectual life process in general.
It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness.
At a certain stage in their development the material productive forces of society come into conflict with the existing relations of production or – what is but a legal expression for the same thing – the property relations within which they have been at work hitherto.
From forms of development of the productive forces these relations turn into fetters. Then begins an epoch of social revolution.
With the change of the economic foundation the entire immense superstructure is more or less rapidly transformed.
In considering such transformations, a distinction should always be made between the material transformation of the material conditions of production, which can be determined with
the precision of natural science, and the legal, political, religious, aesthetic or philosophical – in short ideological – forms in which men become conscious of the conflict and fight it out.
... We do not judge a period of transformation by its consciousness; on the contrary this consciousness must itself be explained from the contradictions of material life, from the existing conflicts between the social productive forces and the relations of production.
In broad outlines Asiatic, ancient, feudal, and modern bourgeois modes of production can be designated as progressive epochs in the economic foundation of society"
[Karl Marx: from the Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy].

Base and Superstructure

Debate: Base And Superstructure with Harman, Hallas, Callinicos and Barker

A masterful display of the marxist method as Cliff explains why the intelligentsia in oppressed countries looked to forms of Stalinism to achieve national liberation in the post war period. This argument enabled Cliff to preserve the core of Trotsky’s argument - that social change can only be won by workers fighting for themselves.
Still very relevant today in explaining the behaviours of various national ruling classes.

Marxism at the Millienium

Deflected Permanent Revolution

In this 1990's talk Duncan Hallas discusses the basic philosophy underpinning the Marxist view of the world.

Historical Materialism -Duncan Hallas

A talk by revolutionary socialist Tony Cliff on understanding racism.

Understanding Racism -Tony Cliff

Historic recording of Tony Cliff from 1974.
Cliff explains the difference between Lenin and Marx. He sees Lenin as grounded in the notion that the emancipation of the working class is the act of the working class. This enabled him to relate to workers and build an organisation of workers.

Lenin - Tony Cliff

Revolutionary Marxist thinker and activist Tony Cliff discusses the application of the Marxist method in Lenin's philosophy.
Sound quality is mixed on this recording. Headphones are advised.

Marxism 1977

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Lenin and philosophy - Tony Cliff

From 1977. Chris Harman here attempts to recover Gramsci from the Eurocommunist interpretation prevalent at the time.
Although this talk is mainly a polemic against the Marxism Today view of Gramsci, Harman provides a clear guide to Gramsci's though and revolutionary intentions.

Marxism 77

2020

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Antonio Gramsci - Chris Harman

Recorded in 1977. 
James Hinton describes the nature of the development of the first shop stewards movement in Britain.
This talk was part of a wider discussion of workers councils, soviets and shop floor organisation in which Ricard Kuper and Chris Harman participated unfortunately we do not have the other parts of the discussion.
James Hinton was author of the Book The First Shop Stewards Movement in which he outlined the growth of workers self organisation at the time of the WW1 in Glasgow, Sheffield and elsewhere.
This earlier article by Duncan Hallas is also valuable.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/hallas/works/1973/12/1strfm.htm

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The First Shop Stewards Movement - James Hinton

From 1991.
Chris Harman discusses Lukacs view of the development of art and culture and its connection to society and politics. He also indicates that Gramsci, although he wrote little on the subject, may provide us with solid insights as he connects culture to the practical activity of the day.

Marxism 91

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Gramsci, Lukacs And Culture - Chris Harman

From 1989
Revolutionary Marxist Tony Cliff discusses the origins of Mao's China. 
He demonstrates the devastation of it's base in the working class after 1927 and how the results of that manifest in 1949. Cliff looks at the links with Stalinism and its outcomes.

Marxism 89

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Mao and China - Tony Cliff

Recorded 2001.
Michael Rosen gives a brilliant explanation of how Shakespeare can be understood today. He puts the plays in the historical and social contexts of the wars, the plagues and the police state that was Elizabethan England. In doing so he strips away the mystery of just what Shakespeare's characters were going on about.

Marxism 2001

Making Sense Of Shakespeare

Making Sense of Shakespeare - Michael Rosen

Recorded in 1989.
Veteran revolutionary Marxist Duncan Hallas discusses key question about socialists attitude to WW2. Was it an Imperialist war? Should socialists be for the defence of the UK in that war? What was the opinion of Lenin and Trotsky?

Skegness 1989

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Was WW2 an Imperialist War? - Duncan Hallas

Recorded Marxism 1998.
Tony Cliff describes the politics that led to the foundation of the International Socialist tradition.

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The International Socialist Tradition -Tony Cliff

Recording from Marxism 1980.
Cliff sets out Luxemburg's contribution to Marxism and her dialectical method.

Marxism 1980

Rosa Luxemburg

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Rosa Luxemburg-Tony Cliff

From Marxism 1994. Alex Callinicos discusses the concept of the dialectic in History.
Recording with thanks to Nick Moore

Books by Callinicos

Is There Progress In History? - Alex Callinicos

From Marxism 1992.
Alex Callinicos talks about the Marxist understanding of reality and objectivity.

Marxism 92

Books on Marxism

Is there such a thing as objective reality? - Alex Callinicos

With the recent controversy over the singing of Rule Britannia and other 'patriotic' songs at the BBC Proms, Bookmarks is pleased to be able to provide this excellent discussion by John Newsinger of the real history of the British Empire.
John Newsinger's book The Blood Never Dried: A People's History of the British Empire, is Bookmarks' top selling book of all time.

Marxism 2010

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The Blood Never Dried - History of the British Empire - John Newsinger

Ian Birchall discusses the revolutions of 1848. The revolutions of 1848 have huge significance. These upheavals represented the first examples of independent working-class political action in European history—they marked the moment at which something resembling the modern socialist movement began to take shape. Secondly, the revolutions of 1848 gave Karl Marx and Frederick Engels their first major opportunity to put their revolutionary theories into practice—both men participated as central actors in the German wing of the revolutionary movement.

Marxism

The Revolutions of 1848 - Ian Birchall

From 1993, John Molyneux asks the question how scientific is Marxism? Can it predict outcomes? Is the victory of the working class inevitable?
Perhaps Marx gives us a clue when he argues, “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past.”

Marxism 93

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Is Marxism determinist? -John Molyneux

Chris Harman shows how every phase of history has been dominated by class struggle. Here the heroic fight of the Roman slaves against domination led by Spartacus culminating at the Battle Of Petelia.
Harman leads a fascinating discussion on the interelationship between slavery, the impovershment of the Roman peasant and the development of Roman society.
From 1992

Books about Spartacus

Spartacus at the Battle of Petelia - Chris Harman

Sound archive of recordings of meetings at Marxism Festival from the 1970's.
Most were originally recorded on cassette tape.
Curated by Dave Gilchrist

The Bookmarks Marxism Sound Archive

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