Cheche: Reminiscences of a Radical Magazine

Appendix D: The First Syllabus for USARF Ideological Classes –1969

Appendix d The First Syllabus for USArF ideological Classes –1969 “There can be no revolutionary party without a revolutionary theory.” - V.i. Lenin EdiToriAL NoTE: This is a slightly edited version of the syllabus for the first set of Sunday ideological classes run by USArF. Karim F Hirji was assigned the responsibility for producing the syllabus. in drafting this tentative scheme for ideological classes i have been guided, above all, by the imperative for all comrades to gain a scientific and systematic understanding of the world, past and present, to enable them to discern the mechanism of social development, and to equip them with an integral world outlook. A revolutionary must possess a methodology for analyzing concrete situations (as opposed to ossified dogmas) if he or she aspires to change the world for the better. The extreme complexity of the contemporary situation entails a clear appreciation of reality if our actions are to serve a progressive goal. Acquisition of clarity of thought is not a child’s game. it requires intensive reading and vigorous debate to be combined with revolutionary practice. That is the challenge which History has placed before us. Part i: Philosophical & Methodological Foundations (2 lectures) Topics: idealism vs. materialism; philosophical concepts of matter; modes of existence of matter and consciousness; materialist dialectics; dialectics and modern science; theory of knowledge. readings 1. Mir Publisher, Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism (Chap. 1,2,3.) 2. Mao Tse Tung, On Contradictions 3. Vi Lenin, Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism 4. F Engels, Theses on Ludwig Feuerbach 5. F Engels, Dialectics of Nature 6. K Marx and F Engels, The German Ideology 7. J Lindsay, Marxism and Contemporary Science 8. r Garaudy, Karl Marx: The Evolution of His Thought the first sYllabus for usarf iDeoloGiCal Classes –1969 205 Part ii: Materialist Conception of History (2 lectures) a. Theoretical Topics: Application of dialectics to human history; class struggle; the individual and masses in history; the State. b. Application Topics: Brief survey of evolution; human history from the Paleolithic age to the present day and historical materialism; rise and growth of capitalism and socialism. readings 1. Mir Publisher, Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism (Chap 4,5,6,7.) 2. F Engels, The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State 3. F Engels, Socialism: Scientific and Utopian 4. G Plekhanov, The Role of Individual in History 5. rH Tawney, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism 6. H Gordon Childe, What Happened in History? 7. P Sweezy, Theory of Capitalist Development 8. E Williams, Capitalism and Slavery 9. M dobb, Studies in the Development of Capitalism Part iii: Political Economy: Basic Concepts (1 lecture) Topics: Contradictions of capitalist economies; commodity production; theory of surplus value; economic crisis of capital accumulation; the concept of economic surplus; surplus accumulation. readings 1. Mir Publisher, Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism (Chap 8.) 2. J Eaton, Political Economy 3. P.i. Nikitin, Fundamentals of Political Economy 4. P Baran, Political Economy of Growth 5. o Lange, Political Economy 6. A Seidman, An Economics Textbook for Africa 7. K Marx, Value, Price and Profit 8. K Marx, Wage, Labor and Capital Part iv: Underdevelopment and Monopoly Capitalism (3 lectures) Topics: Analysis of contemporary world situation; monopolistic corporations; internationalpatternsofexploitation;theunderdevelopedregions;neocolonialism; problems of socialist development. readings 1. P Baran & P Sweezy, Monopoly Capital 2. P Baran, Political Economy of Growth 3. K Nkrumah, Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism 206 appenDiX D 4. Vi Lenin, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism 5. J Woddis, Introduction to Neocolonialism 6. J de Castro, The Geography of Hunger 7. P Jalee, The Pillage of the Third World Part v: Current Political and Economic issues Topics and reading list to be announced. * * * * * The following books are a must reading for all comrades. They will facilitate the formulation of an overall perspective on relevant issues. readings 1. F Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth 2. P Baran, Political Economy of Growth 3. P Baran & P Sweezy, Monopoly Capital 4. K Nkrumah, Neocolonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism 5. F Engels, Socialism: Scientific and Utopian Karim Hirji November 1969 ...