Review of "Marxism: A Graphic Guide," by Rupert Woodfin & Oscar Zarate

 Review of

Marxism: A Graphic Guide, by Rupert Woodfin & Oscar Zarate ISBN 9781848310582

Five out of five stars

A basic explanation of what Karl Marx really said

 To nearly all people, their knowledge of what Karl Marx wrote and meant when the term Marxism was invented is derived from their exposure to the media and propaganda about the former Soviet Union. What was stated as the Marxist-Leninist philosophy and how it was implemented in the Soviet Union and the satellite states is their view of Karl Marx and his ideas.

 That is really not the case, Karl Marx was writing in the nineteenth century when industrial workers were exploited by the capitalist class and had little or no recourse to poor conditions. He was not a technocrat, so he had no possible understanding of how technology would advance and how governments would step in and take a more pro-labor stance. This included the development of government sponsored retirement plans, pensions and oversight of working conditions.

 This book provides the reader with a more realistic explanation of what Marx in fact said and believed. As the two questions on the back cover state:

“Was Marx himself a ‘Marxist’?”

“Did Lenin and Stalin betray Marx and his ideas?”

 There are many reasons to conclude that Marx would not have concurred with what Lenin and Stalin described and practiced in the Soviet Union and proclaimed Marxism. After reading this book, you will understand the reasons to believe that Marx would not have approved of that version of Marxism and know more about what Marx really thought.