Shortly before he was assassinated in 1940, Leon Trotsky — one of Marx's most devoted converts and a key figure in the Russian Revolution — made this selection from Capital, to which he appended his own lengthy and insightful introduction. Compact and fascinating, this invaluable work not only presents Marx's thoughts in his own words but also places them in the swirling context of the 20th century. A critical analysis of ideas that have influenced millions of lives for well over a century, this book will be an important addition to the libraries of students and instructors of economics, history, government, and Communist thought.

DIVCompact and fascinating, this invaluable work not only presents Marx's thoughts in his own words, it places them in the swirling context of the early 20th century. /div

In 'The Essential Karl Marx,' readers are presented with a thoughtfully curated anthology that spans a remarkable range of ideological discourse and literary techniques, rooted in the critical examination of socioeconomic structures. This collection brings together seminal works that reflect on the dynamics of class struggle, economic theory, and political praxis, underscoring the diversity and depth of Marxism. The inclusion of key texts not only highlights the evolution of Marx's thought but also showcases the interpretive analyses by prominent figures Florence Kelley and N.I. Stone, presenting a comprehensive overview that is both historical and profoundly relevant to contemporary discussions on capitalism and its discontents. The contributing authors and editors collectively make up an illustrious panel of critical thinkers and activists, each bringing their unique perspective and contextual understanding to Marx's oeuvre. Florence Kelley's advocacy for labor rights and N.I. Stone's contributions to economic socialism intersect with Marx's theories, providing a rich tapestry of social and economic critique. This fusion of backgrounds situates the anthology within broader movements of socialist and Marxist theory, offering readers a multifaceted exploration of critical social theory across different periods and contexts. 'The Essential Karl Marx' is a compelling invitation to those intrigued by Marxist theory, political economy, and social justice, offering an unparalleled exploration of Marx's legacy through the lens of diverse interpreters. This volume promises an enriching educational experience, stimulating critical thought and encouraging a deeper understanding of one of philosophy's most significant figures and his interpreters. It is an essential read for scholars, students, and anyone looking to delve into the complexities of Marxist thought and its continuing relevance in modern discourse.

A decade and a half ago John Bellamy Foster and Paul Burkett introduced a new, revolutionary understanding of the ecological foundations of Marx’s thought, demonstrating that Marx’s concepts of the universal metabolism of nature, social metabolism, and metabolic rift prefigured much of modern systems ecology. Ecological relations were shown to be central to Marx’s critique of capitalism, including his value analysis. Now in Marx and the Earth Foster and Burkett expand on this analysis in the process of responding to recent ecosocialist criticisms of Marx. The result is a full-fledged anti-critique—pointing to the crucial roles that dialectics, open-system thermodynamics, intrinsic value, and aesthetic understandings played in the original Marxian critique, holding out the possibility of a new red-green synthesis.

The subject of this book is the "negative assault on democratic capitalism" embodied in Capital A Critique of Political Economy, Marx's great work devoted to delineating the crimes and inequities of capitalist societies and market economies. The book is a systematic, step-by-step analysis of Marx's logic. It is a deconstruction of the arguments and deductions by which he reaches his main conclusion: that capitalism is corrupt in its essential nature, and that capitalists gain wealth not by any legitimate means, but by appropriating unpaid labor or "surplus value" from the working masses. Despite the disappearance of the Soviet bloc and the waning of Communist zealotry, that is still a widely-believed doctrine. Marx's accusation against capitalism, and the course of argumentation by which he arrives at it, together form the subject of the present volume.