I stumbled onto LeftValues and took the quiz. Turns out that my political leanings aren't what I thought they were. Like, not even close. Just to preface, apparently I fall somewhere between Democratic Socialism and Centrist Marxism, with some leanings towards Social Democracy. 0% in common with Marxism-Leninism, which isn't going to be very popular in this community, but it's likely because of my feelings on centralization.
So, with all that in mind, does anyone have any recommended reading?
Definitions from the website follow below. And if this should be posted somewhere better, please let me know! :)
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Democratic Socialism is a form of socialism that seeks to utilize liberal democracy as a means to achieve a socialist economy and society. Democratic Socialists reject revolution and a centrally planned economy, instead supporting moderate social ownership in the form of publicly owned utilities and democratic workplace self-management.
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Centrist Marxism is a form of Marxism that adopts Marxist views on society and the economy while also refraining from taking a definitive position on revolution and reformism. Many Centrist Marxists may also be more nationalistic than other Marxists.
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Social Democracy is a centre-left ideology that advocates for mixing left-leaning values such as social welfare and corporate regulation with capitalism and liberal democracy in the form of a mixed economy. Many modern Social Democrats favor Keynesian economics.
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Marxism-Leninism is a form of Marxism that was forged in the 20th century in the Soviet Union. Marxist-Leninists heavily favor the use of a communist political party as the platform for both achieving revolution and establishing socialism. Many Marxist-Leninists are somewhat more nationalistic and patriotic than many other Marxists, and may favor industrial progress over environmental goals.
Prolewiki has an absolute beginner’s list that should be valuable to you. +1 to Blackshirts and Reds, personally I would read this before anything else. The State and Revolution is definitely a must read for all socialists, but I think I agree with the beginner list that it would be better as a followup once you’ve got a working understanding of marxism.