Marx for Beginners

Nowadays, a lot of the versions of Marx's "Manifesto of the Communist Party" come with about 100 pages of analysis and attempts to decode Karl's thinking. What they should come with is this book. "Marx for Beginners" is a wonderful way for anyone who wishes to study Marx's writing to get their feet wet, and for the experienced Marxist reader, it provides a bit of humor to the writings and gives ways to explain Marx to other people. Even though it is a cartoon book, the illustrations are not pivotal to the writing. They seem to serve mostly as filler, just brackets to attach speech balloons to. But what is in the speech balloons is where the brilliance of the book comes through. Rius gives a brief history of Marx's life, a rundown of philosophy that helped form Marxist thought and then an analysis of the Manifesto. The best feature is when a complex item is discussed, Rius will state the "academic" definition, but then give a practical real-world example of that concept. He also includes a useful glossary of many common terms that come up in discussions of Marxism. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone studying Marx. The only downside is that Rius's writing is very pro-Marxist which may repel non-Marxists from seeing the book's utility. However, most people who purchase this are probably already pretty pro Marx .

This comic book introduces Karl Marx from econ perspective. Easy to go through in couple hours.

This book is great for sociology majors who need to learn beginning materials of Karl Marx!

"Marx for Beginners" by Rius is an entertaining introduction to the life and philosophy of Karl Marx. Deftly using the graphic novel format to make the subject matter accessible to a general audience, Rius wittily and intelligently demonstrates how Marx can help us gain a better understanding of the world we live in today. If you are new to the 'Beginners' series, you are in for a treat. Rius playfully uses a number of nicknames for Marx including 'Charlie', 'Charles', 'Herr Marx' and so on. The illustrations frequently make use of side characters who pose the sort of humble questions that the average person might think about asking the autor, if s/he could. The intent is to personalize the subject matter and make us feel a bit less intimidated by the prospect of analyzing one of the most influenctial philosophers of the past 150 years. In my view, Rius succeeds brilliantly on this level, producing a very enjoyable, informative and interesting read. On the subject matter itself, Rius spends a good amount of time writing about Marx the man, whose poverty and suffering was a symptom of his uncompromising commitment to the cause of human emancipation. Rius examines at length the development of Western philosophy from the ancient Greeks to Marx, with emphasis on the divide between materialism and spiritualism (although oddly, Rius omits Epicurus, who was the subject of Marx's PhD dissertation, from the discussion). Finally, Rius briefly discusses Marx's major works including Capital (Das Kapital) , The Holy Family and of course, The Communist Manifesto - and in the case of the latter, Rius includes actual snippets of text taken from the book in order for us to ponder Marx from his own hand. Regrettably, if ever one of the books in the excellent 'Beginners' series could benefit from updating, it is most certainly this one. Written in the mid 1970s, Rius does not anticipate the end of really existing communism in the USSR nor the rise of post-Marxism as inspiration to the anti- globalization and Occupy Wall Street movements that have risen up against neoliberalism. Yes, Marx is very much alive and well today but this particular 'Beginners' book remains stuck many decades in the past. This is too bad because on the one hand, a great deal has been learned about how much mischief is possible when good ideas are appropriated for all the wrong reasons; while on the other hand, Marx's thoughts about social and economic justice could not be more relevant and timely to us today. On that point, an update might well include Charles Darwin's profound influence on Marx, who is another great intellectual who is absent from Rius' work. In fairness to Rius however, the Darwin/Marx connection and the implications for the environmental movement has been a more recent discovery popularized by the excellent work of John Bellamy Foster (see Marx's Ecology: Materialism and Nature ) among others. With environmental issues such as climate change posing ever great challenges, a 'green' Marx who is able to connect capitalism with the explotation of nature has never been more important. Still, for anyone looking for a brief introduction to (most of) the Western thinkers and philosophers who influenced Marx; a look into the private life of Marx; as well as an overview of Marx's central ideas; then this book is a great place to start. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I very much enjoyed this book, and was even more pleased with how quickly it arrived after ordering it. I encourage anyone who is interested in Karl Marx, in digestible and enjoyable form, to check out this awesome graphic novel!

Marx and Engels were not arguing for restricting individual religious belief. They analyzed religion historically and materially, concluding that it arises from alienation and would fade as its material basis disappears. That is a description of social development, not a call for repression. When Marx called religion the “opium of the people,” he was not attacking believers. He was explaining that religion is a response to real suffering produced by class society. The issue is not private faith, but religion as a social force when it becomes institutionalized, politicized, and tied to power. Confusing this critique with the idea that communism requires banning religion is a theoretical mistake. Marxism does not eliminate ideas through coercion. It eliminates the conditions that produce them. You cannot legislate consciousness out of existence without abandoning historical materialism. It is entirely possible to be religious and a communist. A worker does not stop being exploited because they pray, and a believer does not stop being a revolutionary because they hold metaphysical beliefs. Marxism demands commitment to class struggle, not ideological purity tests. Marxism is materialist and ultimately incompatible with religious explanations of the world, but this contradiction is not antagonistic under socialism. It resolves through education, better material conditions, and the gradual disappearance of alienation, not through force. Marxism wins by explaining reality better and improving people’s lives, not by policing private belief. Epilogue: “Materialist” refers to a philosophical belief that only physical matter exists, whereas “materialistic” describes a person excessively focused on material possessions and wealth. A materialist holds a, often scientific, worldview, while a materialistic person has a consumer-driven attitude. They are distinct concepts, as one can be a philosopher without being materialistic.

+ What Ive discovered is that each of these "Beginners" books not only differs in style from the others, but also in quality. Some are quite good; some only adequate. "Marx for Beginners" would fall into the second category. + For one thing, this book is not only illustrated--but written--by a cartoonist. He's a political/editorial cartoonist, apparently, but a cartoonist nonetheless. I'd have felt I was being a little better educated about Karl Marx if the author were...a Marx biographer, a professor of politics, a philsopher...well, basically anyone with some sort of actual credentials. + The author's own introduction sure didn't assuage my doubts about his qualitifications to explain Marxism, either. First he says how impossible it is to do Marx any justice in a book such as this; then he says how difficult it is to understand Marx, in fact, he, the author, doesn't understand Marx himself; and, finally, he jocularly informs us that upon approaching "illustrious Marxist theorists" for help with this book, he was told that he "must be out of [his] mind to start such a work" and sarcastically thanks them for "their `spirit of co-operation.'" + Finally, a good deal of this book is given over to excerpts from "The Communist Manifesto," which one can read separately easily enough--why do we need it reprinted at such length here? Another good chunk of the book is given over to an encapsulated summary of the history of philosophy which bears no necessary connection to the discussion of Marx. There is a glossary of "Marxist" terms at the back of the book, provided almost as as a counter-balance of the light-weight treatment that came before. But this glossary, turgid and conventional, is at utter odds with the whole "Beginners" books concept. + If you know nothing--and I mean nothing--about Karl Marx and Marxism this book will teach you something. Even if you're like me and know next to nothing about Marx, you're likely to garner a few facts and insights. But I can't help but feel that a much-much better job could have--and should have--been done with this. + Frankly, I don't think the book is worth the cover price, but if you can get it used, as I did, and marked way down, or, better yet, have a comrade from your local soviet collective lend it to you, it's not entirely without merit.

Absolutely wonderful! An informative graphic novel (cartoon book) about history and politics that is accurate, understandable, and very funny.

Great way to learn Marxism. Donr in a entertaining way. Easy to remember

Marx's classic ideas packaged in comic form - a great intro to the field, and responsible for my love of graphic novels!

This is a great book for understanding Marx who is some times very difficult to understand. An interesting format and I wish a lot of other topics are covered like this.

verygood one for beginners

I read this many years ago as a student and loved it. Glad to say it is still the most amusing (and informative) book on the subject, assuming, of course, that you don’t want to risk blowing your cerebral cortex by reading the actual volumes (of Das Kapital) by Karl himself.