The Algebra of Revolution: The Dialectic and the Classical Marxist Tradition

by John Rees

This book provides the only single volume study of major Marxist thinkers' views on the crucial question of the dialectic, connecting them with pressing contemporary, political and theoretical questions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Sociology

324 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 1997

Reviews

[Callum Trew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most important book I have ever read. I can not praise it enough. It is genuinely the most interesting, illuminating, and necessary read for every Marxist.

I'm so grateful to Danica for recommending it because it has been incredibly important to my development as a Marxist. My understanding of the dialectic, my appreciation of those Marxist thinkers that came before, and the path forward are all so much clearer now.

I found every chapter so, so integral to understanding the importance of the dialectic that you truly can not skip any of them. From Hegel, to Marx and Engels, to Lenin, to Luxemburg, to Lukacs, to Gramsci, and to Trotsky, they are all vitally important to how we, as Marxists, understand the world.

Please read this. Rees' arguments are so eerily similar to ours that we should, without a doubt in my mind, make this a part of a reading group, or even an entire one in itself.

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent. The chapters on Hegel, Marx, and Trotsky were the highlights.

[Amirsaman]

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[Yugotrash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant introduction in the functioning of the marxist dialectic and its application in practice across history - and a basis for application in future practice.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just re-reading this book again. I still think it is one of the best books on the Marxist dialectic. It explains the dialectic from Hegel, how it is taken on by Marx and Engels, then to the leading Classical Marxist theorists Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, Plekanov, Gramsci, Lukacs etc. All the while Rees explains how each thinker interprets the dialectic and what each figure stresses as important. Rees writes in an easy to read style foreign to most books on the subject although he does assume a basic knowledge in philosophy. The dialectic is not just approached abstractly. Rees shows how the philosophical basis of Marxism affected the important debates through the course of socialist history. One criticism of the book is, as some critics like Kevin Anderson have argued, is that Rees treats the section on Hegel simplistically. I think this criticism of Hegel chapter is valid. Although Rees is not writing a book on Hegel. The main aim of this chapter is to outline Hegel's influence on Marx and Engels and to give a sketch of his world-view.

[Reuben Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes back to my days as a hardened Trotskyist. In this work, John Rees examines the development of Dialectical thought, from Hegel through to Marx, Luxembourg, Lukacs and Trotsky.
I read it so many years ago, it's hard to remember what I took from it, and what I had taken from elsewhere. I will say that reading philosophy like this broadens and deepens your worldview; everything from understanding why phenomena happen to the interlocking pattern of phenomena (totality).

[Twilight O. ☭ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably worth a complete review at some point, but for now I'll leave it at saying this is the first book I've encountered to lay out plainly what dialectical logic is, how its materialist form differs from its idealist one, and why revolutionaries ought to care about it without in the process slipping into truisms, banality, and/or meaningless abstractions. That alone is priceless. I detract a star only because the author's orthodox Trotskyist ideological baggage influences how he discusses history at several points; I have too much of a soft spot for Bogdanov to let Rees's characterization of his work slide! That's probably just me being pedantic, however; if I find myself able to more readily use dialectical reasoning independently in the coming months, I'll attribute it to this book it and raise my rating accordingly.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a fairly large stack of books on Marx's dialectic, I think this is one of the better ones. I'd even call it a highlight for anyone interested in the topic.

[Brian Droop · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is not flat.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to materialist dialectics of which I'm aware.

[Arjun Ravichandran · Rating 1 out of 5]

A difficult and dense read. I suspect this book was written solely for academics.