Reading with Comrades discussion

Just wanted to encourage people to join DSA National's Discussion Group on Eric Blanc's new book, Revolutionary Social Democracy: Working-Class Politics Across the Russian Empire 1882-1917. I know that sounds very academic, but it's a fascinating look at the massively broad spectrum of socialist organizing during a critical period and place(s) just before the 1917 Revolution. It will change your understanding of that Revolution, as well as much else. This group is with Eric Blanc himself, who immersed himself in largely forgotten or ignored archival material for over 10 years (and learning 8 languages along the way) to write this book.

Next session is July 8th, and we haven't actually begun to read the book, so now's a great time to jump in!

More about Eric: https://keywiki.org/Eric_Blanc

Goodreads' link to the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...


Leo Panitch said of this book “Through impressive research and erudite argumentation, this monumental study of the broad array of ‘revolutionary social democratic’ parties that operated in the non-Russian borderlands of the Tsarist Empire in the decades leading to 1917 definitively shows why there was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ revolutionary practice and why there is no reason to overgeneralize the international relevance of the form taken by the October Revolution. A tour de force which provides strong historical foundations for all those today working to develop an anticapitalist, democratic socialist political strategy for renewed working-class formation and state transformation.”

You can view the book launch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZf7h...

Feel free to ask me any questions!

The next session - on chapters 2 and 3 will be on July 20th, 9pm Eastern.

The future schedule is projected to be:

August 3 - chapter 4
August 17 - chapter 5
August 31 - chapter 6
September 14 - chapters 7
September 28 - chapters 8,9
October 12 - chapter 10
October 26 - chapter 11 (last session)