Books Like...
If you liked Das Kapital, here are the top 100 books to read next:
- #1
Save:Foundational, provocative, and still relevant: worth reading for its impact on history and ideas - even if you don’t agree with it.
Answer: To organise society in such a way that every member of it can develop and use all his capabilities and powers in complete freedom and without thereby infringing the basic conditions of this so... The Wealth of Nations is dense but foundational - challenging at times, but eye-opening and essential for anyone serious about understanding economics or the history of ideas.
The greatest improvements in the productive powers of labour, and the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgment, with which it is anywhere directed, or applied, seem to have been the effects...- #3
Save:A foundational work for understanding 20th-century communism - bold, influential, and still debated today. Great for exploring radical politics, even if you don’t agree with Lenin’s conclusions.
What is now happening to Marx's doctrine has occurred time after time in history to the doctrine of revolutionary thinkers and leaders of oppressed classes struggling for liberation. The oppressing cl... - #4
Save:A super accessible, fast-track intro to communism - Engels spells out the basics in a way almost anyone can grasp. Read this first if you want to understand Marxist ideas before wading into heavier texts.
Engels delivers a short, influential classic that gives you the essential evolution of socialism in his own words - it's foundational, thought-provoking, and surprisingly readable, but the chosen edition might leave you wanting a cleaner version.
The present little book is, originally, a part of a larger whole. About 1875, Dr. E. Dühring, privatdocent at Berlin University, suddenly and rather clamorously announced his conversion to Socialism,...A brilliant, thought-provoking takedown of why capitalism feels inescapable, but not the cheeriest read – and best approached if you’re curious about critical theory or contemporary politics.
In one of the key scenes in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 film Children of Men, Clive Owen’s character, Theo, visits a friend at Battersea Power Station, which is now some combination of government building a...A foundational and still-timely deep dive into how capitalism morphs into global power politics - challenging but rewarding if you want to understand the roots of today’s economic system.
The enormous growth of industry and the remarkably rapid process of concentration of production in ever-larger enterprises represent one of the most characteristic features of capitalism. Modern censu...A sharp and compelling look at global inequality that will challenge how you think about economics, power, and progress. Expect to finish the book inspired - and maybe a bit fired up for change.
It began as a public-relations gimmick. Harry Truman had just been elected to a second term as president of the United States and was set to take the stage for his inaugural address on 20 January 1949...- #9
Save:A foundational but uncompromising look at decolonization and its discontents - brilliant, difficult, and a must-read if you want to understand the politics of liberation and the scars of colonialism.
National liberation, national reawakening, restoration of the nation to the people or Commonwealth, whatever the name used, whatever the latest expression, decolonization is always a violent event. At... - #10
Save:A foundational read for understanding leftist thought and modern critiques of capitalism - challenging but rewarding for anyone interested in big ideas. Approach with patience and a willingness to grapple with complex theory.
