Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo - The Worldview and Philosophical Methodology of Marxism-Leninism: Curriculum of the Basic Principles of Marxism-Leninism, Part 1

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION

Translated and Annotated by Luna Nguyen

Foreword by Dr. Vijay Prashad

Introduction by Dr. Taimur Rahman

Edited, Annotated, and Illustrated by Emerican Johnson

Proofread by David Peat

Additional Contributions and Editorial Support by Iskra Books

Published in association with The International Magazine

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Translating, annotating, and typesetting this book has taken three years, which would not have been possible without the support of our supporters on GoFundMe. GoFundMe is also the reason we are able to make the digital version of this entire text available for free online. We would therefore like to recognize all of our supporters:

Kathryn S. - Timothy P. - De'Vonte T. - Douglas H. - Ayodele E. - Stephanie P. - Bryan D. - Jeff H. - Matheus G. P. - Luke F. - Ayo E. - David B. G. - Joel V. - Jake B. - K. Masunungure - Daniel A. - Ville I. - Ariel G. - Aaron L. - Jason T. - Crescenzo P. - Antonio R. - Roger W. - Hunter S. - Joseph Z. B. - Cam S. - Adam K. - Olga C. - Roberto P. - Gerard D. - Voltie M. - Kaylee C. - Edil F. - Zeke T. - Gideon S. - Saumya I. - Jason G. A., Jr. - Richard H. - Lachlainn H. - Jake B. - Matthew S. - Joshua E. - Corey K. - Justin F. - Jesse T. - Christopher R. - Helios A. C. - Michael M. - Ellenore M. - Jason T. - Michael E. - Heath H. - Boyles B. - Ashley C. - Daniel S. - Aadil B. - Joshua R. - Maximilian H. - John P. - John M. - Matthew L. - Glenn A. - Edward C. - Caitlin B. - Aaron W. - Benjamin S. - Michael C. - Megan B. - Manuel G. F. - Sam W. - James H. - Kevin P. - Calum S. - Jesse R. - Taylor H. - Siddharth P. - Melinda K. - Shane F. - Marc G. - Katia S. - Manuel V. - Sarah K. - Aidan M. - Blake P. - Patrick O. - Daniel H. - Ryan P. - Matthew P. - Duy V. - Georgio M. - Noah B. - Ian H. - Jackson M. - Karen N. - Mckenzie P. - Julianna D. P. - Kyle R. - Peter F. - Josh P. - Kayla D. - Lindsay H. - Adam M. - Dennis C. - Griffin M. - Nicholas H. - Brandon H. - Ashley E. - Simon C. - Jonis F. - John G. - Eric R. - Audrin T. - Nam T. - Orhan M. - Ross P. - Sam P. - Jillian R. - Derric A. - Blaine H. - Jimi C. - Luiza S. - Sarah F. - Danion S. - Liam H. - Mendel A. - Marcos F. T. - Peter L.-D. - Abby L. - Erin P. - Astor C. - Alex E. - Simon L. - Andrew H. - Robert D. - Chandler F. - Audrey M. - Larry V. K. III - Zero P. - Daniel G. - Dmitri S. - Jeremy A. C. - Anthony M. - Amiad H. - Mat C. - Pastor J. - Richard M. - Robert D. - Alexandria J. - Darsius ACAB - Anna N. - Anthony Z. - Joshua B. - Kyril W. - Morgan H. - Tarana I.-M. - Dirk K. - Jacob N. - Robyn M.

There is still plenty of work to be done to complete the translation of this entire curriculum. If you would like to financially support our efforts, you can support us at:

BanyanHouse.org

This book is dedicated to all the backers of the GoFundMe campaign that raised the funds to allow me to translate this text. What I initially believed would be a straightforward three-month process of translating ended up taking over three years of not just translation but also research, study, review, annotation, editing, proofreading, peer review, and more - with the incredible support of a full team of talented comrades - in order to make sure that everything would be digestible and intelligible for audiences outside of Vietnam. So, sincerely, thank you to everyone who backed this project for your patience, support, and encouragement.

Thank you to my husband and comrade, Emerican Johnson, who helped me throughout the translation process, and who did such a fantastic job editing, annotating, and illustrating this text. He was my constant dialectical companion as we grappled together with the spirit and meaning of the writings of Marx, Lenin, and Engels that are the bedrock of this text.

Thank you, also, to Iskra Books for the absolutely vital work they have done in helping us to edit this book and hold it to a high standard. We literally could not have done it without you. In particular, thank you to Ben Stahnke for organizing and cheerleading us through to the end, and to David Peat, for the painstaking, meticulous, and no-doubt frustrating work of proofreading our very, very, very imperfect writing!

Thanks also to The International Magazine, who have provided guidance and suggestions throughout the process of developing this translation. I have had the opportunity to work with The International Magazine on various projects and I can recommend no better monthly periodical for internationalist communists to learn about socialist movements around the world.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to Dr. Vijay Prashad and Dr. Taimur Rahman for taking the time to read through our translation and, in addition to providing their feedback and encouragement, also taking the time to write the foreword and introduction to the text. I know that you are both extremely busy with your own important literary, academic, and political work, so this assistance is so very much appreciated.

Finally, I would like to thank the Vietnamese intellectuals and experts who have done such an amazing job at taking hundreds of texts and distilling them down into the original volume which I have translated here. The elegance and precision with which they have been able to capture the essence of Marxism-Leninism is a monumental contribution to the workers of the world, and I only hope my translation does their work justice.

March, 2023

- Luna Nguyen

In December 1998, Fidel Castro addressed the Young Communist Leagues 7th Congress in Havana, Cuba. The Soviet Union and the Communist state system in Eastern Europe had collapsed, which greatly weakened the cause of socialism. Not only was Cuba hit hard by the loss of its major trading partners and political ally, but socialists in general were penalised by the lethal argument made by the imperialist sections that socialism had been defeated. After 1991, Fidel revived the phrase Battle of Ideas, which was had been used in The German Ideology by Marx and Engels. To the Young Communists, Fidel said: