Great Man theory

* “Suicide for socialism?" by Maurice Brinton https://libcom.org/library/suicide-for-socialism-jonestown-brinton [EN] (bit too harsh on Angela Davis)
* "Personality Cult: Is It Necessary for Revolution?" by Ranganayakamma http://www.massline.org/SingleSpark/Theory/P-Cult-Ranga.htm (Indian Marxist-Leninist)
* "The Maoist Party" by Ajith https://anti-imperialism.org/2018/08/30/comrade-ajith-on-the-maoist-party/ [EN] (Indian Marxist-Leninist); https://thenaxalbari.blogspot.com/2013/05/on-maoist-party.html [EN] (Indian Marxist-Leninist)
* "The Mass Line in Peru" by Scott H. http://www.massline.info/Peru/ [EN]
* "My Afternoon with Chairman Bob Avakian" by Sam Dock https://indypendent.org/2014/11/my-afternoon-with-chairman-bob-avakian-2/ [EN]
* "Interview with Jose Maria Sison (I): «We can see the conditions for the resurgence of the world proletarian revolution precisely because of the intensifying inter-imperialist conflicts»" by Àngel Marrades https://www.descifrandolaguerra.es/interview-with-jose-maria-sison-i-we-can-see-the-conditions-for-the-resurgence-of-the-world-proletarian-revolution-precisely-because-of-the-intensifying-inter-imperialist-conflicts/ [EN]

### **News Articles**

* “Трепещите, ядом плюйте Как Иосиф Сталин возвращается в жизнь современной России” Илья Азар https://meduza.io/feature/2016/02/25/trepeschite-yadom-plyuyte [RU]

### **Magazine Articles**

* “Taking Stock, Settling Accounts: Coming to Terms with Stalinism" by Avery Minnelli https://newpol.org/taking-stock-settling-accounts-coming-to-terms-with-stalinism/ [EN]; https://theleftwind.wordpress.com/2019/09/28/taking-stock-settling-accounts-coming-to-terms-with-stalinism [EN] (original)

### **Documents**

* "The Programme of the Parti Ouvrier" by Karl Marx and Jules Guesde https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/05/parti-ouvrier.htm#n5 [EN] (has the famous quote from Karl Marx “what is certain is that I myself am not a Marxist”)

### **Videos**

* "’Stalin Did Nothing Wrong’ and Other Such Foolishness” uploaded by Black Red Guard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoLacr9MbrA [13:12, EN] (New Afrikan Maoist critique)
* “The Communist Party of Peru and What We Can Learn from It” uploaded by Black Red Guard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCGRbMBhcvw [24:14, EN] (New Afrikan Maoist critique)
* “The Great Terror of Stalinism and What Drives Justification of It” uploaded by Left1ne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6jyF5VR3a4 [12:10, EN SUB, EN] (Russian Nietzschean communist)
* “The Shining Path of Peru | BadEmpanada” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHqJDs3OuhQ [1:03:42, EN] (Marxist-Leninist, member of Solidarity with Cuba, supports Vietnam [Laos is client-state of Vietnam] and Rojava, white Australian settler with Greek ancestry living in Argentina; has extremely abrasive personality on Twitter and Reddit and is considered an irony-poisoned bro)
* "What Is Stalinism? | ABCs of Marxism | Workers' Liberty" uploaded by Workers Liberty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twzhntmU7AM [15:28, EN] (Trotskyist)
* “Cults of Personality in the Soviet Union - Cold War DOCUMENTARY” uploaded by The Cold War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99dPfjIJ5SA [16:22, EN SUB, EN]
* "On Fourth Swords and Great Leaders: Why Communists Reject Personality Cults" uploaded by Black Red Guard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAnujI7iipU [11:56, EN] (New Afrikan Maoist critique)

### **Archived**

* https://archive.vn/pOT3P [EN] - romanticising rebellious or revolutionary individuals lead to not addressing underlying causes of conflicts
* https://archive.is/122lc [EN] - white Marxist-Leninsts tokenizing famous people from the Black Panther Party don’t read BPP history

### **Notes**

* Dietification of individuals eventually leads to conservatives and reactionaries co-opting historical figures. For example, Russian right-wingers put Stalin on a pedestal while either pretending the USSR never existed or fabricate a timeline USSR and Russian Federation are extensions of Imperial Russia / Tsarist Russia up until today under a framework where Russia is never wrong, always correct and alway was and always will be
* Also, many self-proclaimed “historical materialists” who ostensibly reject “Great Man Theory” will also put the blame for the USSR’s collapse solely on Gorbachev and Yeltsin.