Left politics and labor / Marxists Internet Archive
Marxists Internet Archive
Texts of the traditionArchives and custodyactive
The archive's reading. An independent holder: the Charter keeps the archive politically independent and its sixth tenet, 'We do not judge writers', together with the 2007 end of the Marxist/non-Marxist division, keeps a writer in the record regardless of the verdict any party passed on them. The archive's reading is that this is the holder condition of #1725 without a route: the text stays available to be quoted, and what is kept depends on a volunteer willing to transcribe it.
| Kind | all-volunteer, non-profit public library |
|---|---|
| Operator | the Marxists Internet Archive, an all-volunteer non-profit with a Steering Committee and an Admin Committee; 76 active volunteers from several dozen countries (July 2025) |
| Unit of record | a document: a writing by an archived author, transcribed by a volunteer and filed in one of 83 language sections |
| What it records | the writings of close to 1000 authors 'representing a complete spectrum of political, philosophical, and scientific thought', generally spanning the past 200 years; its aim is any and all writings which are Marxist or relevant to the understanding of Marxism and can be lawfully published |
| Whose record it keeps | the writings of close to 1000 authors, Marxist or relevant to the understanding of Marxism, in 83 languages |
| Who holds it | the MIA itself, an all-volunteer non-profit bound by a seven-tenet Charter (always 100% free, non-profit, democratic decision making, full disclosure, politically independent, does not 'judge' writers, priority on archival information); material is public domain unless noted, MIA-created material under a Creative Commons License |
| The losing side | the introduction states that the MIA does not 'judge' writers, ended in 2007 its practice of dividing all writers into Marxists and non-Marxists, does not filter out a writer's distasteful views, and endorses none of the views it archives; the saved introduction names no section for splits or expelled tendencies (EROL, an anti-revisionist section, is served under its History path; see relations) |
| Method | volunteer transcription; inclusion bounded by the availability of a willing volunteer and by intellectual property law |
| Coverage | geography: 83 language sections; volunteers from several dozen countries; period: writings generally spanning the past 200 years; the archive in its present form since 1998 |
| Count | value: over 400,000 documents, 1.1 TB of data, close to 1000 authors, 83 languages; as_of: April 2026 (documents and data, as the introduction states) |
| Holdings | over 400,000 documents and 1.1 TB of data (April 2026); writings of close to 1000 authors; 83 languages; an index of Selected Marxist Writers in most language sections; a Student's Section; eBooks and Audio Books |
| Stated limits | 'within the limits imposed by the availability of a willing volunteer to transcribe the works and the impact of intellectual property laws'; only writings that 'can be lawfully published'; 'The MIA does not endorse any of the views expressed by any of the writers included here'; a page titled 'Why some writer is missing' (unread here) |
| Data access | free public website; eBooks and Audio Books; mirrors; a site search, a text index and a site map (listed in the introduction) |
| Licence | 'All material within these Archives, unless noted otherwise, is public domain . MIA-created material is protected by the Creative Commons License' |
| Lifecycle | state: active; detail: established in its present form in 1998, with an earlier history on its history page (unread); the introduction was last updated on 21 April 2026 and gives holdings as of April 2026 and volunteers as of July 2025 |
| Founded | 1998 (present form) |
What its record can settle
- whether a named author's writing is transcribed in the MIA, and in which language sections
- how the MIA governs itself and on what terms it holds its texts (Charter, license)
- the MIA's own scale: documents, data, authors, languages, volunteers, visitors
What it cannot settle
- whether the MIA's holdings of an author are complete (inclusion depends on a willing volunteer and on intellectual property law)
- the critical state of a text (the method is transcription; the saved sources state no editorial apparatus)
- which positions lost within any party (the saved introduction names no such section)
Kept apart
- NOT a party or tendency organ: its Charter commits it to remaining politically independent
- NOT an endorsement of the writers it holds
- NOT a scholarly edition: its texts are volunteer transcriptions
- NOT complete for any author by its own statement: inclusion depends on a willing volunteer and on intellectual property law
- NOT limited to Marxist writers since 2007: it indexes Selected Marxist Writers and holds writings relevant to the understanding of Marxism
Relations
- has_part: Encyclopedia of anti-Revisionism On-Line — the Encyclopedia of anti-Revisionism On-Line is served under www.marxists.org/history/erol/ (the saved source URLs); the MIA introduction saved here does not name it
Evidence
- self_description (the resource's own statement):
The Marxists Internet Archive (MIA, http://www.marxists.org/) is an all-volunteer, non-profit public library, established in its present form in 1998
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - visitors (the resource's own statement):
In 2022, MIA averaged 3.3 million visitors per month, downloading 27.5 million files per month.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - volunteers (the resource's own statement):
As of July 2025, MIA has 76 active volunteers from several dozen countries .
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - record_object (the resource's own statement):
MIA contains the writings of close to 1000 authors representing a complete spectrum of political, philosophical, and scientific thought, generally spanning the past 200 years.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - count (the resource's own statement):
MIA contains these writings in 83 different languages , comprising a total size of over 400,000 documents and 1.1 TB of data (April 2026), all created through the work of volunteers around the world.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - charter (the resource's own statement):
MIA abides by seven fundamental tenets found in our Charter : (1) We will always be 100% Free; (2) We will always be a non-profit organization; (3) We will always be based on democratic decision making; (4) We will always have full disclosure; (5) We will always remain politically independent; (6) We do not ‘judge’ writers; (7) Our priority is to provide archival information.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - losing_side_2007 (the resource's own statement):
In 2007, we terminated our former practice of dividing all writers into Marxists and non-Marxists , and instead offer an index of Selected Marxist Writers in most language sections.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - aim (the resource's own statement):
The MIA aims to maintain an archive of any and all writings which are Marxist or relevant to the understanding of Marxism and can be lawfully published.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - no_filter (the resource's own statement):
The MIA generally does not “filter out” such views; if we are archiving the work of a writer, any and all of that writer’s work may be included
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - limit_volunteer (the resource's own statement):
within the limits imposed by the availability of a willing volunteer to transcribe the works and the impact of intellectual property laws.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - no_endorsement (the resource's own statement):
The MIA does not endorse any of the views expressed by any of the writers included here, which are provided solely for the information of the reader.
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - governance (the resource's own statement):
We do this believing in the importance of organisational transparency to ensure our internal democracy remains strong
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - steering (the resource's own statement):
Steering Committee
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - admin (the resource's own statement):
Contact the Marxists Internet Archive Admin Committee for further information
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - license (the resource's own statement):
All material within these Archives, unless noted otherwise, is public domain . MIA-created material is protected by the Creative Commons License .
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - missing_writer (the resource's own statement):
Why some writer is missing
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - student_section (the resource's own statement):
If you have basic questions about Marxism and all that relates to it, start in our Student's Section .
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - access (the resource's own statement):
Audio Books
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b… - updated (the resource's own statement):
Last updated on 21 April 2026
https://www.marxists.org/admin/intro/index.htm · read 2026-10-31 · http 200 · sha256 dbee9868c094836b…
Unchecked
the home page (marxists-internet-archive--home): saved text is navigation only (126 characters), unread and unquoted; the history, Charter, Steering Committee, budget and 'Why some writer is missing' pages linked from the introduction; the Periodicals section and any section on parties or splits; the Creative Commons License version
Cite: Lee Sharks, ed. "Marxists Internet Archive." Mary Lee Labor meta-aggregator: left politics and labor, maryleelabor.org, compiled 2026-10-31. https://www.maryleelabor.org/aggregators/marxists-internet-archive