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A review by rooafza
Marx and Marxism by Gregory Claeys
4.0
A history of Marx's thought that situates the genesis of his philosophy in the historical context of his time. The young Marx was inspired not only by the Parisian Communards but also from contemporary social reformers like Robert Owen and Henri de Saint Simon. Claeys charts the evolution of Marx's thought from Young Hegelianism to dialectical materialism via his fateful meeting with Engels. Marx's conception of alienation seems to be the most insightful component of his work and one that has enduring relevance. This combined with his detailed description of the process of enclosure are incredibly rigorous and are still material more so than his later work on the historical inevitability of communism which has a distinct millenarian/messianic flavour. The author makes sure to mention his over-confidence and stubbornness especially in debates with fellow leftists(Bakunin etc). His under emphasis of the idea of meaningful democratic opposition within a future worker's state combined with his disdain for the rural peasantry were fatal conceits that(likely) lead to the horrific authoritarian excesses in the Soviet Union and China. Most insightful was the section on "Conversions" wherein the reasons for the universal appeal of Marxism are discussed. It is notable that a philosophy that was primarily for the emancipation of the urban proletariat held such wide purchase among intellectuals.
Claeys likens Marxism to a kind of 'gnostic' knowledge that teased potential believers with the promise of power, prospective converts with the promise of justice. It offered the allure of being scientific, modern and on the side of history.
The latter half of the book is a catalogue of the litany of failures of the various Marxist projects of the 20th century. Lenin, Trotsky and the Bolshevists are especially targeted for criticism for their opportunistic vanguardism and their role in normalizing mass terror and authoritarian bureaucracies that set the tone for the successor movements that drew inspiration from them. The dream of a humanist and democratic communist state seems to have ended at Kronstadt in 1921. The rehabilitation of Marx in the Frankfurt School in the United States and among the French Existentialists is briefly noted.
Overall, a good critical introduction to Marx's body of work and a fair assessment of his lasting legacy.
"..the system it presented appealed primarily because of a mesmerizing combination of simplicity and complexity. The educated were alternatively challenged, delighted and perplexed by a new language brimming with concepts that flattered them"
Claeys likens Marxism to a kind of 'gnostic' knowledge that teased potential believers with the promise of power, prospective converts with the promise of justice. It offered the allure of being scientific, modern and on the side of history.
It was a culmination of both History and Philosophy that was a 'total' worldview that purported to answer every question. The 'rationalism' that pervaded it with was the inevitable outcome of a nineteenth century scientific worldview taken to its logical conclusion.
The latter half of the book is a catalogue of the litany of failures of the various Marxist projects of the 20th century. Lenin, Trotsky and the Bolshevists are especially targeted for criticism for their opportunistic vanguardism and their role in normalizing mass terror and authoritarian bureaucracies that set the tone for the successor movements that drew inspiration from them. The dream of a humanist and democratic communist state seems to have ended at Kronstadt in 1921. The rehabilitation of Marx in the Frankfurt School in the United States and among the French Existentialists is briefly noted.
Overall, a good critical introduction to Marx's body of work and a fair assessment of his lasting legacy.