Karl Marx in America

by Andrew Hartman

The vital and untold story of Karl Marx’s stamp on American life.
 
To read Karl Marx is to contemplate a world created by capitalism. People have long viewed the United States as the quintessential anti-Marxist nation, but Marx’s ideas have inspired a wide range of people to formulate a more precise sense of the stakes of the American project. Historians have highlighted the imprint made on the United States by Enlightenment thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Locke, and Thomas Paine, but Marx is rarely considered alongside these figures. Yet his ideas are the most relevant today because of capitalism’s centrality to American life.
 
In Karl Marx in America, historian Andrew Hartman argues that even though Karl Marx never visited America, the country has been infused, shaped, and transformed by him. Since the beginning of the Civil War, Marx has been a specter in the American machine. During the Gilded Age, socialists read Marx as an antidote to the unchecked power of corporations. In the Great Depression, communists turned to Marx in hopes of transcending the destructive capitalist economy. The young activists of the 1960s were inspired by Marx as they gathered to protest an overseas war. Marx’s influence today is evident, too, as Americans have become increasingly attuned to issues of inequality, labor, and power.
 
After decades of being pushed to the far-left corner of intellectual thought, Marx’s ideologies have crossed over into the mainstream and are more alive than ever. Working-class consciousness is on the rise, and, as Marx argued, the future of a capitalist society rests in the hands of the people who work at the point of production. A valuable resource for anyone interested in Marx’s influence on American political discourse, Karl Marx in America is a thought-provoking account of the past, present, and future of his philosophies in American society.
 

Genres: History, Politics, Philosophy, American History, Economics, The United States Of America, Nonfiction

600 pages, Hardcover

Published May 29, 2025

Reviews

[Erik Graff]

This history of the appropriation of Marx and Marxisms in the political and intellectual life of the USA covers the period from our civil war to the present. As such, much was familiar to me and the book served as a reacquaintance with authors and publications, but there was also quite a bit of reference to materials and movements I had not previously dealt with.

Hartman writes well. The reading went quickly and comfortably. My only complaints are as regards topics and persons I think deserve more attention than he proffered. For instance, Noam Chomsky is mentioned only once, and glancingly. More importantly, World War Two and its consequences for the American and global economies is barely addressed. So, too, are the putatively 'actually existing socialisms' of other countries, particularly Cuba. Still, the book was a pleasant review of a vast subject.

[Graeme]

The aim of accessibility winds up pulling away from framing an argument, made most noticeable by the absence of a dedicated conclusion, which is a little frustrating. Elements of the tension between dedicated engagement with Marx and a more capacious American radical tradition emerge at various points but seem like they could have been structuring arguments.

All of that said, I have to give Hartman kudos for the ambition of this project and the breadth of figures, tendencies, and sources (mostly but not exclusively secondary) he engages.

[Caleb Cooke]

Great examination of Karl Marx’s undying influence on American ideological debates.

[Michael Godwin]

Karl Marx in America offers a comprehensive and engaging examination of the enduring influence of Karl Marx's ideas on the development of American political, intellectual, and social history. Andrew Hartman challenges the widespread assumption that Marxism has remained peripheral to American life, presenting a compelling historical account of how Marx's thought has shaped debates surrounding capitalism, labor, democracy, and social justice for more than a century.

Rather than portraying Marx as an isolated figure within radical political movements, Hartman demonstrates how his ideas have repeatedly surfaced during pivotal moments in American history. From the Civil War and the Gilded Age to the Great Depression, the social movements of the 1960s, and contemporary discussions of inequality and workers' rights, the book traces the evolving presence of Marxist thought within the American intellectual landscape.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to combine meticulous historical research with accessible and engaging storytelling. Hartman skillfully situates Marx's ideas within the broader context of American political development, illustrating how changing economic conditions and social movements continually renewed interest in questions surrounding class, labor, and the nature of capitalism.

The discussion of labor movements, political activism, and the changing reception of Marxist ideas throughout American history is particularly insightful. Rather than reducing the subject to ideological debate, the book encourages readers to appreciate the historical complexity of Marx's influence and its continuing relevance in contemporary discussions of economic inequality and democratic institutions.

The book's careful scholarship, balanced analysis, and clear organization make it an excellent resource for students, scholars, and general readers interested in American history, political philosophy, economics, and intellectual history. Hartman successfully bridges academic research and public history, making complex historical developments both engaging and accessible.

Karl Marx in America will appeal to readers interested in American history, political philosophy, Marxist theory, economics, labor history, intellectual history, political science, and the history of capitalism.

Overall, Andrew Hartman delivers a thoughtful, deeply researched, and intellectually stimulating study that offers a fresh perspective on the historical significance of Marx's ideas and their lasting impact on American political and economic discourse.

[Scott]

More than a worthy successor to Paul Buhle's 1987 book Marxism in America, Hartman's book uses the history of Marx's reception in the U.S.--from socialists, communists, anarchists and labor radicals to liberals and arch-conservatives--to provide a fresh and invigorating account of the long battle to define freedom in this country. The book is a model of clear writing, and a good example of "wearing learning lightly," as Hartman synthesizes a vast body of scholarship in a readable and often entertaining narrative. I hope that the book will make both Marx's critics and his sympathizers better-informed. And I hope the latter will not only use it to interpret the world, but to change it.

[Chris Miller]

Dr. Hartman presents a thorough look at the effect Karl Marx has had on America, his work, views, and philosophy, along with the misunderstanding, fear, and attempts to destroy that view. The bibliography for the book is extensive, and Dr Hartman weaves his way through the detail and minutia that helps to explain the broad and significant macro. It is a worthy read and casts many of the trends and responses in a new light. I wish this book had been available 40 years ago.

[Ron Nurmi]

This book looks had how Karl Marx was viewed during and after the U.S. Civil War. The many players within and outside of Marxism. Andres Hartman had done a magnificent job of looking at and understanding Marx.

This is also a look at American history, but through the eyes of intellectual history at how Marx is viewed.

[Matt Sautman]

While occasionally dry, Karl Marx in America exceeds at exploring how Marx has influenced American politics from his days writing op-ed articles for the New York Tribune to conservative backlash against his ideas in the late 20th-early 21st centuries.

[Jack Fredericks]

I would have liked this book better if it were a syllabus.