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Engels
It is by no means absurd to say that Engels invented Marxism. His work did more than Marx's to attract and make converts to the most influential political movement of modern times. He was not only the father of dialectical and historical materialism—the official philosophies of history and science in many communist countries—but was also the first Marxist historian, anthropologist, philosopher, and commentator on early Marx. In his later years Engels developed his materialist interpretation of history, his chief intellectual legacy, which has had revolutionary effects on the arts and social sciences. Terrell Carver traces its source and its effect on the development of Marxist theory and practice, assesses its utility, and discusses the difficulties which Marxists have encountered in defending it.
- GenresPolitics
85 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
11 people want to read
About the author
Terrell Carver
63 books8 followersTerrell Carver the professor of Political Theory at the University of Bristol. He deals particularly with Marxism.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 3, 2024
A RARE BOOK ANALYZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MARX'S SUPPORTER
At the time this book was published in 1981, Terrell Carver was Lecturer in Politics at the University of Bristol; he has also written 'The Postmodern Marx,' 'Men in Political Theory,' 'The Cambridge Companion to Marx,' etc.
He explained in the Preface, "While there are many books on Marx and Marxism, there are few books on Engels, and even fewer that take him seriously as a thinker. In this one I have attempted a close study of Engels's ideas. To a large extent I have allowed him to speak for himself..."
He observes that "the unions remained powerless against the great forces of competition and the trade cycle. The real importance of the unions, Engels concluded, was that they were 'the first attempt of the workers to abolish competition' among themselves and competition in the economic system as a whole." (Pg. 18)
He quotes Engels' famous metaphor of Hegel's dialectic being "stood on its head," and observes, "Engels's apparatus of inversion, head-standing, kernels and shells defied even his own attempts to make sense of it, and apparently led Marx into a foggy realm of mixed metaphor." (Pg. 54-55)
He suggests, "The materialist interpretation of history is the main item in the intellectual legacy left us by Engels. These few thoughts variously expressed by Engels himself, have had a revolutionary effect on social theory and political practice." (Pg. 62)
He summarizes, "I have claimed Engels as the first Marxist historian and anthropologist... I have also suggested that Engels was the first to turn to the early works of Marx, including his notebooks, for enlightenment on the substance, and particularly the premises, of his mature works." (Pg. 69) But he adds, "In a sense, Engels left economics to Marx." (Pg. 69) Ultimately, "Engels's philosophy ... was in itself a meagre body of work, with many unexamined assumptions, undefined terms and unspecified relationships." (Pg. 71)
This is a very helpful and informative book for anyone studying Marx, Marxism, and of course Engels.
At the time this book was published in 1981, Terrell Carver was Lecturer in Politics at the University of Bristol; he has also written 'The Postmodern Marx,' 'Men in Political Theory,' 'The Cambridge Companion to Marx,' etc.
He explained in the Preface, "While there are many books on Marx and Marxism, there are few books on Engels, and even fewer that take him seriously as a thinker. In this one I have attempted a close study of Engels's ideas. To a large extent I have allowed him to speak for himself..."
He observes that "the unions remained powerless against the great forces of competition and the trade cycle. The real importance of the unions, Engels concluded, was that they were 'the first attempt of the workers to abolish competition' among themselves and competition in the economic system as a whole." (Pg. 18)
He quotes Engels' famous metaphor of Hegel's dialectic being "stood on its head," and observes, "Engels's apparatus of inversion, head-standing, kernels and shells defied even his own attempts to make sense of it, and apparently led Marx into a foggy realm of mixed metaphor." (Pg. 54-55)
He suggests, "The materialist interpretation of history is the main item in the intellectual legacy left us by Engels. These few thoughts variously expressed by Engels himself, have had a revolutionary effect on social theory and political practice." (Pg. 62)
He summarizes, "I have claimed Engels as the first Marxist historian and anthropologist... I have also suggested that Engels was the first to turn to the early works of Marx, including his notebooks, for enlightenment on the substance, and particularly the premises, of his mature works." (Pg. 69) But he adds, "In a sense, Engels left economics to Marx." (Pg. 69) Ultimately, "Engels's philosophy ... was in itself a meagre body of work, with many unexamined assumptions, undefined terms and unspecified relationships." (Pg. 71)
This is a very helpful and informative book for anyone studying Marx, Marxism, and of course Engels.
Displaying 1 of 1 review