Commentary

[in chronological order]

Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life

- Sperber, Jonathan. Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life. New York: Liveright, 2013.
From the Publisher: “Karl Marx is a magisterial and defining biography that vividly explores not only the man himself but also the revolutionary times in which he lived. Between his birth in 1818 and his death sixty-five years later, Karl Marx became… More

The Open Society and Its Enemies

- Popper, Karl. The Open Society and Its Enemies. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013.
From the Publisher: ” One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper’s The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of… More

Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital

- Chibber, Vivek. Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital. New York: Verso, 2013.
From the Publisher: “Postcolonial theory has become enormously influential as a framework for understanding the Global South. It is also a school of thought popular because of its rejection of the supposedly universalizing categories of the… More

Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left

- Buhle, Paul. Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left, New York: Verso, 2013.
From the Publisher: “A crown jewel of New Left historiography, this overview of U.S. Marxism was hailed on its first publication for its nuanced storytelling, balance and incredible sweep. Brimming over with archival finds and buoyed by the… More

How to Change the World: Tales of Marx and Marxism

- Hobsbawm, Eric. How to Change the World: Tales of Marx and Marxism. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011.
From the Publisher: “In the 144 years since Karl Marx’s Das Kapital was published, the doctrine that bears his name has been embraced by millions in the name of equality, and just as dramatically has fallen from grace with the retreat of communism… More

From Marxism to Post-Marxism?

- Therborn, Göran. From Marxism to Post-Marxism? London: Verso, 2010.
From the Publisher: “In this pithy and panoramic work—both stimulating for the specialist and accessible to the general reader—one of the world’s leading social theorists, Göran Therborn, traces the trajectory of Marxism in the twentieth century… More

Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism

- Lenin, Vladimir Il’ich. Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism. London: Penguin, 2010.
From the Publisher: “2011 Reprint of 1939 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. “Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism”, by Lenin, describes the function of financial… More

Introduction to Marx’s Capital

- Harvey, David. A Companion to Marx’s Capital. New York: Verso, 2010.
From the Publisher: ““My aim is to get you to read a book by Karl Marx called Capital, Volume 1, and to read it on Marx’s own terms…” The biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression has generated a surge of interest in Marx’s work in… More

The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State

- Engels, Friedrich. The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State. London; New York: Penguin Classics, 2010.
Excerpt: “The following chapters are, in a sense, the execution of a bequest. No less a man than Karl Marx had made it one of his future tasks to present the results of Morgan’s researches in the light of the conclusions of his own — within certain… More

The Origins of Totalitarianism

- Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Memphis: General Books, 2010.
From the Publisher: “The Origins of Totalitarianism begins with the rise of anti-Semitism in central and western Europe in the 1800s and continues with an examination of European colonial imperialism from 1884 to the outbreak of World War I. Arendt… More

“Review of The Young Karl Marx, by David Leopold”

- Schechter, Benli M. “Review of The Young Karl Marx, by David Leopold.” Interpretation, Vol. 37 (2009), pp. 105-114.
Excerpt: ” Remarkably, the greatest critiques of Marxism surfaced not from among those in the right wing of the ideological spectrum, but from among those in its left wing—that is, from those even further out than today’s mainstream of Marxism. This… More

Alasdair MacIntyre’s Engagement with Marxism: Selected Writings, 1953-1974

- MacIntyre, Alasdair C, and Paul Blackledge. Alasdair MacIntyre’s Engagement with Marxism: Selected Writings, 1953-1974. Chicago: Haymarket, 2009.
From the Publisher: “Although Alasdair MacIntyre is best known today as the author of After Virtue (1981), he was, in the 1950s and 1960s, one of the most erudite members of Britain’s Marxist Left: being a militant within, first, the Communist Party,… More

Critical Companion to Contemporary Marxism

- Bidet, Jacques, and Eustache Kouvélakis. Critical Companion to Contemporary Marxism. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2009.
From the Publisher: ” The Critical Companion to Contemporary Marxism is an international and interdisciplinary volume which aims to provide a thorough and precise panorama of recent developments in Marxist theory in the US, Europe, Asia and beyond.… More

Exploring Marx’s Capital: Philosophical, Economic, and Political Dimensions

- Bidet, Jacques. Exploring Marx’s Capital: Philosophical, Economic, and Political Dimensions. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2009.
From the Publisher: ” This volume, originally published in French under the title Que faire du Capital?, offers a new interpretation of Marx’s great work. It shows how the novelty and lasting interest of Marx’s theory arises from the fact that, as… More

On Revolution

- Arendt, Hannah. On Revolution. London: Penguin, 2009.
Excerpt: “Wars and revolutions – as though events had only hurried up to fulfil Lenin’s early prediction – have thus far determined the physiognomy of the twentieth century. And as distinguished from the nineteenth-century… More

How to Read Marx’s Capital

- Shapiro, Stephen. How to Read Marx’s Capital. London: Pluto, 2008.
From the Publisher: “Capital Volume I is essential reading on many undergraduate courses, but the structure and style of the book can be confusing for students, leading them to abandon the text. This book is a clear guide to reading Marx’s classic… More

Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy

- Schumpeter, Joseph A. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. New York: Harper, 2008.
From the Publisher: “2011 Reprint of 1947 Second Edition. Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883 – 1950) was an Austrian-American economist and political scientist. He popularized the term “creative destruction” in economics. Schumpeter’s… More

Essays on Marx’s Theory of Value

- Rubin, Isaak I. Essays on Marx’s Theory of Value. Delhi: AaKar Books, 2008.
Excerpt: “The distinctive characteristic of the commodity economy is that the managers and organizers of production are independent commodity producers (small proprietors or large entrepreneurs). Every separate, private firm is autonomous, i.e., its… More

The General Will: Rousseau, Marx, Communism

- Levine, Andrew. The General Will: Rousseau, Marx, Communism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
From the Publisher: “This bold and unabashedly utopian book advances the thesis that Marx’s notion of communism is a defensible, normative ideal. However, unlike many others who have written in this area, Levine applies the tools and techniques of… More

Main Currents of Marxism: The Founders, the Golden Age, the Breakdown

- Kolakowski, Leszek, and P. S Falla. Main Currents of Marxism: The Founders, the Golden Age, the Breakdown. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008.
From the Publisher: “Renowned philosopher Leszek Kolakowski was one of the first scholars to reveal both the shortcomings and the dangers posed by communist regimes. He now presents, for the first time in one paperback volume, his definitive Main… More

Terrorism and Communism: A Reply to Karl Kautsky

- Trotsky, Leon, and Henry Noel Brailsford. Terrorism and Communism: A Reply to Karl Kautsky. London: Verso, 2007.
From the Publisher: “Written in the white heat of revolutionary Russia’s Civil War, Trotsky’s Terrorism and Communism is one of the most potent defenses of revolutionary dictatorship. In his provocative commentary to this new edition the… More

The Young Karl Marx: German Philosophy, Modern Politics, and Human Flourishing

- Leopold, David. The Young Karl Marx: German Philosophy, Modern Politics, and Human Flourishing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
From the Publisher: “The Young Karl Marx is an innovative and important study of Marx’s early writings. These writings provide the fascinating spectacle of a powerful and imaginative intellect wrestling with complex and significant issues, but… More

Marx’s Theory of Alienation

- Meszaros, Istvan. Marx’s Theory of Alienation. 5th ed. London: Merlin Press, 2006.
From the Publisher: “Written in 1970 by a prominent Marxist philosopher and student of Georg Lukács, this book argues that alienation is the central idea in all of Karl Marx’s work. To distinguish Marx’s original concept from its use by… More

Specters of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning, and the New International

- Derrida, Jacques. Specters of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning, and the New International. London: Routledge, 2006.
From the Publisher: “Prodigiously influential, Jacques Derrida gave rise to a comprehensive rethinking of the basic concepts and categories of Western philosophy in the latter part of the twentieth century, with writings central to our understanding of… More

The Theory of Revolution in the Young Marx

- Löwy, Michael. The Theory of Revolution in the Young Marx. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2005.
From the Publisher: ““This book is brilliant, incisive, honest and deserves to be read with attention. It is an important event in the Marxist theoretical production.” —Politique Hebdo “A remarkable essay, whose merit is not only theoretical,… More

Marx’s Concept of Man

- Fromm, Erich. Marx’s Concept of Man. London: Continuum, 2004.
From the Publisher: “2011 Reprint of 1961 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Fromm provides what was at the time a new and provocative view of Marx’s humanism that challenged both… More

The Accumulation of Capital

- Luxemburg, Rosa. The Accumulation of Capital. London: Routledge, 2003.
From the Publisher: “Rosa Luxemburg was a revolutionary socialist who fought and died for her beliefs. In January 1919, after being arrested for her involvement in a workers’ uprising in Berlin, she was brutally murdered by a group of right-wing… More

The Dawn of Universal History: Selected Essays from a Witness to the Twentieth Century

- Aron, Raymond. The Dawn of Universal History: Selected Essays from a Witness to the Twentieth Century. New York: Basic Books, 2003.
Excerpt: “In this collection of newly translated essays, philosopher and sociologist Raymond Aron chronicles the twentieth century with the authority of an active participant. Combining objectivity with incisive questioning, Aron’s reading of… More

Ethics and the Materialist Conception of History

- Kautsky, Karl. Ethics and the Materialist Conception of History. Amsterdam: Fredonia Books., 2002.
From the Publisher: “This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character… More

Philosophy & Myth in Karl Marx

- Tucker, Robert C. Philosophy & Myth in Karl Marx. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2001.
From the Publisher: ” In Karl Marx’s early writing (first made available many years after his death) his economic interpretation of history and his concept of communism were set in a comprehensive philosophical framework. Marx’s main… More

Karl Marx’s Theory of History: A Defence

- Cohen, G. A. Karl Marx’s Theory of History : A Defence. Princeton University Press, 2001.
From the Publisher: “First published in 1978, this book rapidly established itself as a classic of modern Marxism. Cohen’s masterful application of advanced philosophical techniques in an uncompromising defense of historical materialism commanded… More

The Opium of the Intellectuals

- Aron, Raymond. The Opium of the Intellectuals. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction, 2001.
From the Publisher: ” Raymond Aron’s 1955 masterpiece The Opium of the Intellectuals, is one of the great works of twentieth- century political reflection. Aron shows how noble ideas can slide into the tyranny of “secular religion” and… More

Marx: A Very Short Introduction

- Singer, Peter. Marx: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
From the Publisher: “In Marx: A Very Short Introdution, Peter Singer identifies the central vision that unifies Marx’s thought, enabling us to grasp Marx’s views as a whole. He sees him as a philosopher primarily concerned with human… More

“Marx’s Anomalous Reading of Spinoza”

- Gordon Hull. “Marx’s Anomalous Reading of Spinoza.” Interpretation, Vol. 28 (2000), pp. 17–32.
Excerpt: ” Spinoza and Marx were thinkers who attained sufficient notoriety to become associated with certain, rather fixed, doctrinal positions. For this reason, the study of Spinoza and Marx is never fully dissociable from an encounter with Spinozism… More

The Hegel-Marx Connection

- Burns, Tony. The Hegel-Marx Connection. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
From the Publisher: “A major and timely re-examination of key areas in the social and political thought of Hegel and Marx. The editors’ extensive introduction surveys the development of the connection from the Young Hegelians through the main… More

Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory

- Marcuse, Herbert. Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory. Amherst, NY: Humanity Books, 1999.
From the Publisher: “It is of the very definition of any “classic” work that it will not only introduce a new depth and direction of thought, but that its original insights endure. When it first appeared in 1940, Reason and Revolution by… More

Main Currents in Sociological Thought, Vol. 1

- Aron, Raymond. Main Currents in Sociological Thought, Vol. 1. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction, 1998.
From the Publisher: “This volume explores the work of three figures who profoundly shaped sociology as it entered the twentieth century: Emile Durkheim, Vilfredo Pareto, and Max Weber.”

The Human Condition

- Arendt, Hannah. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
“In 1957, an earth-born object made by man was launched into the universe, where for some weeks it circled the earth according to the same laws of gravitation that swing and keep in motion the celestial bodies—the sun, the moon, and the stars. To be… More

Analytical Marxism: a Critique

- Roberts, Marcus. Analytical Marxism: a Critique. London: Verso, 1996.
From the Publisher: “In the 1980s, leading philosophers at Oxford, Chicago and UCLA undertook a controversial reassessment of Marxism using the techniques of analytical philosophy. The aim of these so-called “Non-Bullshit” Marxists was no less than… More

Paths in Utopia

- Buber, Martin. Paths in Utopia. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1996.

Karl Marx: His Life and Environment

- Berlin, Isaiah. Karl Marx: His Life and Environment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
From the Publisher: “First published over fifty years ago, Isaiah Berlin’s compelling portrait of the father of socialism has long been considered a classic of modern scholarship and the best short account written of Marx’s life and thought.… More

The Thought of Karl Marx: An Introduction

- McLellan, David. The Thought of Karl Marx: An Introduction. London: Papermac, 1995.
From the Publisher: “This text provides the basic elements necessary for a grasp of the range and complexity of Marx’s ideas. The first half of the book is a chronological account of Marx’s ideas with a miniumum of biographical and… More

From Hegel to Marx: Studies in the Intellectual Development of Karl Marx

- Hook, Sidney. From Hegel to Marx: Studies in the Intellectual Development of Karl Marx. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994.
From the Publisher: “In this brilliant work, first published in 1936, Sydney Hook seeks to resolve one of the classic problems of European intellectual history: how the political radicalism and philosophical materialism of Karl Marx issued from the… More

“The Socialist Polis: Antiquity and Socialism in Marx’s Thought”

- Claudio Katz. “The Socialist Polis: Antiquity and Socialism in Marx’s Thought.” The Review of Politics, Vol. 56 (1994), pp. 237–260.
Abstract: “The central question guiding this essay is: what does Marx’s socialism owe to classical antiquity? Underlying this question is the thesis that Marx’s studies of classical Greece supply the angle of vision necessary to bring to… More

Max Weber and Karl Marx

- Lowith, Karl. Max Weber and Karl Marx. London: Routledge, 1993.
From the Publisher: “Karl Lowith’s study of Max Weber and Karl Marx is a key text in modern interpretations of the theme of alienation in Marxist theory and the subject of rationalization in Weber’s sociology. Lowith’s philosophical… More

From Marx to Mises: Post-Capitalist Society and the Challenge of Economic Calculation

- Steele, David Ramsay. From Marx to Mises: Post-Capitalist Society and the Challenge of Economic Calculation. Open Court, 1992.
From the Publisher: “In 1920, Ludwig von Mises proclaimed that all attempts to establish socialism would come to grief, for reasons of informational efficiency. At first, socialists and economists took Mises’s argument seriously, but by the end of… More

Marx and Aristotle: Nineteenth-Century German Social Theory and Classical Antiquity

- McCarthy, George E. Marx and Aristotle: Nineteenth-Century German Social Theory and Classical Antiquity. Savage, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1992.
From the Publisher: “As the Iron Curtain was shattered recently in Eastern Europe, revealing a diversity of cultural traditions lost during the recent past, so too the curtain which has hidden Karl Marx’s writings for many years seems to be… More

The Cambridge Companion to Marx

- Carver, Terrell. The Cambridge Companion to Marx. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
From the Publisher: “Marx was a highly original and polymathic thinker, unhampered by disciplinary boundaries, whose intellectual influence has been enormous. Yet in the wake of the collapse of Marxism-Leninism in Eastern Europe the question arises as… More

Marx and the Ancients : Classical Ethics, Social Justice, and Nineteenth-century Political Economy

- McCarthy, George E. Marx and the Ancients : Classical Ethics, Social Justice, and Nineteenth-century Political Economy. Savage, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1990.
From the Publisher: “Marx and the Ancients is the first book-length treatment to detail the relationship between classical Greek philosophy and Karl Marx’s critique of political economy. From his dissertation on the physics and astronomy of… More

The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx

- Avineri, Shlomo. The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx. London: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
From the Publisher: “Ever since the discovery of Marx’s Early Writings, most of the literature concerned with Marx’s intellectual development has centred around the so-called gap between the ‘young’ Marx, who was considered to be… More

An Anthology of Western Marxism: From Lukács and Gramsci to Socialist-feminism

- Gottlieb, Roger S. An Anthology of Western Marxism: From Lukács and Gramsci to Socialist-feminism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
From the Publisher: “This unique anthology brings together readings from the works of the most significant post-Leninist Marxist thinkers. The selections reflect the diversity and high intellectual accomplishment of twentieth-century Marxism and show… More

Karl Marx: A Biography

- Fedoseev, Petr Nikolaevich. Karl Marx: A Biography. Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1989.

History, Labour, and Freedom: Themes from Marx

- Cohen, G. A. History, Labour, and Freedom: Themes from Marx. New York: Clarendon Press, 1988.
From the Publisher: “Taking Karl Marx’s theory of history as their point of departure, these essays, extensively revised and rewritten for this volume, chronicle the growth of humanity’s power to produce, and the suffering that the… More

“Karl Marx”

- Cropsey, Joseph. “Karl Marx.” In History of Political Philosophy, 3rd ed., Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey, ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

The Longing for Total Revolution: Philosophic Sources of Social Discontent from Rousseau to Marx and Nietzsche

- Yack, Bernard. The Longing for Total Revolution: Philosophic Sources of Social Discontent from Rousseau to Marx and Nietzsche. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986.
From the Publisher: “Bernard Yack seeks to identify and account for the development of a form of discontent held in common by a large number of European philosophers and social critics, including Rousseau, Schiller, the young Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche.… More

The Secular Magi : Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche on Religion

- Newell, William Lloyd. The Secular Magi : Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche on Religion. New York: Pilgrim Press, 1986.
From the Publisher: “What do three great minds, Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche, have to say about religion? How do their thoughts affect Christian churches and the changes within them? The Secular Magi analyzes the thoughts of these men and their… More

An Introduction to Karl Marx

- Elster, Jon. An Introduction to Karl Marx. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
From the Publisher: “A concise and comprehensive introduction to Marx’s social, political and economic thought for the beginning student. Jon Elster surveys in turn each of the main themes of marxist thought: methodology, alienation, economics,… More

Ecology as Politics

- Gorz, André. Ecology as Politics. London: Pluto Press, 1983.
From the Publisher: “Andre Gorz, to my mind the greatest of modern French social thinkers, dares to venture where no one really has before. Fighters for democratic socialism and an ecological society have each recognized the handwriting on the wall:… More

“Marx and Lenin”

- West, Thomas G. “Marx and Lenin.” Interpretation, Vol. 11 (1983), pp. 73-86.
Excerpt: ” The dispute over the relationship of Marx and Lenin concerns the meaning of Marxism in practice. Was the Lenin-led Russian revolution of 191 7 a Marxist revolution? And beyond that, is the post-Lenin Soviet Union, including that of Stalin,… More

Max Weber and Karl Marx

- Lowith, Karl. Max Weber and Karl Marx. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1982.
From the Publisher: “Karl Lowith’s study of Max Weber and Karl Marx is a key text in modern interpretations of the theme of alienation in Marxist theory and the subject of rationalization in Weber’s sociology. Lowith’s philosophical… More

Marxism: An Historical and Critical Study

- Lichtheim, George. Marxism: An Historical and Critical Study. New York: Columbia University Press, 1982.
From the Publisher: “”Marxism” presents an authoritative, analytic survey of the course of Marxism, from its origins in the late eighteenth century through the post-World War II period. A classic of political history, this work is the… More

“An Ambiguity in Marx’s and Engels’s Account of Justice and Equality”

- Gilbert, Alan. “An Ambiguity in Marx’s and Engels’s Account of Justice and Equality.” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 76 (1982), pp. 328–346.
Abstract: “Given the widespread moral conventionalism or historicism in contemporary social science and ethics, many have viewed Marx as arguing either that conceptions of justice simply shift historically and lack objectivity (relativism) or that… More

“Historical Theory and the Structure of Moral Argument in Marx”

- Gilbert, Alan. “Historical Theory and the Structure of Moral Argument in Marx.” Political Theory, Vol. 9 (1981), pp. 173–205.
From the Publisher: “Marx’s critique of prevailing moralities can, however, be mistakenly interpreted as denying any separable sphere of moral argument and re- flection. In this view, which I will call the historicist critique of morality, Marx… More

The Idea of a Critical Theory: Habermas and the Frankfurt School

- Geuss, Raymond. The Idea of a Critical Theory: Habermas and the Frankfurt School. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
From the Publisher: “Habermas and earlier members of the Frankfurt School have presented critical theory as a radically new form of knowledge. It is differentiated from the natural sciences as essentially ‘reflective’: the knowledge it… More

Lukacs, Marx, and the Sources of Critical Theory

- Feenberg, Andrew. Lukacs, Marx, and the Sources of Critical Theory. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981.
From the Publisher: “This acclaimed book is the first comparative evaluation of two primary sources of the Western Marxist tradition: Marx’s Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts and History and Class Consciousness by Georg Lukács. Andrew… More

Darwin, Marx, Wagner: Critique of a Heritage

- Barzun, Jacques. Darwin, Marx, Wagner: Critique of a Heritage. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
From the Publisher: “Reassesses the stature and contributions of the three, points out their similarities, and attempts to explain why they have come to be so revered.”

Karl Marx and the Anarchists

- Thomas, Paul. Karl Marx and the Anarchists. London: Routledge, 1980.
From the Publisher: “Karl Marx and the Anarchists examines Marx’s disputes with the anarchist theoreticians he encountered at various stages of his career as a revolutionist. Marx’s attacks on Stirner, Proudhon, and Bakunin are shown to be… More

“Marx on Aristotle” by Harvey Mansfield

- Mansfield, Harvey C. “Marx on Aristotle: Freedom, Money, and Politics.” The Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 34 (1980), pp. 351–367.
Excerpt: Marx’s debt to Aristotle is acknowledged in part 1 of Capital, admittedly the most difficult and, as will be argued, the most fundamental part of his principal work. His principal work is the one which establishes that the labor theory of value… More

“Lordship and Bondage in Luther and Marx”

- Rotstem, Abraham. “Lordship and Bondage in Luther and Marx.” Interpretation, Vol. 8 (1979), pp. 79-102.
Excerpt: ” Nothing might seem more dubious than the attempt to bring together the rabid foe of the peasants with the evangelist of the proletariat.1Their doctrines lay more than three centuries apart, while their goals were liter ally, worlds apart. The… More

“Social Theory and Revolutionary Activity in Marx”

- Gilbert, Alan. “Social Theory and Revolutionary Activity in Marx.” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 73 (1979), pp. 521–538.
Abstract: “Economic determinist attempts to deduce specific political conclusions or strategies from Marx’s general theory do not jibe with Marx’s own extensive political activity. Instead, Marx’s development as a political theorist… More

“On ‘Avineri’s Marx: An Exchange.’”

- Masters, Roger D. “On ‘Avineri’s Marx: An Exchange.’” Political Theory, Vol. 5 (1977), pp. 257–260.
Excerpt: ” In answering a critique of his book on Marx, Shlomo Avineri cited a letter from a friend who was in France during les evenements of May 1968. Gilbert, in rebutting this rebuttal, asks how the unnamed corre- spondent would account for… More

Alienation: Marx’s Conception of Man in Capitalist Society

- Ollman, Bertell. Alienation: Marx’s Conception of Man in Capitalist Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976.
From the Publisher: “In this book, the most thorough account of Marx’s theory of alienation yet to have appeared in English, Professor Ollman reconstructs the theory from its constituent parts and offers it as a vantage point from which to view… More

“The Right of Revolution”

- Mansfield, Harvey C. “The Right of Revolution.” Daedalus, Vol. 105 (1976), pp. 151–162.
Excerpt: “Somewhere amidst the uneasy self-congratulation of the American Bicentennial there ought to be concern for the right of revolution?that principle by which and on which this country was founded. How does it stand today? It has, first of all,… More

“Salvaging Marx from Avineri”

- Gilbert, Alan. “Salvaging Marx from Avineri.” Political Theory, Vol. 4 (1976), pp. 9–34.
Excerpt: “UNDERLYING THE “CLASSIC” scholarly interpretation of Marx is what might be called the economic determinist hypothesis, namely that Marx viewed the course of social development as entirely governed by the development of the… More

“How to Save Marx from the Alchemists of Revolution”

- Avineri, Shlomo. “How to Save Marx from the Alchemists of Revolution.” Political Theory, Vol. 4 (1976), pp. 35-44.
Excerpt: “At the risk of repeating some of the evidence which can be found in my book, I would like to reiterate briefly Marx’s position on the question of gradual versus violent overthrow of capitalist governments. Marx’s classical text on… More

The Lenin Anthology

- Lenin, Vladimir Il’ich. The Lenin Anthology, Robert C. Tucker, ed. New York: Norton, 1975.
From the Publisher: “Patterned after Professor Tucker’s highly successful anthology The Marx-Engels Reader, this book includes those words necessary for an introduction to Lenin’s revolutionary thought. Selections, where possible, are… More

From Rousseau to Lenin: Studies in Ideology and Society

- Colletti, Lucio. From Rousseau to Lenin: Studies in Ideology and Society. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1972.
From the Publisher: “This collection of Colletti’s (1924-2001) principal Marxist essays will be welcomed by non-Italian readers. Colletti’s concern as a Marxist was twofold: to interpret Marxism as profoundly and as flexibly as possible; and… More

History and Class Consciousness: Studies in Marxist Dialectics

- Lukács, György. History and Class Consciousness: Studies in Marxist Dialectics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1971.
“This is the first time one of the most important of Lukács’ early theoretical writings, published in Germany in 1923, has been made available in English. The book consists of a series of essays treating, among other topics, the definition of… More

“The Modern Prince”

- Gramsci, Antonio. “The Modern Prince,” in Selections from the Prison Notebooks, Quentin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell Smith, ed. New York: International Publishers, 1971, pp. 313–444.

The Young Hegelians and Karl Marx

- McLellan, David. The Young Hegelians and Karl Marx. New York: F. A. Praeger, 1969.
From the Publisher: “The premise of this study is that Marx’s world view was very much a product of its time, and as such, it can only be understood in relation to the intellectual climate in which it was conceived. In this text, the author… More

The Sociology of Marx

- Lefebvre, Henri. The Sociology of Marx. New York: Pantheon Books, 1968.
From the Publisher: “This classic study by Henri Lefebvre “raises the question whether today we must study Marx as we study Plato, or rather whether Marx’s work retains a contemporary value and significance; in other words, whether his work… More

“Marx and the Intellectuals”

- Avineri, Shlomo. “Marx and the Intellectuals.” Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 28 (1967), pp. 269–278.
Excerpt:   “Marx’s major contribution to political thought has undoubtedly been the philosophical connection he establishes between the proletariat as social phenomenon and socialism as program of social action. In that program of social… More

Essays on Marx and Russia

- Croce, Benedetto, and Angelo A. De Gennaro. Essays on Marx and Russia. New York: F. Ungar Pub. Co., 1966.

From Hegel to Nietzsche: The Revolution in 19th Century Thought

- Lowith, Karl. From Hegel to Nietzsche: The Revolution in 19th Century Thought. New York: Columbia University Press, 1964
From the Publisher: “Beginning with an examination of the relationship between Hegel and Goethe, Löwith discusses how Hegel’s students, particularly Marx and Kierkegaard, interpreted—-or reinterpreted—-their master’s thought,… More

Karl Marx: The Story of His Life

- Mehring, Franz. Karl Marx: The Story of His Life. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1962.
From the Publisher: “Containing footnotes and an extensive bibliography, this edition of Franz Mehring’s classic biography is designed to assist the English-speaking reader towards a better understanding of Marx, his work and a history of Marxism.… More

Marx and the Marxists by Sidney Hook

- Hook, Sidney. Marx and the Marxists: The Ambiguous Legacy. Princeton: Van Nostrand, 1955.
From the Publisher: 2011 Reprint of 1955 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In this work Sidney Hook, a distinguished scholar, examines the chief issues which have divided Marxists from… More

Meaning in History by Karl Löwith

- Lowith, Karl. Meaning in History: The Theological Implications of the Philosophy of History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949.
From the Publisher: Modern man sees with one eye of faith and one eye of reason. Consequently, his view of history is confused. For centuries, the history of the Western world has been viewed from the Christian or classical standpoint—from a deep faith in… More

“History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks): Short Course”

- Stalin, Joseph. “History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks): Short Course.” 1939. Marxists Internet Archive. http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1939/x01/index.htm.
Excerpt: ” THE STRUGGLE FOR THE CREATION OF A SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY IN RUSSIA (1883-1901)1. Abolition of Serfdom and the Development of Industrial Capitalism in Russia. Rise of the Modern Industrial Proletariat. First Steps of the Working-Class… More

“What is Orthodox Marxism?” by Georg Lukács

- Georg Lukács. “What is Orthodox Marxism?” Marxists Internet Archive.
Excerpt: “Philosophers have merely interpreted the world in different ways; the point, however, is to change it.” Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach. This question, which is really quite a simple one, has become a subject of wide discussion in… More

“Imperialism and the War”

- Kautsky, Karl. “Imperialism and the War.” Marxists Internet Archive, 1914. http://marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1914/09/war.htm.
Excerpt: “INDUSTRIAL production receives a strong impetus from the development of the wage system, the substitution of capitalist production for simple production. The capitalist – as capitalist – does not labor in the concern from which he draws… More