Authors' foreword¶
Core Argument¶
This foreword establishes the enduring relevance of Marxism against a backdrop of relentless obituaries. The authors open with a pointed observation: for roughly 150 years, Marxism has been annually pronounced dead, yet it retains a stubborn vitality, evidenced by the increasing frequency and acrimony of attacks upon it. If Marxism were truly irrelevant, they argue, its detractors would not need to bother. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Stalinism—a “totalitarian caricature of socialism” long predicted by Marxists—have only intensified an ideological counter-offensive, most famously Francis Fukuyama’s proclamation of the “End of History.” History, however, continues with a vengeance. The replacement of Stalinism in Russia by “free-market reform” has produced a catastrophic collapse of productive forces, science, and culture, comparable to a military defeat. Meanwhile, the capitalist system itself is in deep crisis, condemning 22 million people to enforced inactivity in industrialised nations alone. The authors suggest that even the more honest strategists of capital now privately wonder whether Marx was right after all.
The foreword then turns to its immediate occasion: the centenary of Frederick Engels’ death in August 1995. It argues that Engels’ role in developing Marxist thought has never been given its due, partly because of Marx’s overshadowing genius and partly because of Engels’ own humility (he ordered his ashes scattered at Beachy Head, wanting no monument). Crucially, the authors assert that the philosophical core of Marxism—dialectical materialism—was principally elaborated by Engels. Marx’s immense labour on Capital prevented him from writing the comprehensive philosophical work he intended; the principal works of Marxist philosophy are therefore Engels’ Anti-Dühring, The Dialectics of Nature, and Ludwig Feuerbach. The present work takes as its starting point the question of whether Engels’ philosophical writings have stood the test of time. The authors contend that the most important discoveries of twentieth-century science provide a striking confirmation of Engels’ thesis that “the workings of nature are dialectical.”
The foreword also contains a notable polemic against the ignorance of Marxism’s detractors, who feel free to pronounce on the subject without any study of it. The authors announce their intention to produce a trilogy covering the three component parts of Marxism: dialectical materialism, historical materialism, and Marxist economics. This volume focuses on the first, beginning with a review of dialectical materialism as the fundamental method. The authors defend their decision to include lengthy quotations from Engels and others, arguing that most secondary explanations are worthless and that direct access to the original texts is essential. They also quote opponents at length, on the principle that one should allow adversaries to speak for themselves. The foreword is dated London, 1 May 1995.