Marx & Engels: Basic Writings on Politics and Philosophy

Every period has had its own anthology of Marx and Engels, reflecting its own preoccupations. Thirty years ago Algernon Lee stressed the agitational pamphlets. Twenty years ago Max Eastman gave great weight to "Capital." This – the first sizable selection to be made by an American since Eastman – emphasizes that writings which show Marx the political sociologist and philosopher of history. For it is in this character, and not as economist, that Marx’s influence is felt throughout the world today. Included here are "The Communist Manifesto," "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific," "Critique of the Gotha Program," "Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy" (Engels); large sections of "The Class Struggles in France," "The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte," "The Civil War in France," and many other works, including little-known letters and essays.

Professor Feuer wrote a new introduction for the 1990 edition of this anthology which emphasizes Marx as political sociologist and philosopher of history rather than as economist. Engels' and Marx's writing are represented here in their full variety and also include little-known letters and essays.