Re: [Marxism] two questions on Marx

["Lüko Willms" <lueko.willms@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 11:45:08 -0400, George Snedeker wrote:

>  I am trying to figure out how he came to conclude that the political 
action of the industrial proletariat was a greater threat to capitalism 
than slave revolts. Marx followed the revolutions of 1848 very closely, 
but were they really more important than the numerous slave revolts 
which were taking place just prior to these revolutions in Europe?  


   The industrial proletariat is the embodiment of the collective nature 
of big-industrial production. By taking political power, workers can 
transform society into a classless society, i.e. into a free association 
of collective producers. (By the way, this also answers your previous 
question about the centrality of the industrial proletariat). 

   Slave revolts don't have such a perspective, as historical experience 
has shown. 

   It might be useful for you to read the last chapter of Engels' 
"Origin of state, private property, and the state" on state-building of 
the Germanic peoples (the Germans, he calls it in his book) in smashing 
the slave labor based Roman Empire and their evolution afterwards. A 
long explanation of Marxens phrase on the USA, that "labor can't 
emancipate itself when it is despised in black skin". 


Lüko Willms
Frankfurt, Germany
--------------------------------
visit http://www.mlwerke.de Marx, Engels, Luxemburg, Lenin, Trotzki in 
German



________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism