Summary
This book argues that the working class, particularly in the context of a revolution in comparatively backward countries, must maintain a clear focus on the destruction of the wage system as its ultimate goal. Movements that fail to prioritize this objective risk going astray. The text emphasizes that theoretical clarity is crucial for revolutionary fighters to avoid mistakes and shorten the process of change, drawing on Engels's tactical policy for American Marxists: to work with the general movement of the working class at every stage while preserving their independent political position and organization.
A key takeaway is the historical relationship between the development of socialist sectarianism and the independent labor movement, with the former being inversely proportional to the latter. The book highlights the importance of theoretical insight and experience guiding the masses, especially in nations with a practical, theory-averse disposition. It underscores that getting the working class to move as a class is paramount, asserting that they will then find the right direction, leaving resistors with their own small sects.
Key concepts
- Destruction of the wage system — The ultimate goal that revolutionary movements must fix their eye upon to avoid failure.
- Tactical policy of American Marxists — Working with the general movement of the working class at every stage without giving up their own political position and organization.
- Socialist sectarianism — A phenomenon whose development is inversely proportional to the independent labor movement.
- Theoretical clarity — Essential for revolutionary fighters to avoid mistakes and shorten the revolutionary process.
From the book
Title: The Historical Role of the Working Class by Josip Broz Tito← Marx and Engels on Revolution in America ( 1925 ) by Heinz Neumann → Originally published as "Marx und Engels über die Rolle der Kommunisten in Amerika", Die Kommunistiche Internationale 6.6, p. 672-685 (June, 1925) 4304098 Marx and Engels on Revolution in America 1925 Heinz Neumann The Little Red Library No. 6 Marx and Engels on Revolution in America By HEINZ NEUMAN TEN CENTS DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING COMPANY 1915 W. WASHINGTON BLVD. Chicago-ILL. 190 page New Numbers— of the Little Red Library Will be issued in as rapid succession as suitable material will allow. IN PREPARATION: THE DAMNED AGITATOR and Other Stories, by Michael Gold. THE WORLD RULE OF WALL STREET, by Manuel Gomez. page Marx and Engels on Revolution…
Popular questions readers ask
- Explain how Neumann's opening assertion, that the U.S. assumed England's predominant role in the "imperialist epoch," provides a fundamental historical and economic lens for understanding the *nature* of the revolution discussed in "Marx and Engels on Revolution in America."
- Considering the progression from "Historical Peculiarities of the American Labor Movement" to "The Formation of an Independent Working Class Party" in the chapter titles, how would you articulate the logical steps Neumann likely follows to build his argument about the necessary conditions for revolution?
- Given "The Little Red Library's" explicit mission to publish "definitely proletarian in character and treatment" material, how might this editorial stance influence the selection, interpretation, and ultimate presentation of Marx and Engels' ideas about revolution?
- Why would a Marxist analysis of revolution, particularly regarding the formation of an independent working-class party, dedicate a specific chapter to "The Role of the Farmers," and what specific challenges or opportunities might their inclusion present to a revolutionary movement?
- If you were to explain the immediate practical purpose of publishing "Marx and Engels on Revolution in America" in 1925 for "The Little Red Library's" audience, what specific contemporary issues or debates in the American labor movement do you believe it aimed to directly address?