Anarchism and Marxism

Anarchism and Marxism (from a paper given in New York on 6 Nov. 1973 with an introduction by the author for the first English language edition, 1981).

The main part of my contribution to this Cienfuegos Press pamphlet is a paper which I had occasion to give in New York in 1973, on “Anarchism and Marxism”. But I would like to preface it with a few hitherto unpublished reflections on Marx and Engels militant, for it is this aspect of their activities which attracts me most. I must confess that philosophical Marxism, the Marxism which criticises bourgeois political economy, indeed even its historical writings (which are, for me, the most exemplary) nowadays leave me rather cold. On the other hand, I like to follow Marx and Engels in action, fitting into the movement of the labouring masses. I will not discuss here all the militant performances of the two revolutionaries, but only two episodes, chosen from among the most revealing: the editorship of the Neue Rheinische Zeitung in Cologne in 1848-1849, and the impetus given to the First International of 1864-1872.

If I’ve opted for these two major episodes, it’s partly because some recent publications have placed them in a new light. The first is the publication of the articles by Marx and Engels from their journal, the Neue Rheinische Zeitung, in a French translation in 3 volumes (1963-1971). The second, also in French, is the Minutes of the General Council of the First International published in 6 volumes by Progress Publishers in Moscow, from 1972 to 1975. The study of these episodes fits into the context of a confrontation between anarchism and Marxism, for they demonstrate at the same time the incontestable value of the two founders of Marxism, and their weak points: authoritarianism, sectarianism, and lack of understanding of the libertarian perspective.