This is not the way I would have written the book, but I found it fascinating for that very reason: Claeys is poor on the philosophy (i.e., on my specialty) and fascinated by the positive programs put forward by the various socialists and Marxists (his specialty is utopianism, where mine is critique). Adjusting for those two perfectly reasonable biases, then, this is an excellent introduction and reference work. Too few people treat these two phenomena (Marx, on the one hand, and 'Marxism', on the other) side by side, which makes it too easy for people to conflate them, or to pretend that they're entirely unrelated; Kolakowski being the obvious exception, and in many ways he's too close to Marxism to offer an entirely fair judgment.

So, highly recommended, as long as you distrust what Claeys says about the philosophical side of Marx and Western Marxism; and as long as you keep in mind that what is important about Marx is probably his criticisms, and not his positive political suggestions. It's excellently written. ( )

Marx and Marxism by Gregory Claeys is a detailed study of Marxism in historical context. Claeys is Professor of the History of Political Thought at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of books on British intellectual and political history. He gained his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, where he studied at Jesus College.

Marx is a dirty word in America. It is tied to socialism, the Soviet Union, and North Korea. Socialism is seen as stealing wealth. It is hated except for public roads, police, fire departments, the standing military, and farm subsidies (that make food cheaper than market value). Granted, public schools, welfare, libraries, and the arts are often targets. Rationalized, justified, or just ignored the goods of socialism that make the nation work are pushed aside.

Claeys does something that needed to be done for some time. He wrote a book on Marxism that puts Marx (and Engels) in historical context. Nineteenth-century capitalism in Europe was not a good thing for the vast majority of the population. Overworked, subsistence pay, child labor, terrible and dangerous working conditions, made life, for most, dreadful. Conditions were so bad that pro-slavery forces in America's south used the English factory system and conditions to defend the humanity of slavery. Slaves were fed, housed, cared for (to some extent) and factory workers were left to starve and die. Of course, it was propaganda but propaganda with elements of truth.



Marx is put into his place in history. His intention was not a Soviet system. He did not want to care for the poor, but rather abolish poverty. His desire was to create a system where men were equal. The exploitation of the working class was real. Unskilled labor flooded into the cities for factory work. The glut of labor allowed the system to continue. Workers were not organized; they were expendable. Marx went much farther with theories on private property and alienation. Alienation is the removal of a person from their work. The factory systems put people in positions were their work was not a whole. Piecemeal work created separation from the product. No longer did one build something completely; he built part of something in exchange for money. He sold his time.

Marx also believed in education. If one was a child of a cobbler, one would grow to be a cobbler. The problem comes when there are too many cobblers and not enough tailors. The idea that education could be used to train workers to learn multiple skills and work where needed. Of course, Marx did believe that man would rise to the challenge and become a willing part of a community where all is shared and all contribute. Unfortunately, this was not the case. To correct these problems various versions of Marxism evolved after his death. Since Marx saw the industrialization of the economy the mechanism for change, he thought his theories would come to play industrialized countries, namely England.

Where Marxism took hold, however, was in peasant class societies like the Russia and China. Hence, Marxism became Leninism and then Stalinism in Russia and Maoism in China. Did Marx have an effect in industrialized countries? Yes and a very big influence. Organized labor challenged industry. The "Spectre of Communism" brought change. Rather than risk revolution and lose everything, industry bent. Leisure time, safe working conditions, collective bargaining, end of child labor, limited work weeks all became a reality. Workers enjoyed more than they ever had before. Western Europe began adapting ideas that became Democratic Socialism.

Marx and Marxism is a very readable account of Marxism in history. It discusses the complete theory and the evolution of the theory in easy to understand way. Unlike the complex writings on Leninism, Marxism is fairly easy to understand without dumbing it down as it usually is in contemporary America. All the controversy is included in this work and presented in an accurate way. It is not a propaganda piece praising Marx but an honest examination. Very much worth reading for anyone with an interest in history or political science. ( )