A Marxist apocryphon

"Peaceful Revolution vs. Violence" is a curious pamphlet published by the Socialist Labor Party, a left-wing organization in the United States. The pamphlet reprints a classical text by Friedrich Engels, known as "Introduction to Marx's `Class Struggles in France'".

Engels' original article was published in 1895, and stirred up controversy for decades afterwards. On the face of it, it seemed as if Engels had abandoned the idea of a violent revolution in favour of peaceful parliamentarianism and universal suffrage. The article *does* contain formulations that can be interpreted in such a manner, but the original text also contained veiled threats that a revolution might be necessary anyway (presumably Engels' real position). Due to the threat of new anti-socialist laws in Germany, the Social Democratic Party asked Engels to remove the most problematic passages, and apparently revised the article even more before publishing it in the Party newspaper. (At the time, the Social Democrats still considered themselves Marxists, which explains their close contacts with Engels.) Engels was furious and lodged several complaints with the Party leadership, but since he died shortly afterwards, nothing much came out of it. The sanitized version (or versions?) became "canonical", confusing revolutionary Marxists for about two decades. Still today, some people believe that Engels turned coat virtually on his death bed (I used to believe it myself).

Just two examples of revisions made before the text was published. A long section of the "Introduction" is a criticism of old methods of revolutionary struggle, including the building of barricades. However, Engels also talks about "possible future street fighting". This was omitted before the article went to print. The "Introduction" also contains the following ominous warning: "If, therefore, you break the constitution of the Reich, Social-Democracy is free, and can do as it pleases with regard to you. But it will hardly blurt out to you today what it is going to do then." This too was omitted, as was a reference to Bismarck declaring war on Austria after a supposed treaty violation, presumably a coded reference to Social Democracy being free to overthrow the German government, if it violates the constitution...

In the United States, the Socialist Labor Party (SLP) used the polished version of Engels' text as a polemical weapon against the Communists, "proving" that one of the great founders of Marxism was really an advocate of peaceful social change. But how did the SLP react when the truth of the matter was revealed? The first full English translation of Engels' *real* article was apparently published in New York in 1922. It seems the SLP did...exactly nothing. In a bizarre fit of dogmatism, they continued to reprint the polished version of Engels' text! The pamphlet "Peaceful Revolution vs. Violence" was first published in 1923, and went through at least six printings. My copy is from 1970. It contains a preface by SLP leader Arnold Petersen, originally written in 1933 but revised in 1964. Petersen still fulminates against the "falsifications of the anarcho-Communists", as if absolutely nothing have happened...

I suppose "Introduction to Karl Marx's `The Class Struggles in France 1848-50'" is something as strange as a Marxist apocryphon...

Naturally, a SLP publication must also contain an article by Daniel De Leon, SLP's chief theoretician. (The party actually calls itself Marxist-DeLeonist!) The words of wisdom are titled "Militarism or Industrial Unionism" and exposit on De Leon's weird, quasi-syndicalist blueprint for revolution through a Socialist Industrial Union, etc.

Is this worth $ 13? Yeah, maybe.