Abstract

There are two approaches to the study of Marx and Marxism. On the one hand, there is Marxism as a system. Here feudalism, capitalism, and communism succeed each other with neat precision. Then there is the study of the nuances of Marx’s work. Marx, a sensitive and insightful man, said things about political life that were both subtle and quite at odds with the main thrust of his thought. As Nietzsche pointed out, there is a sort of stupidity and weakness about systems of thought. The weakness of systematic political thought is that it must exclude things which are quite real but which are not admissible to the system. Thus, Marx created a system of political thought and also said some quite intelligent things about politics. All too frequently, the two clashed.