Jonathan Wolff                                                                                           2007-2008 Term 2

University College London

j.wolff@ucl.ac.uk

Office hours 11.30 to 1.00 Mondays or by appointment

 

Marxism: Historical Materialism

 

These lectures will critically assess MarxÕs theory of history: historical materialism. In addition to the writings of Marx,

 the main texts under consideration will be those of the Ôanalytical MarxistsÕ, most notably G.A. Cohen. Questions will be

raised about the coherence and plausibility of the view presented by Cohen, and about its appropriateness as an

interpretation of Marx. Alternative interpretations will also be briefly examined.

                 

CohenÕs work first appeared in his 1978 book Karl MarxÕs Theory of History: A Defence (hereafter KMTH). He

subsequently published a volume of essays called History, Labour and Freedom (1988) (HLF). That volume is

now out of print, although the second edition of KMTH (2000) includes three of the most important essays.

 

General Readings

The best collection of readings from Marx is David McLennan (ed) Karl Marx: Selected Writings (O.U.P). Second

edition. Recommended secondary sources on Marx as a whole are Jon Elster, Making Sense of Marx and Allen Wood,

Karl Marx. See also the entry by Michael Rosen on Marx in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

 

Primary Sources for Historical Materialism

Marx

1* Preface to A Critique of Political Economy (1859 Preface)

2   Grundrisse

3   The Poverty of Philosophy

4*  ÔLetter to AnnenkovÕ (1846)

5*   Capital Vol 1 ch 26-32

Marx and Engels

6*  The Communist Manifesto

7*  The German Ideology Part 1

Engels

8*  Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

 

The starred items are the most helpful. 1 and 4 are in the McLennan collection, as are useful abridgements of 2,3,6 and 7.

 (A fuller, though still abridged, version of 7 is the ÔstudentsÕ editionÕ, edited by C.J. Arthur.) 8 is available as a separate pamphlet,

and is included in various editions of selections from Marx and Engels. All of the texts are now available in

free, electronic, downloadable versions from the amazing Marx/Engels internet archive www.marxists.org  This

 is the only way I know of at present for getting the full version of 8, including the Introduction to the English edition,

which is left out of some of the edited collections.

 

 

 

Secondary Sources (those marked* especially recommended)

Acton, H.B., The Illusion of the Epoch

Avineri, S., The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx

Ball, T. and Farr, J. (ed), After Marx

*Buchanan, A., ÔRevolutionary Motivation and RationalityÕ, Philosophy and Public Affairs 9, 1979 Reprinted in

M. Cohen, T. Nagel and T. Scanlon Marx, Justice and History

Callinicos, A (ed) Marxist Theory

Carver, T., The Cambridge Companion to Marx, papers by R Miller and T Ball

*Cohen, G.A., Karl MarxÕs Theory of History: A Defence

*Cohen, G.A., History, Labour and Freedom essays 1, 4-10

*Cohen, J., Review of Cohen, G.A., Journal of Philosophy 1982

Conway, David, A Farewell to Marx

Elster, J., ÔMarxism, Functionalism, and Game TheoryÕ, Theory and Society,

                  1982, and in Callinicos

Kolakowski, L., Main Currents of Marxism vol 1, esp ch 14

McMurty, J., The Structure of MarxÕs World View

*Miller, R., Analysing Marx

Miller, R., ÔProducing ChangeÕ in Ball and Farr

Neilsen, K., ÔOn Taking Historical Materialism SeriouslyÕ, Dialogue 1983

Plamenatz, J.P., Man and Society volume 2

Plekhanov, G., The Monist View of History

Rosen, M., and Wolff, J.,ÔThe Problem of IdeologyÕ, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society:          

Supplementary Volume, 1996.

Shaw, W., MarxÕs Theory of History

*Torrance, John ÔReproduction and Development: a Case for a ÔDarwinianÕ Mechanism in      MarxÕs Theory of HistoryÕ,

Political Studies 1985

Van Parijs, P., ÔMarxismÕs Central PuzzleÕ, in Ball and Farr, reprinted in Van Parijs,

Marxism Recycled

*Wolff, Jonathan, Why Read Marx Today?

*Wright, E.O., Levine, A., and Sober, E., Reconstructing Marxism  esp. Ch 2

 

Lecture Outline

Jan 8: The Idea of a Theory of History,  Cohen KMTH Ch 1

Jan 15: Basic Concepts of Historical Materialism, Marx 1859 Preface, Cohen KMTH Ch 2           

and 3, or Cohen HLF Ch 1

Jan 22: Central Theses of Historical Materialism, Marx Letter to Annenkov, German

Ideology, Cohen KMTH Ch 6, 7, 8

Jan 29: Functional Explanation, Cohen KMTH Ch 9, 10

Feb 5: Fettering, Cohen KMTH 2nd edition Ch 12 or HLF Ch 6

Feb 12: READING WEEK

Feb 19: Social Change, Marx Capital Vol 1, Ch 26-32, Engels Socialism Utopian and        

Scientific

Feb 26: Class and Revolution, Marx and Engels Communist Manifesto, Allen Buchanan, A.,    

ÔRevolutionary Motivation and RationalityÕ.

Mar 4: Dialectical Materialism, Engels, Socialism Utopian and  

Scientific esp Pt II

Mar 11: The ÔMode of ProductionÕ interpretation: Richard Miler. Analysing Marx Ch 5-7

Mar 18: General Assessment: Cohen KMTH 2nd Edition Ch 13 , 14, HLF Ch 8,9