Friedrich Engels and the Foundations of Socialist Governance

Description

This book states that the political systems of China, Vietnam, Cuba and other socialist countries are showing distinct maturity and ability to deal effectively with challenges – the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to understand how they have developed their structures, it is time to return to the roots of the Marxist tradition and re-examine the question of socialist governance. It was Friedrich Engels (and less so Marx) who laid out some of the theoretical foundations for socialist governance. On the basis of extensive research in 1870s and 1880s, Engels developed his analysis of the nature of hitherto existing states as a ‘separated public power’; the role of the dictatorship of the proletariat and its exercise of power; the actual meaning of the ‘withering away of the state’, which would be one of the very last outcomes of socialist construction; and the nature of socialist governance itself. On this matter, he proposed a de-politicised public power that would stand in the midst of society and focus on managing the processes of production for the sake of the true interests of society. Preface Contents About the Author Abbreviations 1 Introduction and Synopsis 1.1 Opening Remarks 1.2 Why Engels? 1.3 Secondary Literature 1.4 Chapter Synopsis 1.5 Approach to Citations References 2 The State as a Separated Public Power 2.1 Opening Remarks 2.2 Hitherto Existing States 2.3 Instrument, Nature or Autonomy? 2.4 Indirect Rule: The Example of Bismarck’s Germany 2.5 The Role of Gewalt 2.6 Conclusion References 3 Socialist Gewalt and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat 3.1 Opening Remarks 3.2 Defining Dictatorship 3.3 The Housing Question (1872–1873) 3.4 Introduction to the Third Edition of Marx’s ‘The Civil War in France' (1891) 3.5 Critique of the Erfurt Program (1891) 3.6 Introduction to Marx’s ‘The Class Struggles in France' (1895) 3.7 Letter to Conrad Schmidt (1890): Gewalt is also an Economic Potenz 3.8 Socialist Gewalt 3.9 Conclusion References 4 Abolition or Dying Away of the State? 4.1 Opening Remarks 4.2 The Socialist Context: Debates of the 1840s 4.2.1 From Anti-Statism to Transforming the State 4.2.2 Moses Hess 4.2.3 Max Stirner 4.3 Engels: Towards 1850 4.3.1 The Delay in Abolishing Private Property 4.3.2 The Communist Aufhebung 4.3.3 Max Stirner’s Willpower 4.3.4 ‘On the Slogan of the Abolition of the State’ 4.4 Struggle with the Anarchists 4.4.1 Bakunin and the Alliance 4.4.2 The Struggle 4.4.3 The Anarchist Fiasco in Lyons 4.5 Dying Away 4.5.1 Letter to August Bebel: Making Use of the State Until It Dissolves 4.5.2 On the Death of Karl Marx: Gradual Dissolution of the State as a Final Result 4.5.3 Anti-Dühring: Dying Away of the State References 5 Towards Enmeshed Socialist Governance 5.1 Opening Remarks 5.2 Public Gewalt, Political Character and the Administration of Things 5.2.1 Public Gewalt 5.2.2 Political Character 5.2.3 De-politicised Elections 5.2.4 Administration of Things and Managing Production 5.3 Standing in the Midst of Society 5.3.1 Pre-State Organisation of Society 5.3.2 Naturally Evolved Democracy 5.4 Aufhebung of Baseline Communism 5.4.1 The Mark: History 5.4.2 The Mark: Organisation 5.4.3 The Mark: Aufhebung 5.5 Conclusion: Enmeshed Governance References 6 Conclusion: What is in a Name? 6.1 Socialist Governance in Practice 6.2 What Should We Call These New Political Forms? 6.3 A Work in Progress References Index