PREFACE

PART I    --- PHILOSOPHICAL PREMISES

PART II    --- MAN'S EVOLUTION

PART III   --- MATERIAL CONDITIONS CONTROL MAN

PART IV  --- SURPLUS PRODUCTION

Section II - CLASS STRUGGLE PRODUCES CLASS DICTATORSHIP

Section II - THE RULING CLASS ALTERS SOCIETY

Section III - THE RULING CLASS PROMOTES IDEALISM

Section IV - THE RULING CLASS DETERMINES SOCIETY'S IDEOLOGY

PART VII --- THE FAILURE OF UTOPIAN SOCIALISM

Section II - THE ONLY REAL FORCE FOR SOCIALISM IS THE PROLETARIAT

Section III - PETTY-BOURGEOIS VACILLATION

Section IV - BEING CLASS-CONSCIOUS IS CRUCIAL

Section II - THE BASIC CONTRADICTION OF CAPITALISM

Section III - ALLEGED SOLUTIONS TO THE BASIC CONTRADICTION

Section IV - CONCEPTS NEEDED FOR CORRECT ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Section V - THE COLLAPSE OF CAPITALISM IS INEVITABLE

PART X --- THE NECESSITY OF REVOLUTION

Section II - A MARXIST PARTY WITH REVOLUTIONARY THEORY IS MANDATORY

PART XII --- THE INEVITABLE REVOLUTION, CAPTURING STATE POWER, & COUNTER-REVOLUTION

Section II - THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT IS MANDATORY

Section III - PARTY LEADERSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT IS REQUIRED

Section IV - FORESTALLING SUCCESSFUL COUNTER- REVOLUTION

PART XIV --- THE NATURE OF COMMUNIST SOCIETY

PART XV --- CONCLUSION

PART XVI --- POTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QUESTION #1 --Doesn't Marxism overemphasize the importance of economics in history?

QUESTION #2 --Is Marxism a dogma?

QUESTION #3 --Doesn't socialism violate human nature?

QUESTION #4 --Are Marxists seeking to make everyone equal?

QUESTION #5 --Are Marxists trying to make the perfect man?

QUESTION #6 --Aren't Marxists seeking to create a heaven on earth?

QUESTION #7 --Are't people free to buy and sell property under capitalism while under socialism everyone works for the government?

QUESTION #8 --Isn't the state more important than the individual under socialism?

QUESTION #9 --Isn't socialist society a totalitarian dictatorship?

QUESTION #10 --Why isn't the state withering away in China, Cuba, and North Korea as is supposed to happen under socialism?

QUESTION #11 --Why can't people think as individuals and be unique? Why is their class position so important in determining their thought processes?

QUESTION #12 --Which system allows greater freedom of ideas?

QUESTION #13 --Doesn't the capitalist system allow more political freedom than exists under socialism?

QUESTION #14 --Why are capitalism and socialism the only choices open to modern man?

QUESTION #15 --Are England and Sweden socialist countries?

QUESTION #16 --How can a successful proletarian revolution occur in the United States when the American proletariat is more conservative than revolutionary?

QUESTION #17 --If American capitalism is so undesirable, why does this country have the highest standard of living in the world?

QUESTION #18 --If American capitalism is so unconcerned with humanity's welfare, why is foreign aid given to other peoples?

QUESTION #19 --Why can't capitalism be reformed and improved from within? Why does the system have to be abolished?

QUESTION #20 --Do disagreements exist within the bourgeois ruling class or is it a monolithic unity?

QUESTION #21 --Why not allow people to resolve political and economic disagreements through elections and be done with it?

QUESTION #22 --Is the class struggle always negative in its effect upon mankind?

QUESTION #23 --Do Marxists see any beneficial attributes in capitalism?

QUESTION #24 --Are there any beneficial attributes in the early private property system of slavery?

QUESTION #25 --What did Marx say about the Utopian Socialists and their approach to humanity's ills?

QUESTION #26 --What are the primary errors of those claiming to be Marxists?

QUESTION #27 --Were Marx, Engels, or Lenin perfect?

QUESTION #28 --Did Marx, Engels, or Lenin commit any significant errors?

QUESTION #29 --What are the aims of communists?

QUESTION #30 --What were the major contributions of Karl Marx to history?

QUESTION #31 --What advice should be given to those who realize dialectical materialism is the only correct analysis of world affairs?

LIST OF 80 QUOTED SOURCES

The following work represents an attempt to describe Marxism in as clear, concise, and accurate a manner as possible.  Filling the literary shortfall which has existed in regard to this subject is of pressing importance. ¹   More than ever before Americans seek to understand the world around them and only Marxism is capable of providing the object of their desire .²   An all but exhaustive list of quotations from the writings of Marx, Engels, Lenin and other reliable sources has been included not only to corroborate what has been stated but also to provide additional information.

The word "Add" (Add) precedes those quotes and footnotes that furnish ADDITIONAL RELATED INFORMATION.

(ED. or ed.) refers to AN ADDENDUM by the editor.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

¹ (Add) "That there must be literature specially designed for the average worker and the masses is indisputable;....  For this we must begin from the beginning, with the ABC, and go straight through to the end, carefully and thoroughly examining all aspects of a question."
Source 20 , Vol. 6, page 229
² (Add) "I pre-suppose, of course, a reader who is willing to learn something new and therefore to think for himself."
Source 51 , Vol. 1, page 8

Marxism is an all-encompassing description of worldly affairs resting upon several major premises of which four are worthy of immediate consideration.  First, nothing exists, has ever existed, or ever will exist except matter, which is capable of assuming a tremendous variety of forms (energy, light, stones, air, gases, water, even what is deceptively called anti-matter).  Second, having never been created and impossible to destroy, regardless of the amount involved, matter possesses eternal existence.  It never appeared in history and will never disappear.  Third, continual motion is ever present.  For even the smallest particle to exist without any motion whatever would be infeasible.  Objects sitting by themselves may appear to be without movement; yet, internally millions of molecules and atoms are ever changing position.  Observance of objects for an adequate length of time would eventually reveal their decay and disintegration.  Motion is always present whether or not outward manifestations exist.  Any search for matter without motion would be as unrewarding as seeking motion without matter.  Even attempting to conceive of motion without matter performing the movement would be to participate in an exercise of mental futility.  Motion and matter are inseparable.³   And lastly, nothing takes place in the universe without a logical, sensible, natural cause.  In other words, there are no happenings without a reason, a material reason.  Events don't just occur.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

³ (a) "There is no matter without motion, nor could there ever have been....  Absolute rest is only conceivable in the absence of matter."
Source 4 , pages 464-465
(b) "...dialectics holds that nature is not in a state of rest and immobility, stagnation and immutability, but a state of continuous movement and change, of continuous renewal and development...."
Source 75 , page 7
(c) "Marx's philosophical materialism holds that the world is by its very nature material, that the multiform phenomena of the world constitute different forms of matter in motion...."
Source 75 , page 15
(d) "Never anywhere has there been matter without motion, nor can there be.  Motion in cosmic space, mechanical motion of smaller masses on the various celestial bodies, the vibration of molecules as heat or as electrical or magnetic currents, chemical disintegration and combination, organic life--at each given moment each individual atom of matter in the world is in one or other of these forms of motion, or in several forms at once."
Source 4 , page 86
(e) "Beginning with astronomy and ending with sociology, in every field we find confirmation of the idea that nothing is eternal in the universe (except matter--Ed.), everything changes, everything develops.  Consequently, everything in nature must be regarded from the point of view of movement."
Source 73 , page 12
(f) "Matter without motion is just as inconceivable as motion without matter....  A motionless state of matter is therefore one of the most empty and nonsensical of ideas--a 'delirious fantasy' of the purest water."
Source 4 , pages 86-87
(g) "...nothing is eternal but eternally changing, eternally moving matter and the laws according to which it moves and changes."
Source 6 , page 40

 A rational natural cause, created by matter, exists to explain any event.⁴   There has never been nor will there ever be an incident, such as a miracle,⁵whose cause can not be explained through rational, scientific analysis of the factors which mingled to instigate the occurrence.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

⁴ (a) "Everything that takes place in history takes place of necessity.  That is elementary."
Source 20 , Vol.21, page 120
(b) "...Engels does not admit even a shadow of doubt as to the existence of objective law, causality, and necessity in nature."
Source 27, page 141
(c) "There is no doubt that there exists a natural, objective interconnection between the phenomena of the world. Engels constantly speaks of the 'laws of nature,' of the 'necessities of nature'...."
Source 27 , page 142
⁵ (a) "There are no miracles in nature or history."
Source 39 , Vol. 2, page 1
(b) "...miracles do not happen...."
Source 29 , page 126
(c) "...it was not because some miracle took place (for intelligent people don't believe in miracles),...."
Source 20 , Vol. 33, page 118

 The problem is essentially one of revealing their presence through labor and investigation.⁶

Sometimes it is alleged that an event or events have taken place which are not attributable to natural forces.  Close scientific investigation will nearly always reveal otherwise. Where in the whole world can one witness a presentation by anyone of any information or event which would validate the prevalence of a non-material supernatural existence or the presence of events or objects without a material initiator--a presentation what would simultaneously withstand adequate scientific verification and analysis?  The answer: nowhere.  Mystics and supernaturalists are notorious in their avoidance of scientific inquiry.  Necessarily, then, reliance upon supposedly reputable sources as to the existence of reported past, 'non-material' events, events which can not be studied with any degree of critical analysis, has been adopted as an excellent method, truly a hall-mark of their trade, by which to avoid the scientific hurdle.  The fact that some unaccountable incidents have taken place as noted by certain scientists and scholars merely exposes the inadequacy of scientific advancement at that time or the insufficiency of data as to what transpired prior to the materialization of the event or object.  It is in such circumstances as these that supernaturalism, mysticism, superstition, and religion entered or enter the picture, each in its own way projecting the supernatural to explain that which scientists do not understand or can not presently relate to natural phenomena. ⁷

-------------------------------------------------------------------

⁶ (a) "...there are no things in the world which are unknowable, but only things which are still not known, but which will be disclosed and made known by the efforts of science and practice."
Source 75 , page 17
(b) "...materialism holds that the world and its law are fully knowable...."
Source 75 , page 17
⁷ (a) (Add) "Nothing is easier than to invent mystical causes, that is to say, phrases which lack common sense."
Source 53 , page 172
(b) "...the spiritualists care nothing that hundreds of alleged facts are exposed as imposture and dozens of alleged mediums as ordinary tricksters.  As long as every single alleged miracle has not been explained away, they still have enough room to carry on...."
Source 6 , page 62

Reports of objects or phenomena not produced by sensible, natural (material) causes nearly always emanate from such highly suspect sources as: the poorly educated, religious leaders, biblical figures, individuals heavily influenced by mysticism and the supernatural, mentally or emotionally unstable persons, children with broad imaginations, and those who have been taught that some occurrences can only be ascribed to the intervention of supernatural impulses (miracles, divine intervention, etc.).

A question often pondered by people in this connection is whether or not a supernatural supreme creator of some kind, the description of which rarely possesses any degree of precision, actually exists.  The answer is that if the previously-mentioned premises of dialectical materialism are valid, then his existence, whatever his nature, wouldn't be possible.  There would be no way by which he could even be "fitted in."  On the other hand, if he did exist, then Marxism would be dealt a blow from recovery would be impossible.  The reasoning in this regard is readily apparent.  Marxism denies the existence of anything supernatural; this being is supernatural; therefore, Marxism denies his existence.  Secondly, since Marxism contends that only uncreated, immortal matter exists, a supreme being could never have produced the universe or any part of same.  And thirdly, if every occurrence can be explained by reasonable natural causes, then a supreme being couldn't affect even minutely the course of any event. ⁸   Even speculating on his nature would be nothing more than a matter of idle guesswork and blind faith, since it could only be determined through the exertion of his influence upon some object or event which Marxism negates from the beginning.  Although nobody has ever seen, heard, or touched this supreme being (indeed, any supernatural beings) and not one piece of valid evidence exists which can be sufficiently studied and scientifically analyzed to substantiate his alleged existence, people still ascribe qualities to his nature, such as eternal life.  It seems odd that eternal existence and the creation of laws can be applied to this being whose existence is not demonstrable, yet Marxists are reproached for applying them to matter which is known to exist.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

⁸ (Add) "Providence, providential aim, this is the great word used today to explain the movement of history.  In fact, this word explains nothing.  It is at most a rhetorical form, one of the various ways of paraphrasing facts."
Source 53 , page 114

Succinctly stated, there is no place for a supreme being in the Marxist analysis of reality.  Since all that exists is uncreated eternal matter, a supreme being could never have produced anything.  Since every occurrence has a rational, natural explanation, he could never have affected or altered the course of any object or activity.9

And finally, since a supreme being is supernatural, he could never have existed from the beginning.¹⁰   Once the supernatural is recognized as myth, it logically follows that not only a god but any phenomenon allegedly a part of, or emanating from, it--angels, souls, witches, ghosts (holy or otherwise), spirits, devils, demons, miracles, hells, or heavens--are also nonexistent. ¹¹   Those who assert the latter are real are obligated to prove as much, since they are the one's submitting such concepts, while those who believe otherwise are under no obligation to prove anything.  The burden of proof lies on him who alleges.  That is axiomatic to all science and rational thought.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

⁹ "The entire natural world is governed by law, and absolutely excludes the intervention of action from without...  In our evolutionary conception of the universe, there is absolutely no room for either a Creator or a Ruler...."
Source 10 , page 21
¹⁰ (Add) Marx once quoted an ancient philosopher, Epicurus, to the effect that, "Not he who rejects the gods of the crowd is impious, but he who embraces the crowd's opinion of the gods."
Source 62 , page 13
¹¹ "The certainty that no spiritual world exists separately, besides the material world, is the result of a long and wearisome investigation of the real world,...."
Source 4 , page 464

The conflict between science and supernaturalism (which includes all religions, faiths, and denominations) can not be resolved, as is alleged by some observers, through contending that each is supreme in its own realm.  Both exist in only one world, this world, and the contradictory nature of their methodology and conclusions obviates any possibility of both being correct.  One instills blind faith, the other, critical analysis.  One accepts dogma, the other negates it.  How can two such diametrically opposed approaches describe existence with equal reliability or perpetually co-exist?  A study of the historical record of mankind will show that as science and rational analysis have advanced, supernaturalism and its allies have necessarily retreated. ¹²   Where one dominated, the other was weak.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

¹² (a) "Only real knowledge of the forces of nature ejects the Gods or God from one position after another."
Source 62 , page 134
(b) (Add) "...criticism of religion is the premise of all criticism."
Source 62 , page 37

In summary, then, upon what material assumptions does Marxism rest.  Firstly, matter and only matter exists.  Secondly, its creation or destruction is impossible.  Thirdly, its motion is incessant.  And fourthly, nothing has occurred or ever will occur behind which does not stand a logical, sensible, material reason.  Certainly these are assumptions; few Marxists would deny that, since nobody has observed all that which has existed, lived an eternity, or viewed all causation.  But to assume the contrary, to assume that matter is not the alpha to omega of existence, is to lead a life in which one will repeatedly be the victim of erroneous observations, often at the expense of perpetual well-being.  Since all available evidence tends to substantiate the truth of these premises and no proof of real substance can be provided to prove the opposite, a person would be very unwise to operate on the supposition that something exists other than the material world or that the behavior or existence of matter can be attributed to non-material causes.  It can and often does lead to an unhealthy feeling of total submission and dependence.  Believing that forces affecting his life are somehow manipulated by ethereal beings or conscious forces, a person tends to rely more on hope, wishful thinking, prayer, faith and other debilitating and useless activities than on his own energy and resourcefulness.  Instead of modifying the unsatisfactory conditions in which he finds himself, an individual tends to merely alter his conception of those conditions.  By various devices he becomes convinced that supernatural forces are working for his benefit or will do so in the future, if he will only act in a certain manner.  Such an individual does not change reality, he denies it.  He doesn't alter conditions, he alters his conception of conditions.  He doesn't role up his sleeves and dig in, he wishes and implores.  An attitude of this nature can not only lead to self-destruction but also, as is shown so well in a supplementary writing entitled The Crux of Christianity , to enslavement by those who know better.

The above groundwork must be laid before the ideological superstructure of the Marxist philosophy can be built in such a manner as to become intelligible to the uninitiated analyst.  Having established the basic premises that only eternal matter in continual motion operating in a scientifically verifiable manner without supernatural intervention exists, let us turn the clock back many years and re-analyze the essential aspects of the earth's history from the Marxist perspective.  Let us turn from the idealistic or spiritualistic approach dominant in the western world to the growing materialistic analysis. ¹³

-------------------------------------------------------------------

¹³ (a) (Add) "Recent philosophy is as partisan as was philosophy two thousand years ago.  The contending parties are essentially...materialism and idealism."
Source 27 , page 337
(b) (Add) "Did God create the world or has the world (matter--Ed.) been in existence eternally.  The answer which the philosophers gave to this question split them into two great camps.  Those who asserted the primacy of spirit...comprised the camp of idealism.  The others, who regarded nature as primary, belong to the various schools of materialism."
Source 8 , page 30
(c) (Add) "...the traditional philistine prejudice against the word 'materialism' resulting from its long-continued defamation by the priests.  By the word 'materialism' the philistine understands gluttony, drunkenness, lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, arrogance, cupidity, avarice, covetousness, profit-hunting, and stock-exchange swindling--in short, all the filthy vices in which he himself indulges in private.  By the word 'idealism' he understands the belief in virtue, universal philanthropy and in a general way a 'better world'...."
Source 8 , page 45