Bernstein: The Preconditions of SocialismThis is the first complete new translation of Eduard Bernstein's (1850-1932) famous and influential work. It will provide students with an accurate and unabridged edition of the classic defense of democratic socialism and the first significant critique of revolutionary Marxism from within the socialist movement. First published in 1899, at the height of the Revisionist Debate, it argued that capitalism was not heading for the major crisis predicted by Marx, and that socialism could be achieved by piecemeal reform within a democratic constitutional framework. Bernstein's work is the focal point of one of the most important political debates of modern times, and crucial for the light it casts on "the crisis of Communism." |
Contents
The basic tenets of Marxist socialism | 7 |
b The materialist conception of history and historical necessity | 10 |
c The Marxist doctrine of class conflict and the development of capital | 20 |
Marxism and the Hegelian dialectic | 27 |
b Marxism and Blanquism | 34 |
The economic development of modern society | 45 |
b The distribution of income in modern society | 54 |
c Occupational classes in the production and distribution of social wealth | 64 |
d Crises and the ability of the modern economy to | 77 |
The tasks and opportunities of Social Democracy | 96 |
b The effectiveness of economic cooperatives | 108 |
c Democracy and socialism | 134 |
d The most immediate tasks of Social Democracy | 157 |
Conclusion | 187 |
Index | 209 |
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Common terms and phrases
according achieved activity agricultural already associations become Bernstein Blanquist bourgeois bourgeoisie branches of production capital capitalist cent commodities Communist Communist Manifesto conception of history consumers contradictions countries crises demand dialectic Die Neue Zeit doctrine economic edited Engels's England English enterprises established expropriation fact factory final goal force France Friedrich Engels German Social Democratic hectares Hegelian Ibid incomes increase individual industry interest Karl Karl Kautsky Kautsky Kautsky's labour movement labour value Luxemburg Marx and Engels Marx's Marxist matter means MECW ment MESW municipal Neue Zeit nowadays organisation party Plekhanov political Preconditions present principle programme proletariat proposition pure question rate of profit reform regard Reichstag revolution revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg scientific Social Democracy socialist statistics Stuttgart Conference surplus labour surplus value theory tion trade unions Tudor and Tudor wages workers