The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-02

munism and the Third International!
1t is also possible that the directors
of the publishing house, in the atmo-
sphere of corruption which surrounds
the German social-democratic party,
simply said to themselves: Business
is business; we shall get profit on
the book even if it should expose our
political sins. Non olet, money
doesn't SMELL" Beer is right when he
speaks in his book of "the internal
moral weakness of the social-demo-
cratic party" page 500 or of the "un-
principled and opportunistic Second
International page 514.
The work of Beer-to a certain ex-
tent a world history from the Com
munist point of view-deals, in a
capably arranged division of mater
ial, in. the first and second parts with
ancient society and the middle ages,
whilst the three last parts are de-
voted to socialism in the later ages
(from the XIV century on). Although
not all. the sections are dealt with in
the same manner from original sour
ces. yet important epochs are seen in
new light by the arrangement of
the material and apart from this Beer
has worked detailed original studies
into his book.
On Ancient Society
THE presentation of prehistoric and
l. ancient society is the least salts
factory. The origin of private proper
ty and above all the class tendency of
certain forms of special property
should have been more clearly dealt
with ,(for instance page 4-35). Military
conflicts between the tribes precede
the formation of classes within the
tribes. 1 1t is an exact reversal of the
process when Beer says of slavery
(page I'D: Gin the beginning it was
compatriots who were. made slaves
and later prisoners Of war" In the
utilization of the material supplied by
antiquity, Beer makes too little dis.
tinctino between saga and legend anC
actual historical facts, (See for inst
ance Lycurgus, Page 40, or Christ
Page 1O1. and others). The psycholo
gy of the people has always had a
tendency in looking back on social
movements to regard them in the light
of the heroic actions and wonders OF
superhuman personalities. The social
historian has, therefore, the extremely
agreeable task of presenting such
legends attaching to personalities
once again from their original sour
ces as legends"
Beer does justice least of all to the
Platonic social critic. He contends
that the "Politeia" is no utopian des
cription (Page 52). But Plato with his
ideal state" nevertheless tried to
hold the mirror to his generation. II
is by no means an accident that even
in the middle ages Communist think
ers and poets returned ever and again
to Plato "Politeia" (Campanella, Mo
re. Muenzer and others). On the other
hand Beer has represented in this first
part many movements with the care
and accuracy of the Marxist, for in
stance, the prophets movement in an
cient Palestine, the descriptions Of
Cataline and particularly of Spartacus
Beer presents very basic studies in
his description of the social thought
of the middle ages and he social-here
tic movement from the Nv to the XIV
century. The author has dealt with
this religious theology in an astound
ing and living manner (see the PROOF
for the connections with the Gnosis)
The economic foundation is however
dealt with rather too briefly. II is JUS
as actually present as the earthly
aims" in the Chiliast and ancient
Christian tendencies. II has beer
argued recently (see A. Wittfogelll
that the word Communism cannot bs
extended to movements which striv,
only for a Communism OF consump
ton. Certainly, scientific, Marxis
Communism begins first with the slo
gan OF tho specialization of the means
OF production and the recognition o.