The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-15
WHAT MARX REALLY MEANT.
BY 9. D. H. Cole. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf. 50.
Reviewed by
DAVID RAMSEY

MR. G. D. H. COLE is a prolific
w British author who writes on
wide variety Of subjects ranging
from economics to the doings Of
mysterious f1ctional criminals and
sleuths. He has now turned his
fertile imagination to fabricating
brsnd-new 1884 model Marx, more
suitable to present-day conditions
than the original His purpose is
to take us beyond the Communist
Manifesto to a later formulation Of
Marks doctrine"
The result is a book that rejects
the body Of MarXist theory and tao
tics for an eclectic hodgepodge of
doctrines lifted from the Fabians,
the Technocrats, the revisionists
and other similarly good MarXist
sources. It is a book designed to
distract the growing attention paid
Msrxism and its revolutionary solu-
ton for the crisis of capitalism. The
success Of Mr.. Coles efforts can be
gagged by the reception his work
has received at the hands Of the
Information Service If the Federal
Council of Churches. This weekly
organ hailed it as "a scholarly yet
popular exposition Of the philosophy
of Marx"
1t went on to point out that, &C
cording to Mr.. Cole, Marx was not
materialist. In fact we must
speak of him as "realist" rather
than as a "materislist."
The wholehearted acceptance of
Mr.. Coles perversion Of Msrzist
philosophy by an influential church
intelligence service" explains the
authors role. His function is to
distort Marx and spread misconcep-
tons of MARKHAM theory and tao
tics. In typical anti-Marxist fash
ion, Mr. Cole separates Marks
method from his conclusions. This
enables him to emasculate the revo-
lutionary content Of Marks doc
trines and to arrive at set of
weird and contradictory conclusions
Of his own. After describing how
impossible it would be for the work
ers to secure their ends by peaceful
means. he proceeds to contradict
himself by saying that there is still
"a real possibility of capturing the
State machine, as far as 1t can be
captured as the result of q parlis-
mentary election. on the basis Of a
policy that is not mainly social re-
form, but constructive socialism -
The best hope for civilization, Mr.,
Cole believes, lies in building So
cislism by an alliance Of the prole-
tsrist and professional classes thru
peaceful and constitutional means.
If the proletariat does not recog-
nize the strategic importance Of the
new professional classes and does
not bow to its demands, then the
professionals and technicians will
go fascist. They will bend the
capitalists to their will, substituting
for the concentrated control of
large-scale capitalism the control Of
an authoritarian State, speaking
in the name Of the wider body Of
property owners and industrial adj
ministratorS and technicians." The
history of the past year in Germany
is the best answer to this twaddle.
1t is Fritz Thyssen and the Chemi-
cal and Dye Trust who are in the
saddle, and not by any means the
whitecollared puppets whom they
manipulate.
THE doctrines of Mr.. Cole repre-
sent the ambition of a section
of the middle class to obtain con-
cessions from the capitalists. At no
time are Mr.. Cole and his ilk q
menace to the security of the exist
ing order. Nothing horrifles Mr..
Cole more than revolutionary action.
It is Communist propaganda and
activity that open the door to a
real growth of fascism." It is Com
munist policy that divides the
forces of the proletariat at crucial
1uncture, and so prevents parlia-
mentary Socialist victory" If we
want to fight fascism. according to
Mr.. Cole, we must fight the Com
munists. If we desire Socialism,
we must struggle to preserve CAPT
talism. His words are: THE hope
of a constitutional victory Of So
cialism in Great Britain depends on
British prosperity surviving long
enough for it to be won"
1t is no wonder that Mr.. Cole,
like other 'Marxists" who strive