The Ideas of Karl Marx

This book offers a complete presentation of the most important themes of Marx's thought, following the development of Marx's theory from the beginning to his death and offering a reconstruction and analysis that covers the whole of Marx's life and works. Each chapter presents one of the central topics of Marx's reflection: the confrontation with the Hegelian theory of the State (1843); the critique of political liberalism in the "On the Jewish Question"; the discovery of Political Economy in the Manuscripts of 1844; the new theory of history developed in The German Ideology; the political theory and the revolution of 1848; the critique of political economy from the Grundrisse to Capital; and the political thought of the last Marx (the Paris Commune and the critique of the German Social Democratic Party).Stefano Petrucciani is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.

Autorentext

Stefano Petrucciani is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy. His previous books include: Introduzione a Habermas (2000), Introduzione a Adorno (2007), Modelli di filosofia politica (2003), Marx (2009), Democrazia (2014), Storia del marxismo (2015), and Marx critique du libéralisme (2018).

Inhalt

1. The education of a young Hegelian

   1.1. Marx's first steps as a student

   1.2. From "liberal" battles to social questions

   1.3. Critique of Hegel's theory of the State

2. The critique of liberalism

   2.1. The question of critique and the coming of communism

   2.2. Limits of the rights of man and citizen

   2.3. Philosophy, revolution, proletariat

   2.4. A first appraisal

3. The discovery of economics

   3.1. Alienated labor

   3.2. Reformism and communism

   3.3. Yet another engagement with Hegel

   3.4. The Holy Family

4. A New conception of history

   4.1. The limits of old materialism

   4.2. Toward the science of history

   4.3. Stirner, communism and individualism

   4.4. Concluding remarks on the theory of historical materialism

5. A time for revolution: Marx and 1848

   5.1. The polemic against Proudhon and Ricardo's theory of value

   5.2. The communists' manifesto

   5.3. 1848 in Germany

   5.4. The London exile: a time to take stock

6. The Critique of political economy

   6.1. Marx as a journalist

   6.2. Toward political economy: the Grundrisse

   6.3. Fundamental concepts: commodity and value, money and capital, labor-power and surplus value

   6.4. Value and exploitation: two theories and many problems

   6.5. The tendencies of capitalism economy

7. The International, the Paris Commune, social democracy

   7.1. The foundation of the International

   7.2. The Franco-Prussian war and the Commune

   7.3. The birth of social democracy

Chronology of life and works

Bibliography