KARL MARX

BRUSSELS
127
based), then, as far as practical development is concerned, it is absolutely
immaterial whether the idea of this revolution has been expressed a
hundred times already, as the history of communism proves. 35
Elaborating on Marx's Theses, the text continued with a passage specifically
devoted to Feuerbach. Taking as an example the cherry tree
(imported into Europe for commercial reasons) Marx and Engels pointed
out that an increasing number of objects could not be grasped by mere
'observation' but had to be understood as a result of social development,
industry and commerce. With Feuerbach, however, 'in as far as he is a
materialist he does not deal with history and in as far as he considers
history he is not a materialist'. 36 For no ideas could claim an eternal,
objective validity. They changed in accordance with changing socioeconomic
relationships and it would be found that 'the ideas of the ruling
class are in every epoch the ruling ideas'. 37
There followed a lengthy section on the division of labour, particularly
in the Middle Ages, and the transition to capitalism; then a section on
the influence of the division of labour on the evolving forms of the
state, the legal system and property relations. The final section was on
communism. 'Communism', it had already been stated, 'is not for us a
state of affairs which is to be established, an ideal to which reality will
have to adjust itself. We call communism the real movement which
abolishes the present state of things.' 38 This 'real movement' differed
from all previous movements in that
it overturns the basis of all earlier relations of production and intercourse,
and for the first time consciously treats all natural premises as
the creatures of hitherto existing men, strips them of their natural
character and subjugates them to the power of the united individuals.
Its organisation is, therefore, essentially economic, the material production
of the conditions of this unity; it turns existing conditions into
conditions of unity. The reality, which communism is creating, is precisely
the true basis for rendering it impossible that anything should
exist independendy of individuals, insofar as reality is only a product
of the preceding intercourse of individuals themselves. 3 '
The key factor in the establishment of communism was the abolition
of the division of labour. But the only example that Marx gave of this
here was drawn from a rural community:
In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity
but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society
regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to
do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning,
fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner,