GUIDE TO THE PHILOSOPHY 1938 - 1947.pdf - Rare Books at ...

THEORY OP COMMUNISM 68 1
the vitality to persist, even when their economic substructure
is crumbling away. Every political system embodies
the authority of a governing class which has a vested
interest in the maintenance of that system. This class
dings to its privileges and refuses to abandon its authority
without a struggle. Moreover, it uses the power over men's
minds with which its command of the avenues of education
and publicity invests it, to persuade them both of the
social justice and of the inevitable continuance of the system
upon which it thrives. Thus, while change in the economic
stricture of society consequent upon die invention
of new techniques of production is gradual and con-
tinuous, changes in the political system are discontinuous
and violent. The need for political change accumulates
in face of increasing resistance, and it is only the logic
of economic circumstance that eventually gives the
exploited class the power to break down this resistance.
There is thus a time-lag before a community establishes
the political, legal and moral systems appropriate to its
continually changing economic substructure. It is because
of this time-lag that political change when it comes is
violent and revolutionary.
Transition from Principles to Policies. The fore-
going
is a brief outline of the main features of Marxist
theory on its political and ethical sides. Marxism,
however, like Fascism, is more than a philosophy; it is
the creed ofa party which has obtained control ofa modern
State. The policies by means of which the tenets of Marxist
philosophy have been realized in actuality in the government
of a State are of importance not only for themselves,
but also because they form an integral part oft
which they have brought to fruition,
lay great emphasis upon questions of
out some description of the methods
the realization of Socialism and the
have propounded in support of these :
of Marxist philosophy would be it