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Karl Kautsky's Materialist Conception of History'

Karl Kautsky's Materialist Conception of History' Karl Kautsky's Materialist Conception of History' JOHN H. KAUTSKY Washington University, St. Louis, MO, U. S.A. ABSTRACT In his Materialist Conception of History, Kautsky sought to explain development in nature and history as adaptation to a changed environment. Man adapts by changing his environment which then requires further adaptation in a never-ending process. Kautsky tries, but fails, with his technological determinism, to break out of the cycle of interaction between the human mind and the environment, but does offer an explanation of the fact of human history. He sees capitalism, unlike earlier societies, changing the living conditions of the exploited so that social revolutions become possible. Once democracy is achieved, the exploited, through their growing numbers, must eventually come to power and gradually introduce socialism. THROUGHOUT HIS ADULT LIFE, Karl Kautsky was and con- sidered himself primarily a social scientist. To be sure, as editor of Die Neue Zeit for 35 years, as interpreter and popularizer of the works of Marx and Engels, and as a prominent participant in intrasocialist conflicts, he was actively involved in politics both in Germany and in the Second International. Again and again, however, he found time to write articles and even substantial http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Comparative Sociology (in 2002 continued as Comparative Sociology) Brill

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References (8)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1989 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0020-7152
eISSN
1745-2554
DOI
10.1163/156854289X00462
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Karl Kautsky's Materialist Conception of History' JOHN H. KAUTSKY Washington University, St. Louis, MO, U. S.A. ABSTRACT In his Materialist Conception of History, Kautsky sought to explain development in nature and history as adaptation to a changed environment. Man adapts by changing his environment which then requires further adaptation in a never-ending process. Kautsky tries, but fails, with his technological determinism, to break out of the cycle of interaction between the human mind and the environment, but does offer an explanation of the fact of human history. He sees capitalism, unlike earlier societies, changing the living conditions of the exploited so that social revolutions become possible. Once democracy is achieved, the exploited, through their growing numbers, must eventually come to power and gradually introduce socialism. THROUGHOUT HIS ADULT LIFE, Karl Kautsky was and con- sidered himself primarily a social scientist. To be sure, as editor of Die Neue Zeit for 35 years, as interpreter and popularizer of the works of Marx and Engels, and as a prominent participant in intrasocialist conflicts, he was actively involved in politics both in Germany and in the Second International. Again and again, however, he found time to write articles and even substantial

Journal

International Journal of Comparative Sociology (in 2002 continued as Comparative Sociology)Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1989

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