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Karl Kautsky is a German economist, historian and philosopher

In the world economic theory a special place is occupied by German economists-philosophers. One of the noteworthy people of his time was Karl Kautsky. His writings in many respects echoed the works of Karl Marx, but they had a number of special features that made the views of this German philosopher unique in his own way. He managed to attract a lot of supporters, and some of his work is still relevant. Right now, the right-wing socialist leaders in their books use the ideas voiced by Karl Kautsky.

Biography

The life of the future economist begins in ancient Prague, it was there in 1854 that great man was born. In those days, Central Europe led a fairly peaceful life, and its educational institutions competed with eminent British universities. Karl Kautsky received a brilliant education at the University of Vienna. Even in his student years, he shared the views of socialists and thoroughly acquainted with the works of K. Marx. From the end of 1870 he shared many views of Marxists. In particular, the so-called agrarian question begins to interest him, along with the characteristics of the labor movement and the struggle against revisionism. The position of the editor of the rather popular magazine Die Neue Zeit promotes the spread of socialist ideas in Central and Western Europe, although his readers have noted some pedantry of his works and a penchant for scientific scholasticism.

Propaganda of Marxism

In 1885-1888 Karl Kautsky lived in London, where he closely communicated with Engels and supporters of Marxism. Since 1890, he moved to Germany, where he continues to publish articles on various aspects of Marxism. The talent of the enlightener and his masterly mastery of the word made Kautsky's works quite popular among supporters of socialist and radical movements. Among his works is an analysis of the activities of Thomas More and his anti-utopia (1888), "Comments on the Ex-Fuart Program" (1892), "Predecessors of the Newest Socialism (1895).

Kautsky and Christianity

One of his works the German economist and philosopher dedicated to the birth and development of the most large-scale religious movement of his time - Christianity. In his book, Kautsky talks about the economic and social causes that conditioned the society's need for a new faith, explains the significance of historical realities and Jewish monotheism, thanks to which Christianity emerged as a separate religion. The work "The Origin of Christianity" was highly appreciated by contemporaries, although it still raises a lot of controversy among believers and among atheists.

Economic work

A detailed analysis of economic relations was conducted by him in 1887. "The economic doctrine of Karl Marx," perhaps, is the most famous work of this scientist. In it, in an accessible and understandable language, the main theses of the famous "Capital" are set out. The places where Kautsky describes the theory of capital contain understandable artistic images accessible to people far from economic education.

Issues of the agricultural sector

The ideas of capitalism in agriculture were brilliantly revealed in Kautsky's book The Agrarian Question. Here he describes the main trends that gradually developed the attitude to land ownership over a long period: from the early feudal economic system to the modern era of developed capitalism. The German economist was able to order descriptive and statistical material, which by that time had accumulated a huge mass. In his work, Kautsky relies on official data from various surveys and censuses conducted in England, France, the USA, and Germany. The smooth flow of the story from early feudal relations to modern rural economies shows how agriculture in a short time has evolved from a patriarchal occupation into a science that allows for maximum profits. All his arguments fit perfectly to the calculations of Marx and his economic theses.

A departure from the ideas of Marxism

At the beginning of the century, the idea of a dictatorship of the proletariat was gaining increasing popularity . The idea of changing the economic structure also sounded at the Second Congress of the RSDLP, which began in 1903 in Brussels, and then continued to work in London. Kautsky closely followed the discussions of the delegates, but in his judgments he took the side of the Mensheviks (anti-Iskra-ists). On this occasion Karl Kautsky published several works written in the spirit of Marxism. Among them were "The Way to Power", "The Slavs and the Revolution". The works of the German economist have been carefully studied by V.I. Lenin, who often quoted them in his speeches. Kautsky's articles with Lenin's commentaries were often published in Iskra.

Before the World War

The gradual rethinking of Marx's ideas makes Kautsky move away from the ideas of the revolutionary struggle and the labor movement. He pursues a policy of reconciliation with various revisionists. Nevertheless, this did not prevent him in his works supporting the movement of the liquidators among the Russian Social Democrats. He also denies the principles of party spirit of Marxist philosophy, paying tribute to various non-organizational forms of protest. The scientific socialism of his works tried to coexist with non-Marxist philosophical ideas. Kautsky's views undergo a significant change. Moving away from the revolutionary view of Marxism, he tries to explain and extend the principles of the social-chauvinists.

Kautsky in 1917

In early 1917, Kautsky took a direct part in the creation of a new party, whose views he fully shared. This is the independent Social-Democratic Party of Germany, which in the first round of elections attracted many votes. But Kautsky reacted extremely negatively to the October Revolution, opposing the transfer of power to the workers and peasants, while maintaining the principles of bourgeois democracy.

During the period of major political unrest in Germany, he maintained a policy of reconciling capitalism with socialist ideas. The position of the German scientist in this issue was examined and critiqued by V.I. Lenin in his work "The proletarian revolution and the degenerate Kautsky."

As often happens, the ideas of the German philosopher have outgrown their creator. In post-war Germany, the capitalist system remained dominant. Kautsky's favorite child (the Social Democratic Party) has acquired frightening features. When fascism raised its head in Central Europe, Kautsky did not fully understand what terrible consequences this could lead to. In 1938, fascists came to his beloved Vienna, and Karl Kautsky was forced to move to Prague, and then to Amsterdam, where he ended his life.

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