The German Ideology

In Volume 2 Marx and Engels analyze the theories of Hermann Semmig, Rudolph Matthäi, Karl Grün, and Georg Kuhlmann. Socialist ideas from England and France influenced German philosophers. However, German socialists make the same error that other German philosophers do. They believe that socialism is a process of “pure thought” (480), ignoring that socialism is a political movement that emerged from the very real, material conditions of a particular class in a particular country and historical context. This true socialism is believed to be a purer, truer version of socialism. Marx and Engels explain that this strand of German socialism is rooted in the social conditions of Germany in this period and the dominance of idealist philosophy.

Marx and Engels introduce the German philosophy of “true socialism” with a quote from Hermann Semmig (1820-1897):

It seems that the French do not understand their own men of genius. At this point German science comes to their aid and in the shape of socialism presents the most reasonable social order, if one can speak of a superlative degree of reasonableness (510).

Semmig concludes that while socialism is French in origin, it is actually German. While the French developed socialism on the basis of politics, the Germans arrived at socialism through metaphysics.