
Translator: Davood Salehan
Source: rasekhoon.net
Source: rasekhoon.net
This is article of Karl Marx (1818-1883), German philosopher and founder of scientific socialism, and was written between January and April 1850, and in the same year it was published in four consecutive numbers in "Neue Rheinische Zeitung", Political Economy Journal, released by Marx's attempts in London.
So, this work has been review of the events of the 1848 revolution in France and Marx offers a picture of the events that historical studies since then have confirmed the results of it. Marx, who had explained the principles of his method in "German Ideology", in this book this method, is applied on a certain historical period for the first time. Thus, Marx in his analysis tries to explain social powers of the events and the analysis requires a wonderful recognition of social and political status of France. The role of workers is highlighted in a specific way.
From the month of February, the workers of Paris had been at the forefront of the barricades to fight. Workers had imposed the Provisional Government of the Republic to undecided temporary government. They had forced the bourgeois republic to make social institutions, as well as the July Monarchy was forced to make republican institutions. But the role of worker class, which represented free needs of all people, led empower bourgeois to oppose to his revival and made certain contrast of the new society, which was bourgeois and proletariat fight, so clear. Since the time that government became aware of political importance of worker class, it tried to separate them from its natural allies, farmers and petty bourgeoisie, and by formation of Committee Lekzemberg, tried to keep worker class away from imposing political power and by applying ruse of "national workshops" led them to revolt in June. June days, that in Marx's sight, were first days of the proletariat on the stage of history as the "class", finished with workers' repression. But he knows this failure precondition of future success. It was necessary for the workers, who wrote slogans such as "right to work" and "work organization" on their banners, to be eliminated so that they realize the goals are just illusion in capitalism society and worker class in order to achieve their goal should ask for revocation of salary system and ownership of production tools. Here Marx expresses scientific socialism revolutionary goals for the first time. When the working class was removed from the political arena, the struggle between different factions of the bourgeoisie will continue. Representatives of financial wealth during Jueeyeh era had power in their hands and now they asked for industrial Lord of government and the struggle occurred under the cover of different political parties' competition such as Cavaignac republicans, "national" party, fans of reign, and Orleans.
Marx's analysis reveals the mechanism of the campaign, in which the Republican side was used to crush the working class and then be aside to give its place to party "order" and reactionary dictatorship of bourgeois). It is also possible to analyze the nature of the bourgeois state and nature of the government which is mentioned in the pamphlet of The Civil War in France that was written twenty years after it. When workers failed, bourgeoisie raised to oppose his natural allies and put the yoke on the neck of the petty bourgeoisie and the peasantries. Shopkeepers who had acted against the barricades of June, now saw his creditor in verge of shops that deliver coming time of payment or bankruptcy document to him. The peasants who were told that taxes are to pay to workers who do not do anything, finds that tax are increased after the defeat of June. In addition, on June 1849, bourgeoisie acted against democrat and Republican Party and by removing his supporting power in act it will show that the regime, which he has created in the name of freedom, will not be stable but rejecting freedom.
So, if the working class was not ready for revolution, the bourgeoisie was incapable of exercising power and maintaining it. The actual result of events of 1848 was coup of December second. Marx also analyzes Napoleon coming to power in his special method and he did that since 1852 in small treatise "bromer the eighteenth Louie Bonaparte".
This work complements the "class struggle in France". Marx, with the resumption of historical developments in its main lines, suggests that choosing prince, president, and coup has been on such a deception. Bourgeois policy and constitution written by him must change Bonaparte to "mark of protest" of all dissidents. Workers of petty bourgeois and peasants voted to a person who visualized the glorious memories of the First Empire. Marx reveal every page of this farce. But the power of Napoleon III is not only a ridiculous show. Marx carefully analyzes the elements that Empire is leaning on and the government's changes the result of this new phase is the history of France's social classes. The tone of this thesis mostly has theoretical and abstract aspects than having the class struggle in France.
Marx's in time of writing the recent thesis believed in the revolutionary leap and the resumption of events in 1848. He hoped that further opportunities will allow the working class so that once again they return to the political scene and take their revolution forward. Marx's studies in 1850 (and the last chapter of class struggle which was written by Angles in 1895, reflect the issue) led him to the result that failure of revolution of 1848 was caused by economic status and only a new crisis which is not so possible in recent conditions, will be able to create a new revolutionary era. So, we can understand why Marx rejected the request of reprinting this work; as he believed that he should reconsider some of its results. When Marx wrote "The Eighteenth of Brumaire", he had no illusions about future revolutionary directions. By reconsidering the events and using the same method, Marx mostly pays attention to evaluation of the gone path and determining goals of future of workers' class. That is why he mentions the problem of government's revolutionary change that after the experience of commune will be theory of dictator proletarius. But then, "Eighteenth Brumaire" correct illusion of "Class Struggles in France" and hence, it is considered as the true result.