The German Ideology

The German Ideology is a set of pamphlets written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1846. This was the first book cowritten by Marx and Engels. However, the authors could not find a publisher and the text wasn’t published until 1932. The book is divided into three main sections. The Introduction is the most widely referenced part of The German Ideology. The other sections, Volume 1 and Volume 2, are polemical responses to popular German philosphers of the period, specifically the Young Hegelians. The philsophers who Marx and Engels critique are not widely read anymore.

In The German Ideology Marx and Engels develop their theory of historical materialism. They establish the basic premises of the materialist method. Historical materialism is distinct from both idealism and materialism. Material life—the physical, concrete world that can be observed by the senses—conditions political, economic, and social life. The authors respond directly to Hegel, who argues that ideology, concepts, and thoughts determine social life. In contrast, Marx and Engels argue that social life is shaped by material circumstances. Forms of consciousness are determined by material changes, or reality creates the mind. The moral, religious, and political beliefs that people hold are shaped by their status in life. Consciousness is socially constructed. Hegel and his followers believed that shifts in social consciousness drove social change. Marx and Engels argue that changes in economic structures led to resultant shifts in the dominant ideology of the period. The book provides insight into how Marx and Engels developed their theories in contrast to the dominant intellectual culture of the period.

The first section, “Introduction to the Critique of Political Economy,” was written by Marx. It introduces Marx’s theory of history, which is also called the materialist conception of history. In this section Marx outlines the relationship of production to consumption and distribution.

“Volume 1: Critique of Modern German Philosophy, According to Its Representatives Feuerbach, B. Bauer, and Stirner” is the longest section of the text. Cowritten by Marx and Engels, Volume 1 analyzes the writings of prominent Young Hegelian philosophers Ludwig Feuerbach, Bruno Bauer, and Max Stirner. In particular, they argue against idealist philosophy. Instead, they assert the importance of historical materialism. The bulk of Volume 1 responds to Max Stirner.

“Volume 2: Critique of German Socialism According to Its Various Prophets” is also cowritten by Marx and Engels. They respond to the criticisms of communism by “true socialist” German philosophers. They argue that German philosophy is too abstract and disconnected from political struggle. The text concludes with the “Theses on Feuerbach,” 11 short theses that were eventually expanded into Volume 1 of The German Ideology.