Marxism Without Marx

If Karl Marx for whatever reason doesn't take the Communist League's commission to publish The Communist Manifesto, what if anything changes in the development and spread of Socialism and Communism? Obviously these schools of thought existed before Marx, but arguably it was Marx and Engels formalizing the theory into an easily-understandable argument--and encouraging translations--that allowed Communism to spread so readily as an ideology. Marx and Engels' personal wealth and standing also didn't hurt either, being able to fund the costs of publishing and distribution themselves.

Absent Marx and Engels' involvement in formalizing Communist tracts, who steps up to write and publish the Manifesto? And does not having a publisher and a theorist from a well-off family (Marx and Engels respectively) spearheading things hinder the spread of their ideals?
 
The way I see it Marxism/communism looks very much like a reaction against capitalism and the society it formed in, I bet something like it would probably exist one way or another. It might look different from OTL communism and follow a very different historical trajectory, but I bet you would get some kind of anticapitalist ideolog(ies).
 
The way I see it Marxism/communism looks very much like a reaction against capitalism and the society it formed in, I bet something like it would probably exist one way or another. It might look different from OTL communism and follow a very different historical trajectory, but I bet you would get some kind of anticapitalist ideolog(ies).

Bringing Anarchism again, it is never to be forgotten that it is as much against capitalism than statist oppression. So yeah, far left is not all the anticapitalism there is...
 
The social sciences are greatly impoverished until someone else articulates it, and in the mean time, it will be opportunists like Lasalle who dominate what passes for "socialism" among intellectuals.
 
The social sciences are greatly impoverished until someone else articulates it, and in the mean time, it will be opportunists like Lasalle who dominate what passes for "socialism" among intellectuals.

I agree in parts - marxist history and all, while very debatable, did brought something possibly, like macro history... a grand angle sense, the importance of looking at details and factors, the big picture.
 
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