WI no Karl Marx?

What if karl Marx had died in childhood???

Sure, socialism will still exist, but "Marxism" will probably not. Maybe nobody comes up with the notion of "scientific socialism".

As you know, Marxism didn't favovour the improvemt of the conditions of the workers in the name of any Moral Principle, as utopian socialist did; it held that there were laws (similar to scientific laws) that operated through History, and that those laws determinated that, inevitably, the ploretariat would rebel against the capitalist bourgoise, take power and abolish social classes.

Marxism didn't become mainstream in continental Europe till 1870-1875. before that, other theories rivaled with Marxism, such as Anarchism (defended by Proudhon and Bakunin). While Marx said that capitalist states would be substituted by a dictatorship of the ploretariat (which would then lead to Communism), Anarchists held that, after the revolution, "states" would be replaced by a vagu confederation of comunes.

Reformist tendencies should also be mentioned.In general, Marxism triumphed over "reformist" tendencies in the period 1880-1914.

Given all this, what do you think would have happened in the XIX and XX centuries had Marx died in childhood???

Would there still be a labour movement? almost certainly, yes. What would be its ideology? Will there be a Russian revolution? Which ideology will triumph there if there's no Marxism?

Other intresting butterflies you think are worth mentioning?
 
I guess no Marxism is a pretty obvious response. Humanity would be ignorant of the dialectic. Concepts of socialism would still exist, but perhaps it would be more in the form of the workers taking matters into their own hands. Or perhaps Engles would create Engleism

The question is not whether there would be a Russian Revoultion but whether there would be an October Revolution later in 1917.
 

Sachyriel

Banned
Well, yes there would be many movements around this time, however it might come to America to be born and spread to other parts of the world instead of Europe. Following the rising sun, in a parallel about how the European Dogma spread to America (or so it seems in history's eyes :rolleyes:), this new American Dogma of 'AmericAnarchism' (couldn't think of anything better to call TTL's communism) might go to Australia and Asia before hitting Europe in full force. Just a thought, feel free to tear it down (America is closer to Europe, South America could make it rebound across the Atlantic, whatever).
 
The world would be minus a word (Marx-) but probably simply go with Communist anyway. Maybe Engels and Wagner could collaborate and we would have Engelism or Wagnerism ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
What about the concept of "class struggle" and inevitable "class warfare"? Would a Marxless world avoid the violent, revolutionary aspects of OTL's "Red" movement? Could we possibly see something more along the lines of *Social Democrats coming to power through democratic process rather than violent uprising? How would Unions be different?

I'm not sure how much of this was pure Marx and how much Engles or other Socialist thinkers of the time.
 
Top