[But, at the same time, while socialism of…]

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But, at the same time, while socialism of the old stripe seemed to be buried forever under the smashed barricades of the June insurrection, the socialist idea was placed on a completely new foundation by Marx and Engels. Neither of the latter two looked for arguments in favour of socialism in the moral depravity of the existing social order, nor did they try to smuggle social equality into the country by means of inventing new and tempting schemes. They turned to the examination of the economic relations of society.

There, in the very laws of capitalist anarchy, Marx discovered the real substantiation of socialist aspirations. While the French and English classicists of economics had discovered the laws according to which capitalist economy lives and grows, Marx continued their work a half century later, starting where they had left off. He discovered how these same laws regulating the present economy work towards its collapse, by the increasing anarchy which more and more endangers the very existence of society itself, by assembling a chain of devastating economic and political catastrophes.

As Marx demonstrated, the inherent tendencies of capitalist development, at a certain point of their maturity, necessitate the transition to a planful mode of production consciously organised by the entire working force of society - in order that all of society and of human civilisation might not perish in the convulsions of uncontrolled anarchy. And this fateful hour is hastened by capital, at an ever-increasing rate, by mobilising its future gravediggers, the proletarians, in ever greater numbers, by extending its domination to all countries of the globe, by establishing a chaotic world economy, and by laying the foundation for the solidarity of the proletariat of all countries into one revolutionary world power which shall sweep aside the class rule of capital. * Socialism ceased being a scheme; a pretty fancy, or an experiment carried out in each country by isolated groups of workers, each on its own hook. As the common political programme of action for the entire international proletariat, socialism becomes a historic necessity, because it is the result of the operation of the very laws of capitalist development.

It should be apparent by now why Marx put his own economic teachings outside the pale of official economics, and named them A Critique of Political Economy. The laws of capitalist anarchy and of its future collapse which were letariat is the only receptive audience these days capable of understanding the teachings of scientific economics.

With the crumbling ruins of the old feudal society still before their ey of the Quesnays and Boisguilleberts France, the Adam Smiths and Ricardos of England surveyed the young bourgeois order with pride and enthusiasm, and with faith in the coming millennium of the bourgeoisie and its 'natural' social harmony, without trepidation, they permitted their eagle eyes to scan the depths of the economic laws of capitalism.

ut the growing impact of the prole arian class struggle. and especially th June insurrection of the Parisian proletariat, has long since destroyed the faith own godikeness. Since it has eaten of the tre of knowledge and learned about moder class contradictions, the bourgeoisie abhors the classic nakedness in which the creators of its own classical political economy once depicted it, for all the world to see. The bourgeoisie became conscious of the fact that the spokes men of the modern proletariat had forg ed their deadly weapons from the arsenal of classical political economi