The Critique of Marxist Philosophy: 1956–1981

Abstract

The period from 1956 to 1981 forms a quarter century in the life of a philosophical enterprise worthy of acknowledgement and reflection. In 1956 Khrushchev made his famous speech denouncing the crimes of the Stalin era. For Marxist, and even more importantly for Marxist-Leninist, philosophy the speech was a call to renewed activity. From 1931 until 1956 Stalin had dominated Marxist interpretation. Wherever Marxism had been joined to power, it was a Stalinist version of Marxism, called Marxism-Leninism, that was adopted. Stalin, until 1956, was the unchallenged interpreter of Marx and Lenin in the Soviet Union, as well as in the so-called satellite countries. Just as the U.S.S.R. dominated the politics of the Eastern bloc and exercised undisputed political hegemony, so Stalinist Marxism-Leninism held philosophical hegemony. The official Soviet Marxism-Leninism was dogmatic, despite claims to the contrary. It was also pedestrian. Large, verbose volumes were based on Stalin’s sparse philosophical writings. They did not command respect in philosophical circles outside of the countries in which Marxism-Leninism was the official doctrine. Often they commanded only little more respect in those countries.