Kerry Brown is right that Marxism in China imports a model of irreversible linear progress to a culture long steeped in a cyclical view of the world. But (perhaps to soften the absurdity of Xi’s use of Marx), Brown paraphrases the German philosopher: “No matter what, the laws of history as outlined by Marx meant that things would work out,” and “All of this had to end somewhere good.”
I think Marx would snort with contempt at this vague, feel-good formulation. He was much more specific. The telos he envisioned involved control over the means of production and (to enlist Engels) the withering away of the State. As Brown notes, Marx’s rare mentions of 19th century China were suffused with “lofty disparagement and disdain.” Could he be resurrected to assess Chinese labor relations and wealth distribution today, he would update his views but I doubt they would become much more favorable.
A. E. Clark <aec@raggedbanner.com>