HISTORY AND CLASS CONSCIOUSNES PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION (1967) that my practical work for the party, with its constant demands a scientific, Marxist account of the matters treated there. I have for concrete economic analysis, should have had no effect on my already mentioned one such detour: it lead from the study of theoretical views on economics, At any rate, the great change in Hegel via the projected work on economics and dialectics to my my views that is embodied in the Blum Theses took place in 1929 k and it was with these new attitudes that I took up a research Parallel with this the desire arose in me to make use of my ost at the Marx -Engels Institute at Moscow in 1930. Here I knowledge of literature, art and their theory to construct a Marxist had two unexpected strokes of good luck: the text of the economic- aesthetics. This was the beginning of my collaboration with Philosophical Manuscripts had just been completely deciphered and Mikhail Lifschitz. In the course of many discussions it became I was able to read it. At the same time I made the acquaintance clear to us that even the best and most capable Marxists, like of Mikhail Lifschitz, and this proved to be the beginning of a Plekhanov and Mehring, had not had a sufficiently profound life-long friendship. In the process of reading the Marx manu- grasp of the universal nature of Marxism. They failed, therefore ript all the idealist prejudices of History and Class Consciousness understand that Marx confronts us with the necessity of erecting were swept to one side. It is undoubtedly true that I could have a systematic aesthetics on the foundations of dialectical material- ism, This is not the place to describe Lifschitz great achieve- ments in the spheres of philosophy and logy. As far as I But the fact is that this did not happen, evidently because I read myself am concerned, I wrote an essay on the Sickingen debate between Marx/ Engels and Lassalle. 3 In so doing the outlines of a completely new text could have such a shock effect.(Of course, such a system became clearly visible, though naturally they were an additional factor was that I had already undermined the socid limited to a particular problem. After stubborn initial resistand political foundations of that idealism in the Blum Theses especially from the vulgar sociologists, this view has meanwhile However that may be, I can still remember even today the over gained widespread acceptance in Marxist circles. But it is not whelming effect produced in me by Marx's statement that important to pursue the matter here any further. I would only objectivity was the primary material attribute of all things and relations. This links up with the idea already mentioned that F时amt单订甲减m objectification is a natural means by which man masters the world critic in Berlin from 1931 to 1933. For it was not just the problem and as such it can be either a positive or a negative fact By con- of mimesis that occupied the forefront of my attention, but also trast, alienation is a special variant of that activity that becomes definite social conditions. This completely shattered involved me in a critique of naturalistic tendencies. For all the theoretical foundations of what had been the particular naturalism is based on the idea of the photographic reflection achievement of History and Class Consciousness. The book became of reality. The emphasis on the antithesis between realism and wholly alien to me just as my earlier writings had become by naturalism is absent from both bourgeois and vulgar-Marxist 1918-19. It suddenly became clear to me that if I wished to give theories but is central to the dialectical theory of reflection body to these new theoretical insights I would have to start again hence also to an aesthetics in the spirit of Marx. Although these remarks do not belong here, strictly speaking, f It was my intention at the time to publish a statement of my from scratch they were necessary to indicate the direction and the implications mpt to do so proved a failure are(the manu- of the change brought about by my realisation that History and script has since been lost). I was not much concerned about it ly attem Class Consciousness was based on mistaken assumptions, It is these then as i was intoxicated with the prospect of a new start. But implications that give me the right to say that this was the point also realised that extensive research and many detours would where my apprenticeship in Marxism and hence my whole be needed before I could hope to be inwardly in a position to youthful development came to an end correct the errors of History and Class Consciousness and to provide All that remains is for me to offer some comments on my