Karl Marx Frederick Engels, Collected Works: Vol. 23, Marx and Engels 1871-1874

Volume 23 of the Collected Works contains pamphlets, articles, documents of the First International, and other works by Marx and Engels, written between October 1871 and July 1874. These materials reflect the comprehensive development of the Marxist world outlook in the last years of the First International which laid the basis for the existence of national independent working-class parties. The contents of this volume are of fundamental importance for the development of Marxist political thought, including the Marxist theory of the state, the tactics of the class struggle under capitalism, and the prerequisites for working-class political power. These, and other major themes, are discussed int he texts contained in this volume, which include the Preface to the German edition of the Communist Manifesto (1872), the articles "Political Indifferentism" (by Marx) and "On Authority" (by Engels), and the writings by Marx and Engels on the Paris Commune in which they draw theoretical lessons of fundamental importance to the working-class movement, namely that the working class must have its own political party if the proletarian socialist revolution is to succeed. 

Among other key works in this volume are Engels' The Housing Question and Marx's The Nationalism of the Land. In addition, it contains the works that they wrote together, Fictitious Splits in the International and The Alliance of Socialist Democracy and the International Men's Association, and many other documents exposing the divisive activities of the Bakuninists within the working-class movement and upholding proletarian party principles. A central focus of the volume are the documents and articles associated with the Hague Congress of the International (September 2-7,1872).