Alex Glaser
The Republican Party: Marxism Revisited During the interwar period Hendrik de Man said “the future is something which we have to create (Berman 117)” distancing himself from his Orthodox Marxist roots. This belief that people must take action to effect the changes they wish to see in the world is natural, yet Orthodox Marxist resisted this temptation for nearly half a century. In the early 20th century it became clear to many that Karl Marx’s ominous prediction of the downfall of capitalism was not going to occur, as capitalism is a dynamic market instrument that adapts to changing circumstances; the unified “proletariat” was not immerging, a middle class was growing, as were national identities. Europe's changing environment opened the door for new political parties to emerge, however many were afraid to abandon Orthodox Marxism. A cult like following emerged, where Marx became a god-like figure who’s predictions were followed religiously as if the world was predetermined. Malon, Brousse and others who began to split from strict Orthodox Marxism were ridiculed by the POF as “Possibilists” because they believed that the Republic offered alternative possibilities for the future; possibilities that did not involve the natural and inevitable rise of a unified proletariat to create a socialist revolution without the use of political action. In retrospect it seems absurd that people would believe there is a single natural state of the world that will inevitably be reached, regardless of what people do. This nihilistic approach to life suggests that people should not take any action in the political realm at all; they should just sit back and wait for the revolution to unfold. A problem with this approach is that people want to take action. Sitting back and waiting for something that is out of your control creates a feeling of helplessness, and