While in this way in Germany the bourgeoisie，the schoolmasters and the bureaucrats were still making great exertions to learn by rote，and in some measure to understand，the first elements of Anglo-French political economy，which they regarded as incontestable dogmas，the German proletarian party appeared on the scene.Its theoretical aspect was wholly based on a study of political economy，and German political economy as an independent science dates also from the emergence of this party.The essential foundation of this German political economy is the materialist conception of history whose principal features are briefly outlined in the "Preface"to the above-named work.Since the "Preface"has in the main already been published in Das Volk ，we refer to it.The proposition that "the process of social，political and intellectual life is altogether necessitated by the mode of production of material life"；that all social and political relations，all religious and legal systems，all theoretical conceptions which arise in the course of history can only be understood if the material conditions of life obtaining during the relevant epoch have been understood and the former are traced back to these material conditions，was a revolutionary discovery not only for economics but also for all historical sciences --and all branches of science which are not natural sciences are historical."It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence，but their social existence that determines their consciousness."This proposition is so simple that it should be self-evident to anyone not bogged down in idealist humbug.But it leads to highly revolutionary consequences not only in the theoretical sphere but also in the practical sphere."At a certain stage of development，the material productive forces of society come into conflict with the existing relations of production or --this merely expresses the same thing in legal terms --with the property relations within the framework of which they have operated hitherto.From forms of development of the productive forces these relations turn into their fetters.Then begins an era of social revolution .The changes in the economic foundation lead sooner or later to the transformation of the whole immense superstructure....The bourgeois mode of production is the last antagonistic form of the social process of production --antagonistic not in the sense of individual antagonism but of an antagonism that emanates from the individuals'social conditions of existence --but the productive forces developing within bourgeois society create also the material conditions for a solution of this antagonism."The prospect of a gigantic revolution，the most gigantic revolution that has ever taken place，accordingly presents itself to us as soon as we pursue our materialist thesis further and apply it to the present time.
Closer consideration shows immediately that already the first consequences of the apparently simple proposition，that the consciousness of men is determined by their existence and not the other way round，spurn all forms of idealism，even the most concealed ones，rejecting all conventional and customary views of historical matters.The entire traditional manner of political reasoning is upset；patriotic magnanimity indignantly objects to such an unprincipled interpretation.It was thus inevitable that the new point of view should shock not only the exponents of the bourgeoisie but also the mass of French socialists who intended to revolutionise the world by virtue of the magic words，liberté，égalité，fraternite .But it utterly enraged the vociferous German vulgar democrats.
They nevertheless have a partiality for attempting to plagiarise the new ideas in their own interest，although with an exceptional lack of understanding.
The demonstration of the materialist conception even upon a single historical example was a scientific task requiring years of quiet research，for it is evident that mere empty talk can achieve nothing in this context and that only an abundance of critically examined historical material which has been completely mastered can make it possible to solve such a problem.
Our party was propelled on to the political stage by the February Revolution and thus prevented from pursuing purely scientific aims.The fundamental conception，nevertheless，runs like an unbroken thread through all literary productions of the party.Every one of them shows that the actions in each particular case were invariably initiated by material causes and not by the accompanying phrases，that on the contrary the political and legal phrases，like the political actions and their results，originated in material causes.
After the defeat of the Revolution of 1848-49，at a time when it became increasingly impossible to exert any influence on Germany from abroad，our party relinquished the field of emigrant squabbles --for that was the only feasible action left --to the vulgar democrats.While these were chasing about to their heart's content，scuffling today，fraternising tomorrow and the day after once more washing their dirty linen in public，while they went begging throughout America and immediately afterwards started another row over the division of the few coins they had collected --our party was glad to find once more some quiet time for research work.It had the great advantage that its theoretical foundation was a new scientific conception the elaboration of which provided adequate work；even for this reason alone it could never become so demoralised as the "great men"of the emigration.
The book under consideration is the first result of these studies.II [Das Volk ，No.16，August 20，1859]
