Marxism and ethical theory

a brief history

pp. 1-39

in: Philip Grier, Marxist ethical theory in the Soviet union, Berlin, Springer, 1978

Abstract

The process of discovery and dissemination of Marx's more explicitly humanist writings extended throughout the first half of the twentieth century. The major documents involved were his doctoral thesis (written in 1840–41, first published in 1902),¹ the Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Law (written in 1843, first published in 1927),² the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (written in 1844, first published in full in 1932),³ the German Ideology (written in 1845–46, first published in full in 1932),⁴ and the Grundrisse, (written in 1857–58, published in 1939, when it was obscured by the outbreak of war, and republished in 1953, after which it became widely available for the first time).⁵ The translations of these works into other languages sometimes required many more years; for example, a relatively complete English translation of the Grundrisse appeared only in 1973.