William Ebenstein

Book Reviews and Notices: Modern Political Constitutions. By C. F. STRONG. (London: Sidgwick and Jackson Ltd. 3d ed. 1949. Pp. x and 383. 25s.)

&dquo;literature and history are twin sisters, inseparable.&dquo; He asserts that &dquo;the motive of history is at bottom poetic.&dquo; He sees chance in all seeming form and fabric: &dquo;This arbitrary choice of Fate is constantly repeating itself every moment of Time.&dquo; The pages tell much about the subjects and about a scholar with a &dquo;life as happy as anyone’s can be during the fall nf El1rOnf’~n c-ivili7nt-ic)n-&dquo; GOLDWIN SMITH. Wayne University.

Book Reviews and Notices : Latin American Politics and Government. By Austin F. Macdonald. (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1949. Pp. 642.

Cornu’s work, nevertheless, has positive value and is generally sound when relating Marx’s revolutionary activities between 1848 and 1850. The author analyzes clearly his tactical and strategic shifts in 1848. At first, Marx advocated an alliance with the upper bourgeoisie for the purpose of destroying the old order. Failing in this, he then joined a democratic front, all the while refraining from an open advocacy of communism. He exploited the Paris June Days to develop a proletarian class consciousness. In doing so, however, Marx, and with him Cornu, exaggerated the effects which the Paris events had on the progress of reaction in Germany. As for international relations and war, to Marx the dictates of revolution and historic &dquo;progress&dquo; justified and made desirable a war against such reactionary powers as Russia. Likewise, the national aspirations of various peoples in 1848 were blessed as revolutionary or condemned as reactionary, depending upon whether the demands of nations for autonomy promoted or retarded the cause of revolution, notably in the large states. It is a peculiar fact that Marx’s direct participation in an actual revolution is generally overlooked, notably in the Anglo-Saxon world, in favor of an almost exclusive concentration on Marx as a theorist. Waiving all practical considerations, a correct historical appraisal of Marx’s influence demands a proper awareness of the precedents set by Marx in the field of revolutionary tactics and strategy. After all, the choice of particular revolutionary tactics may determine the degree of success or failure in the realization of even the most apt theories. The value of Cornu’s work lies in its emphasis on Marx as a practical revolutionist.