PREFACE AND
INTRODUCTION
TO
A CONTRIBUTION
TO THE CRITIQUE OF POLITICAL ECONOMY

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  ^[1] Marx's Zur Kritik der Politischen Ökonomie (A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy ), which marks an important stage in the development of Marxist political economy, was written between August 1858 and January 1859. According to Marx's original plan the entire work was to consist of six books, in the first of which he intended to give an analysis of capital.
    Although the first edition of the Critique, which was published in Berlin in 1859, was marked "Part One," no further parts appeared, and Marx subsequently abandoned his initial design and planned to write a work on capital in four volumes.    [p.1]

  ^[2] Rheinische Zeitung für Politik, Handel und Gewerbe (Rhine Gazette for Politics, Trade and Industry ) -- a daily published in Cologne from January 1, 1842, to March 31, 1843. It was founded by members of the bourgeoisie in the Rhine Province who were opposed to Prussian absolutism. Marx became a contributor in April 1842 and chief editor in the following October. Its revolutionary and democratic character became more pronounced under his editorship. The government established a specially strict censorship over the paper and subsequently closed it down.    [p.2]

  ^[3] Allgemeine Zeitung (General Journal ) -- a reactionary daily founded in 1798 and published in Augsburg from 1810 tn 1882.    [p.2]

  ^[4] Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher (German-French Yearbooks ) -- a German publication edited by Karl Marx and Arnold Ruge. Actually, only one issue, a double number, came out in February 1844. In addition to Marx's Zur Kritik der Hegelschen Rechtsphilosophie. Einleitung (A Contribution to a Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. Introduction ),

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the issue contained other essays by Marx and Engels, which marked the authors' adoption of a materialist and communist standpoint.    [p.2]

  ^[5] The reference is to Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy, which is included as an appendix in Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Lawrence and Wishart, London, 1969, pp. 175-209.    [p.5]

  ^[6] See Marx and Engels, On Britain, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1962, pp. 3-338.    [p.5]

  ^[7] An allusion to The German Ideology, Lawrence and Wishart, London, 1965.    [p.5]

  ^[8] Karl Marx, The Poverty of Philosophy, Lawrence and Wishart, London, no date. This edition also contains as an appendix Marx's On the Question of Free Trade, which is mentioned in the previous sentence.    [p.5]

  ^[9] Marx is referring to Wage-Labour and Capital. (See Marx and Engels, Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1958, Vol. I, pp. 70-105.)    [p.5]

  ^[10] The German Workers' Association was founded by Marx and Engels towards the end of August 1847. Its aim was the political education of German workers living in Belgium and the propagation of scientific communism.    [p.5]

  ^[11] Neue Rheinische Zeitung (New Rhine Gazette ) -- a daily published in Cologne from June 1, 1848, to May 19, 1849, which was the militant organ of the proletarian wing of the democratic movement. Marx was its editor-in-chief; Marx and Engels wrote leading articles which determined its attitude to the principal problems of the revolution in Germany and Europe. After the defeat of the German revolution the paper ceased publication. Lenin said that the Neue Rheinische Zeitung "to this very day remains the best and the unsurpassed organ of the revolutionary proletariat." (V. I. Lenin, Karl Marx, Foreign Languages Press, Peking, 1974, p. 50.)    [p.6]

  ^[12] New York Daily Tribune -- an American newspaper published from 1841 to 1924. Marx was a contributor from August 1851 to March 1862. At Marx's request, many of the articles were written by Engels.    [p.6]

  ^[13] This profound and masterly Introduction is an unfinished rough draft, which was found among Marx's papers after his death. It was first published in the German Social-Democratic periodical Die Neue Zeit (New Times ) in 1903 and constitutes the first of the set of manuscripts published under the title Grundrisse der Kritik der politischen Ökonomie (Rohentwurf ), Moscow, 1939 and Berlin, 1953 (an English version is

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Grundrisse, Foundations of the Critiquc of Political Economy (Rough Draft ), Penguin Books, London, 1973).    [p.8]

  ^[14] Throughout the Introduction, Marx generally uses the word "determination" according to its meaning in logic, i.e., as delimitation, or as the rendering of a notion more definite by the addition of an attribute or attributes.    [p.11]

  ^[15] See John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, Vol. I, Book I, Production.    [p.12]

  ^[16] Cf. H. Storch, Considérations sur la nature du revenu national, Paris, 1824. pp. 144-59.    [p.22]

  ^[17] Société générale de crédit mobilier -- a large French joint-stock company set up in 1852 by the brothers Péreire, who were originally Saint-Simonians but became Bonapartists. Its main purpose was to act as an intermediary in credit operations and to further the establishment of industrial limited liability companies. The major part of the company's income was derived from speculative transactions on the stock exchange. Crédit mobilier went bankrupt in 1867 and was liquidated in 1871. The rise of this new type of financial enterprise in the 1850s was symptomatic of this period of reaction which was marked by unbridled speculation in stocks.    [p.44]

  ^[18] The Netherlands passed to Spain when the Holy Roman Empire was divided in October 1555. It subsequently freed itself from Spanirh rule and became an independent republic. In consequence of the separation of the Netherlands, Germany was deprived of direct access to the principal maritime routes and had to depend on the Dutch carrying trade; this hampered her economic development.    [p.46]

  ^[19] The Customs Union was formed under Prussian hegemony in 1854 and comprised most German states apart from Austria. By abolishing internal customs barriers it created a common German market.    [p.47]

  ^[20] The Continental System which was introduced by Napoleon in 1806 prohibited the European import of British goods. It was nominally adhered to by Spain, Naples and Holland, and later also by Prussia, Denmark, Russia, Austria and other countries.    [p.48]

  ^[21] Cameralistics -- the curriculum of administrative and economic subjects taught at German universities.    [p.48]

  ^[22] Das Volk (The People ) -- a German weekly published in London from May 7 to August 20,1859. Marx and Engels were contributors.    [p.48]

  ^[23] Diadochi: Alexander of Macedon's successors, whose internecine warfare after his death led to the disintegration of the empire. Engels

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here applies this term irorncally to the official representatives of the Hegelian school in the German universities.    [p.52]

  ^[24] See Karl Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, Lawrence and Wishart, London, 1971, pp. 43-44.    [p.58]

  ^[25] The third part of this review did not appear and the manuscript has not been found.    [p.59]