Karl Marx's Historical Notes (Volume 1) (c. 91 BC - 1320 AD)

Author: (German) Marx
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Historical Notes is a historical manuscript written by Marx in his later years, likely dating from the 1870s and early 1880s, consisting of four notebooks. In this manuscript, Marx extracted political and historical events of various countries, particularly in Europe, from the early 1st century BC to the mid-17th century in chronological order. Materials on the economic development history of each nation were recorded in separate notebooks. After Marx's death, Engels, while organizing the manuscript, added the title Chronological Extracts. Marx's research on various issues of world history held an important position in his scientific work. He studied historical processes as the actual progress of history created by humanity, consistently advocating that only through careful study of specific facts could one truly understand history. Throughout his life, Marx read numerous historical books and made extensive summaries and extracts. This vast manuscript is only a part of them and also the last historical manuscript written by Marx in his lifetime.
The first notebook of Historical Notes is arranged chronologically from the 1st century BC to the early 14th century, covering history from the early Roman Empire to the formation of feudalism in Italy, the history of various European nations, the history of Arabs, Turks, Mongols, and Uyghurs from the 5th to the 12th century, as well as the history of Northern and Eastern European countries before the mid-14th century. The 11th to 13th centuries were a period filled with extremely important events in the history of Western and Eastern countries. Therefore, the Crusades launched by feudal lords in France, Germany, Italy, and England, incited by the Roman Catholic Church, occupy a considerable portion of this notebook. The appendix includes certain chapters from Bott and Schlosser's works that Marx specifically pointed out while making extracts, allowing readers to compare and read them to deepen their understanding of Marx's manuscript. The second notebook is a continuation of the first notebook, covering the period from the entire 14th century to the first seven decades of the 15th century. During this time, the rise of urban power began to shake the pillars of feudalism. In feudal Europe, class struggles were exceptionally intense, leading to large-scale peasant uprisings. Marx documented the Jacquerie movement, the Wat Tyler uprising, and the Hussite wars in Bohemia in detail. While studying popular movements, Marx also paid attention to the development of state institutions and military reforms. The third notebook covers the period from the mid-15th century to the late 1570s. These hundred years hold special significance in European and world history. Approaching the 16th century, the era of capitalism began. The feudal system, which had reached its zenith, was in decline. Money became the dominant social force. A gold rush swept across Western Europe, and in the pursuit of gold, explorers made numerous geographical discoveries. Within European countries, the prerequisites for the development of capitalist production were formed. The monarchy, allied with the urban bourgeoisie, crushed feudal forces, giving rise to major monarchies like England. This notebook contains extensive extracts on the Reformation and the wars related to it, as well as the civil wars that occurred throughout the 16th century in Germany, Italy, and France. The fourth notebook, the last one, records events from the last twenty-five years of the 16th century to the mid-17th century. The Thirty Years' War is the focus. Many chapters provide detailed accounts of the events leading up to the war, studying the history of the participating countries and their mutual relations, clarifying their foreign policies, and tracing the development of European and international relations at the time. In this notebook, the portion on Russia is significantly larger than the previous three, but Marx paid more attention to British history. Not only did he focus on domestic events in Britain but also on its foreign policy. The final part of this notebook consists of notes Marx made while reading Green's History of the English People. From both content and writing time, this note can be considered a direct supplement to Historical Notes. The appendix includes relevant chapters from History of the English People that Marx quoted for readers to reference.