The Institute’s turn to Marxism was driven by the anticipated Nazi victory in Germany.

Evidence

Already near the end of the twenties, certainly by the beginning of the thirties, we were convinced of the probability of a National Socialist victory, as well as of the fact that it could be met only through revolutionary actions. That it needed a world war we did not yet envisage at that time. We thought of an uprising in our own country and because of that, Marxism won its decisive meaning for our thought. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 68

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains why Marxism, not dogmatic materialism, became the Institute’s orientation — a distinction central to understanding the Frankfurt School’s heterodox Marxism.
• XREF: connects to: The Institute’s fascism debate turned on how capitalism’s role had changed — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 482; Expecting German revolution in response to Nazism is why Marxism anchored Institute thought. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 68

Broader Connections

• The Institute’s fascism debate turned on how capitalism’s role had changed #expands (0.75) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 482