Weimar-era liberal opinion tolerated Marxism as theory while condemning its practice

Evidence

A leading article under the headline Against Class Struggle' appeared in 1934 in the right-wing liberal newspaper Frankfurter Nachrichten, stating: We can confidently leave Marxism, as a theory, to decay naturallyafter all, we don’t fight against Thomism either.’ Only the actual practice of class struggle, it held, was to be condemned. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 124

Categorization

• CANDY: The ‘we don’t fight against Thomism’ line is a memorable, tweetable historical quip — ideology as a decaying theory vs. a dangerous practice.
• XREF: connects to: For social democrats, Marxism was ideology, not practical program. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 104; German Social Democrats neglected and censored Marx and Engels’ papers — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 116; Wright retained Marxism as method while rejecting it as ideology — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1421 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Wright retained Marxism as method while rejecting it as ideology #exemplifies (0.78) — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1421