I was asked to edit these by the executive of the German Social-Democratic Party of Germany in the spring of I did not adopt the same title for the English edition in order to avoid confusion between my own and other works already published in England under similar titles.
Indeed, this sketch is not intended to compete with elaborate works like that of Mr. It is intended rather to act as a complement to Mr. For a full treatment of the subject it is far too incomplete, and its constituent parts are of purpose unequally balanced. Thus many important statements and criticisms were in the original reserved for the special introductions to the various works of Lassalle, and these I have not incorporated in the English volume.
But, on the other hand, it deals with questions almost ignored by other writers, and after I have had access to documents hitherto unknown to them. Further, it is written at the same time from a Social-Democratic and a critical standpoint, whilst other critics of Lassalle have mostly been more or less opposed to Social-Democracy, or, in the case of Socialists who have written about him, they either did not criticise him at all, or criticised only his acts, and did not enter into any analysis of his theories.
But such treatment of the subject is indispensable now that Lassalle is being exploited by the enemies of Socialism against Social-Democracy. Was he not a real statesman, as compared with these mere demagogues or abstract theorists? Had he not, at least, a scheme, even though it may have been wrong, for bringing about the peaceful socialisation of society, whilst these men do nothing but draw bills on a future revolution?
With all this cant we have had to deal in Germany, and that it has been imported into England is only too evident. This is why I have allowed passages dealing with this point to remain unabridged in the translation.
