As a master of demagogic technique Marx was a genius; for him all politics was only the continuation of war by other means" #QoTD

 

"As a master of demagogic technique Marx was a genius; this cannot be sufficiently emphasised. He found the propitious historical moment for uniting the masses into a single political movement, and was himself on the spot to lead this movement. For him all politics was only the continuation of war by other means; his political art was always political tactics.

    "The socialist parties which trace their origin back to Marx have kept this up, as have those who have taken the Marxist parties for their model. They have elaborated the technique of agitation, the cadging for votes and for souls, the stirring up of electoral excitement, the street demonstrations, and the terrorism. To learn the technique of these things requires years of hard study. At their party conferences and in their party literature, the Marxians give more attention to questions of organisation and of tactics than to the most important basic problems of politics. In fact, if one wished to be more precise one would have to admit that nothing interests them at all except from the point of view of party tactics and that they have no interest to spare for anything else."

~ Ludwig Von Mises, from the chapter 'Destructionism' in his book Socialism: An Economic & Sociological Analysis

[Hat tip Immaculate Perception] 

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