MICHAEL MAIDAN MARX ON THE JEWISH QUESTION: A META-CRITICAL ANALYSIS 1. INTRODUCTION Marx' article, 'On the Jewish Question', is an important stage in the development of his philosophical and social outlook. As A. Cornu stated in his biographical study of the early Marx, the article can be considered as Marx' breaking-point with his former radical democratic and Hegelian concept of social life, and the decisive step toward the elaboration of his own distinctive social philosophy. 1 At the same time, Marx' essay stands at the heart of a fierce controversy, a controversy which has prevented many critics from perceiving its truly biographical and intellectual value. This controversy centers both on the subject chosen by Marx for the development of his first open attack on Left Hegelian philosophy, and on the manner in which he conducts it. In bringing Marx' essay again to the fore, we intend to illuminate its intrinsic value for the greater understanding of Marx' earlier intellectual development. Nevertheless, it will be impossible to ignore the con- troversial nature of this piece to which we have already alluded. We will therefore deal briefly with the Jewish content of Marx' article in the first section of our paper; and we will refer later to the conceptual model employed by Marx together with its roots in the early develop- ment of his thought. 2. WAS MARX ANTI-SEMITIC? Even the most sympathetic reader of Marx' article, 'On the Jewish Question', or of the related sections in The Holy Family cannot fail to be shocked by the harshness of Marx' remarks concerning Judaism. When such remarks are considered in the context of what Marx had to say about Jews in other parts of his work z, it is difficult not to conclude that Marx had deeply anti-Jewish prejudices. Some critics have tried to relate his hostility towards Jews and Studies in Soviet Thought 33 (1987), 27--41. © 1987 by D. Reidel Publishing Company.