* From: Angelus Novus
No backpedaling here. I already said I admire Anderson's work. I just don't think an account of shifting class relations is sufficient to explain the transition from antiquity to feudalism. ^^^^^ CB: Don't you define slavery, feudalism and capitalism based on the class relations in them ? It is almost a tautology to say the transition from slavery to feudalism was a "shift" in class relations, for we mean by feudalism one set of class relations, and by slavery another set. Marx and Engels say more specifically that the class relations shifted because of struggle by the oppressed and exploited classes against their oppressed and exploited situtation. The class relations didn't shift because the ruling classes were persuaded by some nice ideas that some of their philosophers came up with. Although some of same may have arisen , they were mainly the reflection of the struggle by the oppressed classes, not because a good idea popped into people's heads.
