Are the Jews a Race?

by Karl Kautsky

The author examines the characteristics of a pure race and a geographical race to answer his question. He also discusses anti-Semitism and Zionism, and the physical and mental attributes of the Jews.

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Czech-German philosopher and politician. He was a leading theoretician of Marxism. He became the leading promulgator of Orthodox Marxism after the death of Friedrich Engels.

Reviews

[Marc Lichtman · Rating 4 out of 5]

To some people Kautsky was simply the guy who Lenin attacked in The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky. But the reason Lenin singled out Kautsky was that Kautsky had been viewed as the leader of the left-wing in the Socialist International. His historical works are still worth reading, especially Foundations of Christianity: A Study in Christian Origins.

This was an excellent book, and it it Kautsky even raised the question of whether there was such a thing as "race." But the most important material in the book was used by Abram Leon in his classic The Jewish Question: A Marxist Interpretation. That book covers much more than Kautsky's.

I also recommend The Fight Against Jew-Hatred and Pogroms in the Imperialist Epoch, a compilation by Lenin, Trotsky, and leaders of the Socialist Workers Party.