ABSTRACT
The relationship of Haeckelian Monism and Darwinism to Marxism and to socialism in general became a politically and ideologically significant issue in Germany as early as the 1860's and 1870's, and the differences between them were heatedly discussed. Along with most other materialists of the middle decades of the nineteenth century both Marx and Engels and many other prominent Social Democrats considered themselves to be Darwinists of one shade or another. The attempt on the part of the Marxists to share in the prestige of Darwinism and to bolster their own position by attaching themselves to it quickly drew a loud protest from Ernst Haeckel and from his followers. Although Haeckel continued to make brief and bitter attacks on the Marxists the actual spelling out of the details in the ideological debate with them was left to his Monist followers. For the Monists, therefore, Social Democracy was in error when it conceived of capitalism in general as 'exploitative.'.
