ABSTRACT
Western European Marxist thought has been grounded in ethical considerations, sociological outlooks, and political ideals. Despite its political links to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Euromarxism expressed itself in an autonomous manner when it criticized Western society. Existentialist philosophy presented itself in many varieties and tendencies, but Marxist existentialism came forcefully to the attention of European culture primarily through the work of Jean-Paul Sartre. Jean-Paul Sartre believed that Marxism was essentially a philosophy of man operating in a determined situation but attempting to overcome it. The political goal of French Marxism with respect to a specific form of government was frequently unclear, but its aversion to parliamentary institutions was always profound. In an attempt to underline the contradictions of capitalist society, German Marxism had the merit of imposing and developing important themes and problems of contemporary society. For Max Horkheimer, the workers' movement, and especially the German proletariat, no longer served as society's conscience, or even as a revolutionary subject.
