Social Struggles in the Middle Ages

76 Pages·2010·0.619 MB·English

by  Max Beer

SOCIAL STRUGGLES IN
THE MIDDLE AGES
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
A HISTORY OF BRITISH SOCIALISM
THE LIFE AND TEACHING OF KARL MARX
SOCIAL STRUGGLES IN ANTIQUITY
SOCIAL STRUGGLES IN
THE MIDDLE AGES
BY
M.BEER
TRANSLATED BY
H.J.STENNING
AND
REVISED BY THE AUTHOR
LONDON
GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD.
MUSEUM STREET
First Published 1924
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PREFACE
THIS part comprises the history of social thought from the fourth to the fourteenth century,
and therefore of the Middle Ages proper. The heretical-social movement, which from the
eleventh century onwards attracted to an increasing degree the attention of Church and
State, is considered in detail. The story is brought up to the period where it commingles
with the peasants’ wars and the social struggles in the towns. These wars form the prelude
to modern times and therefore belong to Part III., which comprises the last half of the four-
teenth century to the outbreak of the French Revolution.
The first part of A General History of Socialism and Social Struggles has already
appeared in English under the title of Social Struggles in Antiquity, and Parts III., IV., and
V., which complete the work, will subsequently be published in English.
CONTENTS
PREFACE v
I. THE SOCIAL THOUGHT OF THE MIDDLE AGES 1
1. The Essence and Sources of Mediæval Communism 1
2. Gnosticism and Mysticism 3
3. Neo-Platonism: Plotinus 7
4. Natural Law in the Middle Ages 8
5. Roman and Christian Natural Law 11
II. MIGRATION OF NATIONS AND REORGANIZATION 14
1. The Teutonic Races 14
2. The Church 18
3. The Cloistral-Communistic Settlements 21
III. FROM COMMUNISM TO PRIVATE PROPERTY 25
1. The Economic Conditions of Western and Central Europe 25
2. Joachim of Floris; Amalrich of Bena 27
3. S.Francis of Assisi; Duns Scotus; Marsilius of Padua; William of

Ockham 29
4. S.Dominic de Guzman; S.Thomas Aquinas 32
IV. THE ESSENCE OF THE HERETICAL-SOCIAL MOVEMENT 35
1. Spiritual Tendencies 35
2. The Cathari 36
3. The Cathari and Communism 37
4. The Inquisition 40
V. THE SPREAD AND PERSECUTION OF THE CATHARI 44
1. Bulgaria and the Bogomili 44
2. Italy: The Struggle between Pope and Emperor; Arnoldists,

Humiliati, Apostolic Brethren 45
Contents vii
3. France: Waldenses, Languedoc, Albigenses 51
4. Flanders: Beguins and Beghards, Lollards 55
5. Germany: Waldenses, Beguins and Beghards, Ortliebians, Brethren
of the Free Spirit, the German Mystics, the Brethren of the
Common Lot 56

BlBLIOGRAPHY 62
INDEX 64