"There is no proletarian, not even a Communist movement, that has not operated in the interests of money, and for the time being permitted by money - and that without the idealists among its leaders having the slightest suspicion of the fact"
About this Quote
Spengler delivers this like a trapdoor under the romance of revolution: step on the word "proletarian" and you fall straight into "money". The provocation isn’t merely that capitalism corrupts movements; it’s that capital is the silent stage manager, deciding which rebellions get the lights, the venue, and the run of show. His most cutting move is temporal: "for the time being permitted". Even opposition becomes a lease agreement. The system doesn’t always crush dissent; it curates it, bankrolls its channels, tolerates it until the tolerance stops paying.
The subtext is classic Spengler: history is not a morality play but a struggle among forces wearing moral costumes. He’s suspicious of "idealists" not because ideals are fake, but because sincerity can be operationally useless. The leaders "have not the slightest suspicion" because ideology functions like blinders; it turns power’s logistics into an afterthought. In that sense, Spengler is less interested in hypocrisy than in structure. Movements can be authentic and still be instruments.
Context matters. Writing in the aftermath of World War I and amid Weimar turmoil, Spengler watched Germany’s old order wobble while new mass politics surged: communists, social democrats, reactionaries, all competing for legitimacy and resources in a media-and-money ecosystem. His cynicism is also a warning: if you think history is driven by purity, you’ll miss who owns the switchboard. And if you miss that, you’ll be "permitted" right up until you aren’t.
The subtext is classic Spengler: history is not a morality play but a struggle among forces wearing moral costumes. He’s suspicious of "idealists" not because ideals are fake, but because sincerity can be operationally useless. The leaders "have not the slightest suspicion" because ideology functions like blinders; it turns power’s logistics into an afterthought. In that sense, Spengler is less interested in hypocrisy than in structure. Movements can be authentic and still be instruments.
Context matters. Writing in the aftermath of World War I and amid Weimar turmoil, Spengler watched Germany’s old order wobble while new mass politics surged: communists, social democrats, reactionaries, all competing for legitimacy and resources in a media-and-money ecosystem. His cynicism is also a warning: if you think history is driven by purity, you’ll miss who owns the switchboard. And if you miss that, you’ll be "permitted" right up until you aren’t.
Quote Details
| Topic | Money |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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