Marxism in the Works of Erich Fromm and the Crisis of Socialism

The crisis of socialism, in the light of the historical events that have provoked its downfall in Eastern Europe, had already been discussed in our Fromm Institute in Bologna, at the end of 1989. Romano Biancoli maintained that Fromm had been proved right in his vision of Marxism and of real socialism. I realized that, if Fromm were still alive he would not be surprised by this turn of events, which he hopes for in all his works on the subject. Marxism and socialism were of great interest to Fromm and he deals with them in several of his works, on both a general and more detailed level. He examines them in the light of his humanistic view of man, which is the starting point for his analysis of the individual and of society. This is a viewpoint which allows for the critical perception of any trait which proves to be dysfunctional or pathological to the well-being of an individual or of the group. In fact, Fromm is part of that western humanistic tradition which has its roots in Judaic, Greek and Roman thought and which continues, centuries later, in the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and in positivism. His position as humanist, psychoanalyst and sociologist put him in a privileged position to carry out his research from both a human and socio-psychological point of view Fromm is convinced that the only psychology possible is social psychology, given that the psyche is the product of the collective life history of humankind. This constitutes a scientifically valid approach within the tradition of humanistic thought insofar as, by using modern and efficient scientific tools (psychoanalysis and the social sciences) a closer and deeper investigation of the needs and motivations of human beings is possible. The starting point for Fromm’s research is precisely this, the search for the real and deep motives behind human action. That is to say, individuals with their human needs which, as such, must be appropriately satisfied. The cost of not satisfying these needs is malaise, sickness, estrangement from one’s self and from other human beings, with a consequent loss of identity. The message that permeates all Fromm’s works is profound: the flexibility of human beings has its limits. Consequently individuals can adapt to almost anything but beyond certain limits they suffer and become