Marxism and nationalism: a complicated relationship

Abstract

The present work pretends clarify the consolidated assertion which says that Marx and Engels hadn´t a theory about nationalism, causing the disparity of considerations from the Marxist field, sometimes incoherents and even contradictories. If is right that the left frequently have treated this issue from various points of view and without a fixed pattern, what this work puts on doubt is the need of Marxism, as an analytical method, determines just one judgment in order to try to objectify a phenomenon so varied and casuistical. Therefore, it´s analyzed the treatment of the question from the two thinkers along their work, their consideration about the National state as an historical category, and we revise the development of the following Marxism across, inside the frame of the Second International, of contributions of Kautsky, Lenin, Rose Luxembourg, Stalin and the Austrianmarxism, amongst others.