On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 16:54:42 -0400 "Charles Brown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > So Charles, what's up with all the postings > on the Free Masons? How is this related > to Marxism? > > Jim F. > > ^^^^^^^ > > Take a look at the posts before this. First, some discussion of the > CLASS > relations in feudalism and a reconsideration of the level of > production and > science in the middle ages. Then I mentioned the stone MASONS as a > working > class component in the Middle Ages, and the modern masons as > deriving from > various physical laborers from past eras. Then Waistline mentioned a > book on > the modern masons. > Waistline also pointed out that many INDUSTRIAL WORKERS are in > masonic > organizations.
So what is the class character of the Freemasons? How has it changed over the years. It seems to me that back in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Freemasons were predominantly bourgeois in character with many aristocrats also belonging. Back then, the Freemasons served as a conduit of Enlightenment ideas throughout Europe and America. Some of the American founders such as Ben Franklin and George Washington were certainly Masons. Jefferson was probably a Mason too. The dollar bill has Masonic symbols on it. Over in Europe, Motzart was a Freemason and Masonic symbolism is featured in some of his operas like The Magic Flute. Since, Freemasonry has long been condemned by the Catholic Church, the Freemasons have often been at the center of anticlerical politics in Catholic countries. In the 19th century, the anarchist revolutionary, Mikhail Bakunin made a point of joining a Masonic lodge in Paris. Marx & Engels, as far as I know, had no association with Freemasonry, even though there are still people on the extreme right who like to talk about conspiracies of Freemasons, Jews, and communists to take over the world. The issue of what impact the Freemasons and other kinds of secret societies have had on working class organization is an interesting one and one that I think merits further exploration. I think that E.P. Thompson addressed the issue to some extent in his *The Making of the English Working Class*. Perhaps Waistline can say something more about the role of Freemasonry among African-American workers. > > The Marxist angle is a different look at some of the influences and > organizations of workers and the working class, some influences and > organizations that are not usually discussed by Marxists , but may > have some > significance in trying to understand workers. > > CB > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > [email protected] > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis > _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [email protected] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
