A Study Of Mark And Engels’ Views On Cultural Traditions

The promotion of cultural soft power is an important issue in China’s development. Review and interpretation of the views of Marx and Engels on how to treat cultural traditions are therefore of significance in exploring a new way to develop Chinese culture.Starting from the concepts of cultural traditions and based on the classical discussions of Marx and Engels on cultural traditions, this thesis gives a detailed analysis of Marx and Engels’ views of cultural traditions, the formation of cultural traditions and their historical influences. The focus of this thesis is on the critical inheritance of cultural traditions. By clarifying the true meanings of Marx and Engels’s proposals about "breaking the ownership system passed down from the past in the firmest way" and "uprooting all sorts of ideas passed down from the past", this thesis expounds on how Marx and Engels inherit the cultural legacies, in particular, their critical inheritance and transcendence of German Classical Philosophy. Furthermore, this thesis traces the localization and development of Marxist cultural tradition theories in China and attempts to find some implications for China’s cultural development.The rich resources of Marx and Engels’cultural tradition theories are inspirational and enlightening to China’s efforts of developing a new socialist culture in new historical conditions and promoting China’s cultural soft power while communicating, integrating and conflicting with other cultures.