Marx, the Proletariat, and the 'Will to Socialism' Mulholland, Marc History of Britain and Europe Modern Britain and Europe Intellectual History Political science Political ideologies Marx class-consciousness Gracchus Babeuf Flora Tristan Karl Kautsky working-class This article examines the development of Marx’s thought in its attempt to explain why the proletariat as a class were historically inclined to accept socialist ideas. For Marx, socialist consciousness arises from an innate desire to secure one’s mode of subsistence. Class consciousness always idealises independent proprietorship. This holds true for proletarians. However, as capitalism makes individual proprietorship impossible, only collective ownership appears to offer secure independence. This is a preprint of an article submitted for consideration in the Critique © 2009 Taylor & Francis; Critique is available online at informaworld™: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t741801732 2009 text Article: post-print In press Peer reviewed Author's Original In press issn: 0301-7605 eissn: 1748-8605 Oxford Research Archive - Handle URL: http://ora.ouls.ox.ac.uk:8081/10030/2794 Oxford Research Archive internal ID: ora:2794 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t741801732 ora:2794 en http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t741801732 urn:uuid:66e45290-8352-4247-b5ec-eb90f9e67e41