"Since this evolution takes place naturally, i.e. is not subordinated to a general plan of freely combined individuals, it proceeds from various localities, tribes, nations, branches of labour, etc., each of which to start with develops independently of the others and only very slowly; the various stages and interests are never completely overcome, but only subordinated to the interest of the victor, and trail along beside the latter for centuries afterwards. It follows from this that within a nation itself the individuals, even apart from their pecuniary circumstances, have quite different developments, and that an earlier interest, the peculiar form of intercourse of which has already been ousted by that belonging to a later interest, remains for a long time afterwards in possession of a traditional power in the illusory community (State, law), which has won an existence independent of the individuals; a power which in the last resort can only be broken by a reveolution. This explains why, with reference to individual points which allow of a more general summing-up, consciousness can sometimes appear further advanced than contemporary empirical relationships, so that in the struggles of a later epoch one can refer to earlier theoriticians as authorities."
In truth, the whole text was hard for me to understand. I don't know if it was Marx' and Engels' concept I couldn't grasp or the points they brought up. But, whatever it was, I just wasn't getting it. This paragraph is where I had the most problems. It doesn't matter how many times I've read it and tried to break it down, I can't make any sense out of it.
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