In 1966, Erich Fromm commented that “There are not only points where Marxism and psychoanalysis overlap but … there is also an intrinsic interdependency between the two. This means, not only that a synthesis is possible, but it is also an existential necessity” (Fromm 1966). Today I want to outline some aspects of that interdependency, which has manifested itself in our science and our politics from the very beginning of psychoanalysis. I will focus first on the Marxist underpinnings of contemporary conflict theory as it developed in the US in the 1960s and 70s. Then I will consider why stories like this are more than just interesting historical excursions, but matters of real contemporary concern in psychoanalytic communities around the world.