Karl Marx - The Communist Manifesto...
• First published February 21st 1848
• Main objective to explore the communist theorists, and lay out the Leagues purposes and programme
• Analytical approach to the class struggle in history and also to an extent the present day also. Exploration of the exploitation of one class by another as being the key driving force in history and historical developments
• Revolution causing new ruling class emergence. This process represents the "march of history" as driven by larger economic forces
Bourgeois and Proletarians
• Comparison of communism to a “spectre”. All European powers fear communism and its objectives, but they do not understand it wholely, and communists themselves should make their views known via the use of a manifesto, like an election rally
• Marx writes, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." – Class antagonism. Hidden or open oppression between classes/parties
• Bourgeoisie society sprouted from the ruins of feudal society. Class antagonisms simplifies as split into two rival groups – Bourgeoisie and Proletariat
Bourgeoisie
• Modern bourgeoisie a product of several revolutions during the age of exploration.
• Demands upon the market for more manufactured goods lead to the industrial revolution, where manufacture was replaced by “modern industry”. Middle class were kicked out of production by high power “industrial millionaires”
• Bourgeoisie developed as a class in its own right gaining power and thus putting an end to “feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations”
• Bourgeoisie “creates a world after its own image” only being able to survive in expanding markets
• “fetters” of feudal system to be “burst asunder” – free competition replaced old feudal system – Bourgeoisie rise to power
• Over production inflicting upon the bourgeoisie
• Marx’s theory , history shaped by economic relations alone
Proletarians
• Eventually to destroy the bourgeoisie – live only when work is available
• Industrial development to cause proletarians labour to become less pleasant
• The more repulsive the work , the less wage that is paid
• Marx describes these workers as a soldier, and a slave – people as instruments of labour
• Exploitation from the bourgeoisie causing conflict between these two parties, modern industry increased communication between proletarian parties giving rise to increased unification so struggles could take on a national scale
• Only class Marx believes to be revolutionary. Proletarians are a vast majority, acting also in the interest of that majority
• National struggle, society based on class oppression, oppressed class must have a sustainable slavish existence. Bourgeoisie unfit to rule as cannot guarantee, “an existence to its slave within its slavery”
• Development of modern industry, bourgeoisie produces, “its own grave-diggers”. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable
• Plight of the modern labourer – workers are commodities and seen as part of the machinery
Proletarians and Communists
• Communist aim – proletarian as own class, abdication of the bourgeoisie power, conquest of political power by the proletariat.
• Abolition of private property
• Communism does not keep people from appropriating the products of labour, instead it keeps people from subjugating others in the process of this appropriation
• Wanting to do away with present familial relations in order to stop the exploitation of children by their parents
• Revolution to replace bourgeoisie society with an “association” in which “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all”
• Ruling class will always support ideas that benefit them directly, e.g. the bourgeoisie glorify property rights because they are the ones in society with property
• Revolution described by Marx against the bourgeoisie - a historical process in which goals and methods are introduced. If this revolution is seen to be a natural and inevitable historical process – COMMUNIST MANIFESTO NECESSISARY?????
Socialist and Communist Literature
Reactionary Socialism
• Fight against rise of the bourgeoisie and modern industry – threat to them
• Feudal socialists – French and English aristocrats – chief complaint about the bourgeoisie was the creation of a revolutionary proletariat
• “reactionary and utopian” – does not accept historical movement in society
• German “true” socialism – support the ideas of the petty bourgeoisie who accepted the eventual loss in their separate status to become part of the proletariat
Conservative, Bourgeoisie Socialism
• Want the advantages of social conditions generated by development in modern industry , but without the dangers and struggles that they are attached to, wish for a bourgeoisie, without a proletariat
Critical – Utopian Socialism & Communism (Fourier & Robert Owen)
• Search for new social laws to create the material conditions needed to help free the proletariat – first attempt at proletariat revolution
• Attack of principles of existing society – enlighten the working class
• “Fantastic attacks” which are not necessarily viable and lose theoretical justification
My Personal View
• In today’s society Marx would be opposed to westernised ways of trade such that we source most of our commodities from other countries as it is cheaper due to the exploitation or lower wages in other countries. The upraise of these workers who produce these cheap goods would be seen as inevitable by Marx but if such a thing was to ever happen, the western world would collapse due to the fact we cannot afford and most importantly do not have the viable resources we need to produce the commodities we consume
Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties
• Communist fight for workers and society change, “the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things”
• Communist ends can be reached with an end to all existing social conditions
• Communism political agenda, goal to be the proletariat revolution
• Supporting bourgeoisie may be needed at some point in history so that a workers revolution may be eventually possible and successfully achieved
• Workers unite with the promise of freedom and a better world
• Revolution is prevalent in history and if it is seen to be inevitable then it can be said that there is no need for intervention from the communist party rather that history should just take its course and the abolition of property ownership is just a way for the communist party to weaken society to its advantage
• Manifesto ends with a rallying cry: “Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to loose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!”
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
• Journalist and economist. Made economics central to the understanding of human life and the motive power of history
• Aristotle man – rational animal
• Plato – political animal
• Kant – moral animal
• Hegel – historic animal
• Marx – man is the productive animal
• Belief in that mankind creates the environment and habitat that it inhabits
• Marks was a Hegelian and used the Hegelian system to criticise, “mechanistic materialism” which he described as not science but as “bourgeoisie ideology”
• Rejects nature vs. nurture debate
• Dismisses all empiricists
• Marx believes we have no natural rights and human rights are what people fight for
• Hegel – dialectical change – the dialectic (thesis – anti-thesis – synthesis) is the way history unfolds
• Proletariat described by Marx as being the “universal class” because of the dynamics of the capitalist economy all men he believes will be eventually pauperized
• THESIS – THE BOURGEOISIE
• ANTITHESIS – THE PROLETARIAT
• SYNTHESIS – SOCIALISM (this all supports the ideas of a teleogical progression towards a perfect society)
• Marx believed religion was only “ideology” and “mysticism”
• First published February 21st 1848
• Main objective to explore the communist theorists, and lay out the Leagues purposes and programme
• Analytical approach to the class struggle in history and also to an extent the present day also. Exploration of the exploitation of one class by another as being the key driving force in history and historical developments
• Revolution causing new ruling class emergence. This process represents the "march of history" as driven by larger economic forces
Bourgeois and Proletarians
• Comparison of communism to a “spectre”. All European powers fear communism and its objectives, but they do not understand it wholely, and communists themselves should make their views known via the use of a manifesto, like an election rally
• Marx writes, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." – Class antagonism. Hidden or open oppression between classes/parties
• Bourgeoisie society sprouted from the ruins of feudal society. Class antagonisms simplifies as split into two rival groups – Bourgeoisie and Proletariat
Bourgeoisie
• Modern bourgeoisie a product of several revolutions during the age of exploration.
• Demands upon the market for more manufactured goods lead to the industrial revolution, where manufacture was replaced by “modern industry”. Middle class were kicked out of production by high power “industrial millionaires”
• Bourgeoisie developed as a class in its own right gaining power and thus putting an end to “feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations”
• Bourgeoisie “creates a world after its own image” only being able to survive in expanding markets
• “fetters” of feudal system to be “burst asunder” – free competition replaced old feudal system – Bourgeoisie rise to power
• Over production inflicting upon the bourgeoisie
• Marx’s theory , history shaped by economic relations alone
Proletarians
• Eventually to destroy the bourgeoisie – live only when work is available
• Industrial development to cause proletarians labour to become less pleasant
• The more repulsive the work , the less wage that is paid
• Marx describes these workers as a soldier, and a slave – people as instruments of labour
• Exploitation from the bourgeoisie causing conflict between these two parties, modern industry increased communication between proletarian parties giving rise to increased unification so struggles could take on a national scale
• Only class Marx believes to be revolutionary. Proletarians are a vast majority, acting also in the interest of that majority
• National struggle, society based on class oppression, oppressed class must have a sustainable slavish existence. Bourgeoisie unfit to rule as cannot guarantee, “an existence to its slave within its slavery”
• Development of modern industry, bourgeoisie produces, “its own grave-diggers”. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable
• Plight of the modern labourer – workers are commodities and seen as part of the machinery
Proletarians and Communists
• Communist aim – proletarian as own class, abdication of the bourgeoisie power, conquest of political power by the proletariat.
• Abolition of private property
• Communism does not keep people from appropriating the products of labour, instead it keeps people from subjugating others in the process of this appropriation
• Wanting to do away with present familial relations in order to stop the exploitation of children by their parents
• Revolution to replace bourgeoisie society with an “association” in which “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all”
• Ruling class will always support ideas that benefit them directly, e.g. the bourgeoisie glorify property rights because they are the ones in society with property
• Revolution described by Marx against the bourgeoisie - a historical process in which goals and methods are introduced. If this revolution is seen to be a natural and inevitable historical process – COMMUNIST MANIFESTO NECESSISARY?????
Socialist and Communist Literature
Reactionary Socialism
• Fight against rise of the bourgeoisie and modern industry – threat to them
• Feudal socialists – French and English aristocrats – chief complaint about the bourgeoisie was the creation of a revolutionary proletariat
• “reactionary and utopian” – does not accept historical movement in society
• German “true” socialism – support the ideas of the petty bourgeoisie who accepted the eventual loss in their separate status to become part of the proletariat
Conservative, Bourgeoisie Socialism
• Want the advantages of social conditions generated by development in modern industry , but without the dangers and struggles that they are attached to, wish for a bourgeoisie, without a proletariat
Critical – Utopian Socialism & Communism (Fourier & Robert Owen)
• Search for new social laws to create the material conditions needed to help free the proletariat – first attempt at proletariat revolution
• Attack of principles of existing society – enlighten the working class
• “Fantastic attacks” which are not necessarily viable and lose theoretical justification
My Personal View
• In today’s society Marx would be opposed to westernised ways of trade such that we source most of our commodities from other countries as it is cheaper due to the exploitation or lower wages in other countries. The upraise of these workers who produce these cheap goods would be seen as inevitable by Marx but if such a thing was to ever happen, the western world would collapse due to the fact we cannot afford and most importantly do not have the viable resources we need to produce the commodities we consume
Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties
• Communist fight for workers and society change, “the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things”
• Communist ends can be reached with an end to all existing social conditions
• Communism political agenda, goal to be the proletariat revolution
• Supporting bourgeoisie may be needed at some point in history so that a workers revolution may be eventually possible and successfully achieved
• Workers unite with the promise of freedom and a better world
• Revolution is prevalent in history and if it is seen to be inevitable then it can be said that there is no need for intervention from the communist party rather that history should just take its course and the abolition of property ownership is just a way for the communist party to weaken society to its advantage
• Manifesto ends with a rallying cry: “Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to loose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!”
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
• Journalist and economist. Made economics central to the understanding of human life and the motive power of history
• Aristotle man – rational animal
• Plato – political animal
• Kant – moral animal
• Hegel – historic animal
• Marx – man is the productive animal
• Belief in that mankind creates the environment and habitat that it inhabits
• Marks was a Hegelian and used the Hegelian system to criticise, “mechanistic materialism” which he described as not science but as “bourgeoisie ideology”
• Rejects nature vs. nurture debate
• Dismisses all empiricists
• Marx believes we have no natural rights and human rights are what people fight for
• Hegel – dialectical change – the dialectic (thesis – anti-thesis – synthesis) is the way history unfolds
• Proletariat described by Marx as being the “universal class” because of the dynamics of the capitalist economy all men he believes will be eventually pauperized
• THESIS – THE BOURGEOISIE
• ANTITHESIS – THE PROLETARIAT
• SYNTHESIS – SOCIALISM (this all supports the ideas of a teleogical progression towards a perfect society)
• Marx believed religion was only “ideology” and “mysticism”
