ipl-logo

Marx's The Manifesto Of The Communist Party

634 Words3 Pages

Marx begins The Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848) with the representation of communism as a ‘spectre’ suggesting the ideology as scary and unpleasant; a common belief in 19th century Europe (Marx and Engels 1848, pp. 473). Marx begins with this statement to emphasise how wrongfully extreme this view is and throughout the text he addresses the main fears and critiques of communism and shows how in fact communism is the most logical and rational way forward in modern society. One of the key fears of communism was the abolition of existing property relations; that being private property. Marx counteracts this fear stating that throughout history different property relations have been abolished “the French Revolution, for example abolished …show more content…

But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population” (Marx and Engels 1884, pp. 486). Marx believes the communistic push for an abolition of the current state of society should be feared by the bourgeois as it does in fact abolish individuality and freedom, but only “bourgeoisie individuality, bourgeoise independence and bourgeoisie freedom”, again insisting the proletariat has nothing to fear with communism (Marx and Engels 1884, pp. 485). Finally, Marx interrogates the fear that communism abolishes morality and “acts in contradiction to all past historical experiences” (Marx and Engels 1884 pp. 489). Marx argues, that there is a similar understanding of morality throughout history because there was always “the exploitation of one part of society by the other” and communism intends to completely vanish these class antagonisms and exploitations and with that rupture many traditional ideas (Engels and Marx 1884, pp. …show more content…

Capitalism developed from feudalism and is similar as it “new forms of struggle in place of the old ones” (Marx and Engels 1884, pp. 474). As all of previous societies were based on social oppression and because capitalism has led to rapid technological and philosophical development the idea of continual class exploitation, for Marx, is not sustainable and dehumanising and therefore communism is needed to overthrow the consistent historical oppression. Capitalism has created overproduction and “the conditions of bourgeoisie society are too narrow to comprise the wealth created by them” (Marx and Engels, pp.478). By doing this capitalism has “forged the weapons that bring death to itself and it has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons- the modern working class- the proletarians” and thereby capitalism and its simplification of class antagonisms to two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, paved the way for communism as the next step towards modernity. As Marx describes bourgeoisie society as being necessary for communism to arise and that he appraises bourgeoisie society as it brings “even the most barbarian nations into civilisation” through creating a world market and its progressive and open nature is why some call the text Marx’s ‘hymn to the bourgeoisie’ (Marx and Engels 1884, pp. 477). Marx

Show More
Related

Communism During The Salem Witch Trials

732 Words | 3 Pages

Communism during the Salem Witch Trials Karl Marx once said “The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property.” Although communism may sound like a good theory but once put into play falls apart. The theory of communism was created by Karl Marx around 1848. Communism is the theory that uses force in order to ensure that everyone is treated equally and there is no private property. “Communism doesn’t work because people like to own stuff” ("Why Communism Doesn't Work").

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The Communist Manifesto

917 Words | 4 Pages

One of the major clauses geared toward fixing financial inequality that Marx proposed was an “Abolition of all right of inheritance” which would prevent bundles of wealth being passed down through generations without it being fairly earned (490). Filtering the money back into the state seems like a fair solution - no more generational wealth and the state gets additional funding - this poses potential issues and concerns. The abolition of all rights to any amount of inheritance just seems ludicrous. The removal of the right implies that any inheritance, from twenty dollars to multiple millions would be taken by the state. This indiscriminate form of collection is simply a waste of time for the bureaucratic collection agencies that would have to be in

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx

390 Words | 2 Pages

Marx and Engels then follow with a series of rhetorical questions: “Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as communistic by its opponents in power? Where is the opposition that has not been hurled back from the branding reproach of communism, against the more advanced opposition parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries (1)?” Combined with the notion that holding power leads to corruption and immorality, the questions asked presents the reader with the impression that the communist party is being purposefully targeted by influential authorities. Marx and Engels further appeal to the emotions of their readers by adding that “The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has… left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous “cash payment”(4).”

Read More

Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto

841 Words | 4 Pages

In Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, Marx made multiple bold predictions involving the future of Russia and other countries. Marx predicted that there were many 19th european countries that were on the verge of a bourgeois revolution. He insisted that these countries would be better off without capitalism and boldy supported a communist revolution. The reading stated that capitalist states could not support the same standard of living that communism provides. There came a point where it was beginning to look like Marx’s comments had some accuracy to them.

Read More

Similarities Between Fascism And Communism

1502 Words | 7 Pages

Meanwhile, the theory of Communism was theoretically developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, with the writing of “The Communist Manifesto” (Heywood, Politics 41). Communism is a system in which all economics and politics are synthesized into one classless state which is most commonly associated with common ownership and people 's leadership by a political party. Although both ideologies coincide in a few aspects when in practice, Communism and Fascism feature different approaches to property and society. Similarities between Fascism and Communism First, under both despotic systems, the state controls the production system, industry, and trade.

Read More

Comparing Marx And Engel's Manifesto Of The Communist Party

1006 Words | 5 Pages

The text is structured in a question and answer format, deconstructing the direct principles of Communism and the rationale behind them. It sets out by defining communism as; “The doctrine of the conditions of the liberation of the proletariat” (Engels, 1847). Before going on to define the proletariat as “that class in society which

Read More

Karl Marx: The Contributions Of Vladimir Lenin And Marxism

1543 Words | 7 Pages

Andre Abi Haidar PSPA 210 INTRODUCTION It is always difficult to write about and discuss Karl Marx, or more importantly the applications of Marx’s theories, due to the fact that he inspired and gave rise to many movements and revolutionaries, not all of which follow his theories to the point. Although Marx tends to be equated with Communism, it might not seem righteous to blame him for whatever shortcomings occurred when his theories were put to the test; Marx passed away well before the revolution in Russia, and he played no role in the emergence of the totalitarian regime at the time. When discussing Marx, however, Vladimir Lenin is one of the biggest highlights when it comes to studying the outcomes of Marx’s theories.

Read More

How Did Karl Marx Symbolize Capitalism

396 Words | 2 Pages

Karl Marx, who now symbolizes communism, called for the rejection of capitalism’s essence, private property, and the rise of the workers over the capitalists. Despite his criticism

Read More

Communist Manifesto And The Russian Revolution

582 Words | 3 Pages

The Communist Manifesto is a historical document hoarded in the wake of the Cold War and the collapse of the communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. From the publication of the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels highpoint the economic and socio-political conflicts between the forces of production and its system of ownership and control, which lead to Europe’s revolutionary change. The Manifesto mirrors an attempt to explain the objectives of communism, as well as the theory underlying this movement. The Manifesto begins by addressing the issue of class conflicts, then moves forward to highlight how the modern bourgeoisie system played an influential role giving birth to a number of revolutions.

Read More

Marx And Engels: The Three Main Ideas

759 Words | 4 Pages

He argues that with all the pressures of class conflict and the imbalance of capitalism there is no way that this pattern can continue without a major revolution. Marx compares capitalism to anarchy, in the sense that there is no organization within which only causes chaos. The common pattern of capitalism is a boom followed by a bust, and that bust leads to recession and social unrest. This sort of fickle economy, Marx believes, will furthermore contribute to the downfall of capitalism. This socialist revolution would, “abolish private ownership of key elements of economy and change nature of relationships from ones based on marriage and property.”

Read More

Karl Marx Compared To Capitalism

1844 Words | 8 Pages

When a individual invokes the word communism or Karl Marx in today’s time, many people have a strong aversion to it. This is substantiated throughout the history of American sociopolitical development, culminating with instances such as the Red Scare in the 1940s where policymakers like Senator Joseph McCarthy capitalized (no pun intended) on the fear of the everyday American. Implicitly, his goal was to use such rhetoric to cause Americans to reject ideologies and structural frameworks that could possibly benefit them had they been thoroughly analyzed. This immediate rejection of Karl Marx’s ideologies has led to an entrenched notion that capitalism, as a socio-economical system, is the best and only way to effectively govern our society and our social culture. Because of this, Americans tend not to critically analyze capitalism and simply accept its ideological tenants as mere truths.

Read More

Why Is Capitalism Better Than Socialism

740 Words | 3 Pages

Marx thought that “capitalism would ultimately destroy itself; working class would rise against the capitalist class; would do away with private ownership of the means of production; and run by and for the people (after a brief period of proletarian dictatorship)” . Marx’s opinion has received strong repercussions in some countries, the first Marxist revolution occurs in Russia. During this period, Lenin is a very important person. Lenin is the

Read More

Contribution Of Marxist Analysis

1792 Words | 8 Pages

The body of work produced by Karl Marx during his life in the eighteenth century is primarily an explication of the Capitalist mode of production. Through his development of a thorough analysis of the workings of the system, Marx delved into the structures of the economic system and found it to be inherently qualified by contradictions. It is the aim of this essay to present the structures, as extant in Marx’s analysis, and subsequently examine what these contradictions are and how they operate in the function and dysfunction of Capitalist society. The analysis will take the form of a detailed exploration of several interpretations of Marx himself, and Marxist thought as it has developed over the last two centuries. Finally, a connection will

Read More

Karl Marx Materialism

2234 Words | 9 Pages

INTRODUCTION Karl Marx (1818–1883) is well-known not as a philosopher but as a radical communist, whose works motivated the base of various communist regimes in the twentieth century. It is firm to think of many who have had as much power in the formation of the modern world. He was skilled as a philosopher, Marx turned away from philosophy in his mid-twenties, in the direction of economics and politics. on the other hand, his overtly thoughtful early work, afterwards his writings have many points of contact with the current philosophical debates, particularly in the philosophy of olden times and the communal sciences, and in ethical and political philosophy MARX’S LIFE AND WORK Karl Marx was born in Trier, in the German

Read More

Karl Marx And Class Conflict

1486 Words | 6 Pages

Karl Marx (1818-1883) considered himself not to be a sociologist but a political activist. However, many would disagree and in the view of Hughes (1986), he was ‘both – and a philosopher, historian, economist, and a political scientist as well.’ Much of the work of Marx was political and economic but his main focus was on class conflict and how this led to the rise of capitalism. While nowadays, when people hear the word “communism”, they think of the dictatorial rule of Stalin and the horrific stories of life in a communist state such as the Soviet Union, it is important not to accuse Marx of the deeds carried out in his name.

Read More

More about Marx's The Manifesto Of The Communist Party

Related Topics

Open Document