In the 19th century a German Jew named Karl Marx outlined a new economic theory with political overtones. He put his ideas down in a book called “Das Kapital”. His ideas were revolutionary and at once raised the hackles of the capitalistic world. Fervor swept across the world and Europe in particular and this led to the famous October revolution of 1917, which brought the Bolsheviks to power in Russia.
Times have now changed and so called Soviet state collapsed. The 21st century is on us and there is very little talked about Karl Marx and his concept of Socialism now. However in the 19th century Karl Marx had strung a chord in the heart of the liberals and the revolutionaries. This was the period of what is known as the ‘Industrial revolution’ and Europe was the center of a great manufacturing upsurge. Factories were being established everywhere and the capitalists were having a field day. At that time Communism looked to be the future, but now it is nowhere a potent force. What went wrong?
The Industrial Revolution
…show more content…
There was a need of raw materials and workers. Raw material was available cheap from the colonies and the workers were from the lower strata in Europe and were much exploited. They worked for long hours with the owners having little concern for their welfare. For the workers this was a dark age. In such a scenario Karl Marx with his collaborator Engels propounded the revolutionary theory of ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’. Marx was of the view that religion was a creation of the Bourgeois and was a tool to suppress the workers who would rise and be the owners