Seminar Paper: Karl Marx and The Communist Manifesto
In 1848 “A spectre was haunting European, the spectre of Communism.” These are the words of Karl Marx who with the help of Fredrick Engels published The Communist Manifesto.
Karl Marx met Engels in Paris in 1843 with both of them known for their writings about communism. However, it was not until 1847 when Frederick Engels was inducted into the Communist League when he was asked to write a doctrine that would become the Communist Manifesto. Even though both Marx and Engels contributed their ideas to the manifesto, it is seen exclusively as the work of Marx.
The prologue to the Manifesto is where Marx admits that within Europe mass groups are trying to submerge communism into the ground before it can take effect on society. However, Marx suggests that two things have come from this struggle:
1. Communism is already acknowledged by all European powers to be itself a power.
2. It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, should publish, there views, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the spectre of Communism with a manifesto of the party itself.
Chapter 1: Bourgeois and Proletarians
Marx begins the manifesto by explaining that throughout history there has been oppression and struggles between the social classes. Throughout history one class has dominated the other and this constant struggle has always end in one of two ways according to Marx, either by revolution of the oppressed class or the ruin of the commanding dominant aristocracy.
If you were alive in The 19th Century, western society was rife in the rule of Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution where if you lived within the working class you were bound to struggle to live and support your family. These were the workers who would be paid a small amount to help flourish the economic venture of their rich powerful bosses.
Marx established this and expressed the differences between The Bourgeois (The boss) and The Proletarians (The labourer).
The failure of feudal system of industry is described by Marx as ‘in which industrial production was monopolised by closed guilds, now no longer suffices for the growing wants of the new market: This brought upon the change in a series of revolutions in the modes of productions and exchange in the form of ‘Modern Industry.’
This was where “the place of the industrial middle-class” was taken “by industrial millionaires”, who were described by Marx as “The Modern Bourgeois.’”
What intrigued me about Marx’s explanation of “The Modern Bourgeois” is it has always been influential within revolution throughout history. It has always been linked with a change in politics within the social classes. It has “put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations” and has sacrificed all forms of pleasure of “personal worth” to be replaced by the means of making money in the form of free trade. This reminded me of the film wall street and that possibly Gordon Gecko could be seen as the modern day Bourgeois who lives off his motto’” Greed is good.”
The bourgeois has “torn away from the family, its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation into a mere money relation.’ It has taken every man from all walks of society and stripped them of their job, their identity and replaced them as his wage labourers.
The bourgeois is explained further as being one of the key factors in determining the development in productions by means of helping society progress and with the help of free trade between nations. Towns and cities have grown and prospered in these conditions and ultimately the country in turn becomes more dependant on them to produce the goods and services needed.
However, at the same time the bourgeoisie has caused these changes to enable the time to country to be dependant to “the rules of the towns” and as Marx explains, “over the course of one hundred years, has created more massive and more colossal production forces than have all preceding generations together.”
At the same time there is a separate movement, which is trying to bring the movement of the bourgeois from within. The bourgeois has become too powerful and has started to lose control over society and has without knowing started to over-produce and trade beyond its means. This has resulted a revolt of the modern productive forces that are no longer working for the needs of the “modern bourgeois” and have decided that conquest is needed to benefit their own needs.
“The weapon the bourgeois forged the weapons that bring death to itself: it has also called into existence the men who will wield those weapons – the modern working class man- the proletariats.”
In contrast to the bourgeois who strive to make production advances in order to improve trade, the proletariat according to Marx are labourers “who live only as long as they find work only so long as their labour increases capitals.’ Marx goes on further to show how the proletariats have become second in the line of production to the machines that produce the products .He again explains how the Industrial Revolution has left “masses of labourers, crowded into a factory, are organised as soldiers.” They are treated as slaves by not only the ruling bourgeois state, but also the machines they operate.
Marx continues to explain how the proletariat goes through stages from where they are at war with the machines they are using to the point where they are destroyed by the labourers who are seeking reform back to the days of the Middle Ages. However, they eventually realises that as production grows and the quality of product improves, so will the machinery, as well as the wages of the labourers. Therefore, they should use the machinery to their advantage, because once they have become accustom to this way of living they revolt and riot until the bourgeois meets their demands.
This also formed the earliest examples of trade unions (known as combinations by Marx), which consisted of vast number of labourers fighting for their human rights against the bourgeois. These constant powers struggles, but the difference between the two groups are “the proletariat is without property” and therefore has nothing to lose in comparison to the vast empire built up by the bourgeoisie.
Civil war will usually erupt and if the proletariats are to win they must strip the bourgeoisie of all property, in order to abolish oppression between the classes. Marx concludes by stating, “What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are it’s own grave-diggers.” This means that ultimately the product that the bourgeoisie produces turns into it’s own judge, jury and executioner.
Chapter 2: Proletarians and Communists
Marx then starts to explain how the aim of the Communist Movement and how they are out to look out for the “common interests of the entire proletariat as a group, not as individuals in order to overthrown the supremacy of the bourgeoisie.”
The French Revolution, according to Marx was abolishing feudal property in favour of Bourgeois property. The aim of Communism is the “Abolition of private property.” However, the difference between the private property held by the bourgeois and the proletariats is the reiteration of the fact that the proletariat does not have property, only “wage labour.”
The “wage labour” then creates “capital”, which according to Marx not only create personal power, but also social power. This moves into the basis where Marx expresses the difference between bourgeoisie society and communist society. Whilst in bourgeoisie society the labourer wage is there to ensure that they survive, but within communist society the wage is there to enrich and improve the labourer prospects within society.
However at a sacrifice to ensure this, Marx is suggesting that private property must also be taken away. This may seem controversial, but before the ruling bourgeois society had control of the property and this was made possible by the work of the labourers, therefore communism is only taking away something that the labourers did not earn for themselves.
Marx goes on further to explain the communist plans to abolish the bourgeois family, but in one of the earliest example of human right answers the question; “ Do you charge with us wanting to stop the exploitation of children by their parents? To this crime we plead guilty.” Even though Mark is openly criticising his own doctrine, it is stating that for change to succeed, sacrifices need to be made in order to achieve this.
Marx goes on further to suggest that the proletariats have been brainwashed and been taken in by the “bourgeois claptrap” and that all families have become only a minor statistic in the line of production to progress and fulfil the needs of the bourgeois.
This all concludes in the ten points that Marx believes will help the proletariats escape from Bourgeois rule and staples out the ten commandments of the Communist Manifesto:
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.
One point I found extremely controversial and cannot agree with is Marx opinion on political power, which he believes “is merely the organized power of one class to oppressing another.” I cannot agree with this view because without any form of democracy then society would be drawn into mass chaos and without laws then no one can be kept under control and then there is no justice system to keep the positive progression of society.
Chapter 3: Socialist and Communist literature
In this part it is clear to see that Marx is showing how the bourgeois is being conquered from every different social and political group. These groups expressed different types of Socialist and Communist literature and these groups included three main groups. The first, Reactionary Socialism included Feudal Socialists, Petty-Bourgeois Socialists, and True/German Socialists. Each of these groups had the same goal to destroy the bourgeois and to be rid of modern industry.
However the key difference with type of Socialists is that the first two sub-groupings had a part to play in forming or trying to become part of the bourgeois society, however because of the demands of the market they have not had the chance and have been left in a “vegetated” state. This left them with no alternative, but to accept and fight with the proletariats. Even though they are trying to be part of the solution, initially they were part of the problem and have now been affected by this.
Marx explains with the third type of reactionary socialists- true/German Socialists that they will fight against the rise of the bourgeois, but they will do it through philosophy and established the “true” socialists regime, which will strive to hold the traditions of German society, but to get rid of the liberalism and bourgeois culture which has threatened the “true” state, but at the same time they wish to stop Germany being taken over by the “revolutionary proletariat” and keep the “model nation” at peace.
The second type is the Conservative or Bourgeois Socialist. Marx explains how this group is made of economists and improvers of the condition of the working class, who aim is to establish “modern social condition without the struggles and dangers necessarily resulting therefore.”
This form of socialism sees the bourgeois maintaining their power without the struggle and the revolt of the proletariats. However, the main difference is that every aspect of the bourgeois from free trade, protective duties, and prison reform will be done “for the working class.”
Marx sums up this form of socialism in one phrase:
“The bourgeois is a bourgeois- for the benefit of the working class.”
This brings me onto the third type of socialism: The Critical- Utopian Socialism and Communism. This group is looking at different way to protect the proletariat, but without any form of political or revolutionary action. However to do this they want to abolish everything that is sentimental and has value, in order to create their “utopian society” they want everyone to live in a gospel state, where every is treated equally and acts the same. This is very similar to Sir Thomas Mores Utopia, however this vision has no logic to it, therefore it will fail, and there are no laws for practical reason. This vision can be seemed more as a visionary dream, than a reality.
Chapter 4: Position of the Communist in relation to the various existing opposition parties
In the final part of the Communist Manifesto Karl Marx concludes on how the Communist party will fight and sets out their aims. He states “the Communists fight for the attainment of the immediate aims, for the enforcement of the momentary interests of the working class.” But also he wants to not only look at the present, but also to the future to establish the stability of western society in the communist vision.
Marx explains how the Communist movement will support every radical group in Europe in their fight against the bourgeois or any group that is inflicting pain and struggle against the working class. Marx then turns his attention to focusing the communists plan to Germany as he preludes that “the county is on the eve of a bourgeois revolution” and compares it the revolution of English in the 17th and France in the 18th century.
Marx declares the communists intention to support every revolutionary moments against the abolition of “the existing social and political order” and the removal of all forms of private property.
The last paragraph sums up the Communist Manifesto in a nutshell. They aim to overthrown all political and social condition of the ruling classes with help of the communist revolution. The final line refers to Rousseau and his General Will with Marx saying, “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.” This is similar to Rousseau famous phrase “Man is boring free and everywhere he is in chains.”
