The World and Ideas of Karl Marx

The latter part of the nineteenth century was teeming with

evolved social and economical ideas. These views of the social
structure of urban society came about through the development
of ideals taken from past revolutions and the present clash of
individuals and organized assemblies. As the Industrial
Revolution steamed ahead paving the way for growing
commerce, so did the widening gap between the class structure
which so predominantly grasped the populace and their rights
within the community. The development of a capitalist society
was a very favorable goal in the eyes of the bourgeoisie. Using
advancing methods of production within a system of free trade,
the ruling middle class were strategically able to earn a
substantial surplus of funds and maintain their present class of
life. Thus, with the advancement of industry and the
bourgeoisie's gain of wealth, a counter-action was undoubtably
taking place. The resultant was the degradation of the working-
class, of the proletarians whom provided labour to a middle-
class only to be exploited in doing so. Exploitation is a quarrel
between social groups that has been around since the dawn of
mankind itself. The persecution of one class by another has
historically allowed the advancement of mankind to continue.
These clashes, whether ending with positive or negative results,
allow Man to evolve as a species, defining Himself within the
social structure of nature. Man's rivalry amongst one another
allows for this evolution! through the production of something
which is different, not necessarily productive, but differing from
the present norm and untried through previous epochs.

At this time in history, mankind was moving forward very

rapidly, but at the price of the working-class. Wages were given
sparsely, and when capital gain improved, the money payed for
labour did not reflect this prosperity. This, therefore,
accelerated the downfall of the proletarians and progressed
towards a justifiable revolt against the oppressive middle class.
The conclusion of this revolt was envisioned to be a classless
society, one in which its people benefit from and that benefits
from its people. The overthrow of capitalism would create a
socialist society eventually flourishing into communism. Karl
Heinrich Marx (1818 - 1883) was the philosophical analysis who
created communism and saw it as an achievable goal. Marx
denounced religion and created what were thought to be radical
ideas, which resulted in the banishment from his native land of
Germany and then France, eventually ending up in England.
(Compton's Encyclopedia, 121) Through dialectical processing
Marx was able to synthesize a theory of a classless society. This
society would be achievable through the joint union of the
proletarians and overthrow of the governing bourgeois. For the
working-class man does not benefit from the labour which he
provides. His labour is external to himself and is not actually
belonging to his essential being. Therefore in work, the
proletarian denies himself and does not validate his worthiness
as an individual.(Marx from Haberman, 183) The worker has no
existence except to work, which furthers the employer, but
degrades the labourer and eventually results in a grasping
individual.

Marx realized that with the unification of the working-class,

they would be able to better themselves and their lives, and in
doing so, better society on the whole. The aspiration to achieve
this was purely theoretical and though Marx felt attainable, it
was undoubtedly flawed. The communist ideals are purely a
utopian dream which cannot be reached because of humans
inescapable desire to satisfy their own egos. A proletarian
society would not remain harmonious without individuals
seeking personal satisfaction, and without a governing body
chaos would result, paving a road which would lead to
totalitarianism. Marx's views were of the proletarian class rising
to crush the bourgeois ideals which governed their lives. This
would result in a proletarian dictatorship, through which ends
would have to be met in order to rid the community of the
existing means of production and prosperity. The abolition of
private property would be achieved by ridding the bourgeoisie's
ownership of lands, and allowing them to be publicized. This
would enable the removal of selfish individualism which splits
society into segregated portions, and allow the rich and poor to
become more economically equal in status. This however is
only partially attainable, for one cannot undo what has already
taken place. Marx states that the faster industry progresses,
the weaker the proletarian becomes. Eventually storming the
top of the social pyramid in order to reconstruct and overthrow
the bourgeois assembly. This revolt would take place as a result
of the demands of the labourers not being met, and wages not
increasing with the increase of profit. The proletarian would feel
worthless, and with nothing to lose, revolt against their
employers. The vision of a capitalist state neglecting its workers
and allowing them to use their mass of people to simply
reverse the ways of society is ridiculous. In a capitalist state,
the class which finds itself in the position of dividing up labour
to produce a marketable product is the one which benefits the
most. The bourgeois in this case would be in this class, and in
ruling, would not allow the organized overthrow of their
established system. In order to increase net profit, the
employer must exploit the labour provided by his workers to
ensure the increase in overall revenue. In a capitalist society,
the expansion of markets and growth of production allows for
the unfortunate increase between classes and their economical
value. Having acquired business sense which has allowed them
to maintain their more than satisfactory lifestyle, the bourgeois
would have unquestionably not have exploited the work of
proletarians to the extreme. Not increasing wages and allowing
the workers to become restless would have been a grave
mistake on the part of the employers. A solution in preventing
an outcry at a revolutionary level would be to i! ncrease wages
sufficiently in providing maximum surplus capital, but at the
same time creating a payroll which would satisfy the workers.
While raising the level of pay would create wage wars amongst
different proletarian groups, it would stabilize the lifestyle
which the bourgeois were living. If wages did not increase at
least a minute amount, then the middle-class lifestyles would
become threatened, eventually resulting in personal instability
which would not be worth the money saved in keeping payrolls
at such a low level.

If the working class did decide to proceed to overthrow the

bourgeois, then yet another problem would arise. This problem
would be in the control of the revolting populace. The
communist goal is to achieve a classless society with the
eventual abolition of the state itself, in order to unite all
working-class men. This would be very difficult without the
organization of a governing assembly which would then defeat
the revolutions own purpose. In order to achieve an ultimate
goal, there must be some type of plan implemented in order to
successfully do this. A spontaneous clash with an opposing
minority would just reveal to that class what it is that they have
done wrong, and allow them to correct their errors in order to
restore the profitable production which they have to this point
maintained. To properly overthrow the ruling class, an
appointed assembly, within the revolting assembly, would need
to direct and acquire the ideas and interests of all its followers.
This would create the establishment of the proletarians own
class society within their own people, therefore going against
everything in which the revolution was trying to accomplish.

This organization of the proletarians could enable them to

attain the goals which they set out to grasp. Upon reaching
these goals it would be reasonable to question whether the
classes now set up within would actually disintegrate and allow
for equality amongst all men. This would mean that the
governing proletarian assembly would deteriorate and become
one of the same. Also, the defeated bourgeois who were hated
and envied, could not themselves be oppressed by the
proletarians. In order to meet the goals of the revolution, they
would have to become equals and allowed to take from society
as all else do. This would leave the door open to a counter
revolution in order to restore society to the previous means of
operation. As well, through human nature man cannot simply
defeat its enemy and then expect to live along side of it. To
defeat your enemy is to become your enemy, and in this case
that would result in an oppressor and an oppressed, oppositely
situated when looking at i! t from a class structure.

The idea of creating an equal society is a provocative promise

in order to rally people together and create a common goal, but
keeping this goal is very unrealistic. Now the ruling assembly
within the working-class has gained power, and like the
bourgeois, they can see that this power is easily harnessed. By
altering the goals of the revolution in a way that still brings
about change from the past ways of society, allows the ruling
class to bring prosperity to their own lives. Falling under the
same "spell" as the bourgeois did themselves, the new rulers
can fulfill their own egos while governing a body of people who
are much more tolerable. Their tolerance comes from the
feeling of victory which really just creates a much more efficient
work force. Because of their own blindness, they cannot see
that in the light of change, in fact, nothing really has.

The Communist Manifesto ends proclaiming: "Workingmen of

all countries, unite!" This is to further emphasize Marx's belief
that the proletarians have only each other and do not belong to
a country or state. What exists as a state is only known and
developed within a capitalist society by the bourgeois. The state
is created in order to identify with trade and production
techniques, and helps in creating various bounded markets.

The technique which the proletarian class would use to

overthrow the bourgeois would be to join all workers in a
mutual interest of intent. In doing so, Marx believes the state
or nation will collapse, allowing the unification of all labourers,
regardless of heritage and state of origin. Therefore clashes
between nations would cease, and only one world of united
people who want to live and work equally would exist. Another
imperfection in Marx's theories is revealed. If socialism,
communism being the ultimate goal, was to flourish, it would
not be ubiquitous. Hence, some states would progress faster
than others, while some would not be interested in a socialist
society at all. In theory, this develops a unified nation which
through joint interest becomes stronger as it strives toward its
target. Through the collaboration of many, a devotion develops
in the form of nationalistic views. This nationalism which
strengthens the undertaking, will directly and indirectly
threaten other nations or states which have not progressed at
the same pace. This will obviously create tension between
nations, especially those geographically bordering each other,
and could lead to conflict or persecution of one state by
another. This would then take the capitalist theory of the
oppressed and the oppressor to a different level, again steering
away from the communist goals which were to be
accomplished. An example of communism's flaws can be seen
in the revolution led by V.I. Lenin in Russia. Using politically left
winged tactics, he sought to achieve communism through the
heading of the Bolsheviks. Following his death, Stalin saw the
opportunity to create an industrial state which could grow to
engulf the larger capitalist states around. Stalin's form of
governing resulted in the political system known as
totalitarianism, which created an ultimate power. This
corrupted the utopian dream of communism and again resulted
with a specific figure and class living off the wealth produced by
the rest of the state. Throughout history man has evolved,
becoming a more and more complex thinker. This process of
evolution is in order to further himself and socially adapt to the
changing times in which he lives. Evolution is inevitable and will
never cease, therefore man will continue learning, trying to
gain more knowledge and accomplish what hasn't been done.

Communism does not allow for man's own gratification, that is

why it is an impractical way of thought. To strive towards a
society which everyone is equally represented does seem
pleasant, but it becomes an inaccurate way of reasoning. For
once the ideal communist society is reached, what would be the
point of working? Labour and work are to advance society as a
whole, though not all at the same rate, varying on the type of
work and strength at which one strives. Therefore once
communism has been reached, essentially the evolution of man
ceases. This would be an impossibility. Since man is born into
an imperfect world, he too is imperfect, changing to meet his
own needs within the needs of the environment in which he
lives. Since the only consistentcy in the universe is change,
then man cannot expect to become the controlling factor of
change and govern its principles. In living in a communist
society, man believes that all are equal, contributing to the
advancement of the ra! ce as a whole. But the error here is that
not all believe that all are equal. Many feel that their own
personal goals are correct, and they set out to reach them.
Consequently, a society of classess begins to develop, where
one voice gains followers while another speaking out against
the first creates his own aswell. What then results from these
cries is a clash between various groups, leading to the
establishment of a class system. Communism is an idealists
utopian dream. It is only achievable through the unification and
agreement of all who populate a state. Only when an entire
populace lose their own individuality will a communist society
then take form. Man continuously strives to prove his own self
worth, to himself and not humanity. Humanity on a whole will
continue to progress regardless of personal achievements great
men rise while others fall. It is therefore seen that a communist
society due to the facts regarding social evolution, cannot exist.
For a communist society moves ahead together, yet remains
idle when looking at an individual. This is illogical, for we are
just that, individuals. We as humans are imperfect individuals,
and selfishly stride towards justifying our personal goals,
collaborating with others only when knowing it will strengthen
our own grip.

Works Cited

 "Communism". Academic American Encyclopedia. 1989.

 "Marx, Karl". Compton's Encyclopedia. 1986.
 "Socialism". Academic American Encyclopedia. 1989.
 Ebenstein, William. Today's isms. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall
Incorporated, 1970.
 Haberman, Arthur. The Modern Age: Ideas in Western
Civilization. Toronto: Gage Educational Publishing Company,
1987.
 Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto.
Illinois: AHM Publishing Corporation, 1955.
 McKay, John P. and others. A History of Western Society.
Volume II, 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987.