...the idea of historical materialism, this is the theory that material and/or economic conditions are responsible for the structure of law, politics, culture and other aspects of life at that time. He also believed that the driving force of history was the process of the two forces of humanity, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, opposing each other and an eventual higher stage emerging (communism), this is called the “dialectic”. In short, Marx believed that the class struggle which has plagued the entirety of human history can only be brought to an end when comes a “higher stage”, a classless society. Marx also believed that capitalism contained within it the seeds of its own destruction. These “seeds” being the proletariat. This contradiction is routed in private property, something only held by a small minority of the population. Due to the constant drive for increased profit by the bourgeoisie, the labour and skills of the proletariat is reduced to being a mere commodity, like cogs in a machine, this is called “alienation”. The harsh material and economic conditions put upon the proletariat by the bourgeoisie, often harshening due to competition for profit among the bourgeoisie is due to the fact that capitalism’s quest for profit can only be satisfied through the extraction of surplus value from its workers, by paying them less than the value their labour...
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...classes of the time; the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. Within the Communist Manifesto, he claims that the history of most past civilizations as the history of ongoing conflicts between classes and uses examples and rhetorical techniques as a way to gather support for his statement. These techniques are the use of allusion, cause/effect, and his choice of words and manner of speaking. Marx uses allusion as a way to inform others of how class struggles and antagonisms has always been present throughout history. While the names of such societal classes have changed over time, they have effectively remained very similar, if not the same. Rome's social classes consisted in order of power as, "patricians, Knights, Plebeians, slaves", while later in the Middle Ages, these classes were replaced by, "feudal lords, vassals, guild-masters, journeymen, apprentices, serfs" (paragraph 2). These...
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...Writing Assignment #1 “Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinctive feature: It has simplified the class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other—bourgeoisie and proletariat.” (Marx 204) If there is a movie that represents exactly what Karl Marx said about society being split into two very drastic classes, it is The Hunger Games. Besides being one of the most popular trilogies of our time right now, The Hunger Games, represents a strict division of social classes and how after years of repression, the working class finally decides to come together and unite against the owners of the means of production. Karl Marx explains the clear difference between the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. The bourgeoisie are the ones who own the means of production and the proletariats are the ones who worked and did all the manual labor and whose hard work would only end up benefitting the bourgeoisie. In The Hunger Games, we see Marx’s representation of the bourgeoisie being the rulers of the two social classes, just like the people of the Capitol were, and the people in the districts were the proletariats. In The Hunger Games, the concept of family and unity is present to us because we see it through Katniss, Primrose, and her mother and as well as other families in the districts. There seems to be, however, no unity between all the districts...
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...his good friend Friedrich Engels to write what has become a classic example of political philosophy. In their book, the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels describe the proletariat as the revolutionary class because they believed that the proletariat’s terrible conditions would inspire them to revolt, rather than beat them down into submission; Marx was misguided in this philosophy because proletariat revolutions never accomplish true, lasting change, instead it is when the bourgeoisie revolts that revolutions have positive and lasting results....
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...workplace occurs daily. Exploitation can be defined as the utilization of another person for selfish purposes (William Morris, 2000). Since the rise of the social structure Capitalism, there has been a distinctive split between two classes of people – the bourgeoisie and proletarian (Karl Marx, 1848). To some, capitalism is the ‘end-all be-all ‘ social system, but these people are more than likely one of the fortunate few who have benefitted from it. By the fortunate few I mean the bourgeoisie class - the owners of the means of production. They own the capital and the resources (factories, farms, stores) to grow their wealth further, but they need labor to do so. Then there is the proletariat class - the labor. I reference them as the labor because in order to feed their families, they need money, and they have no means to make money other then to sell their labor. It is between these two classes that exploitation occurs. The bourgeoisies offer the lowest wages that the proletariats are willing accept, that way the bourgeoisie consume all the available profit for themselves. This exploitation is prevalent in the Canadian workplace. In this essay, I will investigate how the Canadian capitalistic structure exploits its workers today. The reality of this structure capitalism is there will always be this exploitation from the ruling class (the bourgeoisie), but this will change as the process of proletarianization (more and more member of society become...
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...“Strategy was more important than ideology in Mao’s rise to power after 1927.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? I agree with this statement to a small extent as to me strategy was as equally as important as ideology was. An ideology is a set of conscious and unconscious ideas that constitute one's goals, expectations, and actions. Strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. From 1927 to 1937 the first civil war began when the kmt, victorious over the warlords, turn against the ccp. From 1937 to 1946 second united front unite against the Japanese. Unlike the earlier forms of Marxism-Leninism in which the urban proletariat was seen as the main source of revolution, and the countryside was largely ignored, Mao focused on the peasantry as a revolutionary force which, he said, could be mobilized by a Communist Party with their knowledge and leadership. The model for this was of course the Chinese Communist rural insurgency of the 1920s and 1930s, which eventually brought the Communist Party of China to power. Furthermore, unlike other forms of Marxism-Leninism in which large-scale industrial development was seen as a positive force, Maoism made all-round rural development the priority. Mao felt that this strategy made sense during the early stages of socialism in a country in which most of the people were peasants. Unlike most other political ideologies, including other socialist and Marxist ones, Maoism contains an integral...
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...Marx and Engels had a straightforward view on social structure. Especially so when looking at capitalist societies. They proclaim that a society consists of two major groups. The Bourgeoisie and the Proletariats. The Bourgeoisie were the economically superior in comparison to the Proletariat and maintained the entirety of a society’s power. The Proletariat were the working poor who had to bend a knee to the Bourgeoisie in order to try and reap the benefits of their labors. What I mean by that can be explained better in Karl Marx’s work, Alienated Labor, where he describes quite well on pages 5-6 that a worker has no true connection to anything that he does within the capitalist environment. Though the worker produces the commodities that help...
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...their resources efficiently, nations use different types of economic systems that will meet the needs of their country. Adam Smith’s economic theory of capitalism stressed the importance of free market and the “invisible hand”. He felt that in order for a nation to prosper there must be no government involvement in the market, because it would basically run itself. On the other hand, Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto focuses on the struggle of the class system. He believed that the proletariat, or the poor people, must rise up and take from the bourgeoisie, or the rich upper class. He also believed in a government that is run by the workers and for the workers. Communism and capitalism are two entirely diverse government systems in which nations employ in order to have a strong and stable economy. The basic ideology of communism is the dialectic, or force of change, in the class systems. Marx believed that the Proletariats must come together and overthrow the bourgeoisie. Therefore gaining political power and eliminating the class struggle. For example, we can see the conflict between feudal lords, vassals, guildmasters, journeymen, apprentices, and surfs in the Middle Ages, in which almost all of these classes had subordinate gradations, which represent this class struggle that Marx is describing. In addition, during the French revolution the lower class, or Third Estate, took a stand against the higher classes in order to have a better life. We can also see this historical struggle...
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...revolution? According to Merriam-Webster (2014), revolution is a fundamental change in political organization; especially: the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed. Various social, political, and economic conditions led to the revolution. These conditions included dissatisfaction among the lower and middle classes, interest in new ideas about government, and financial problems caused by the costs of wars. Due to fiscal irresponsibility and the hubris attitude of King Louis XVI and other rulers after him, the French were put in crucial circumstances. These circumstances led to what is known as the French Revolution. The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in 1799 with the rise of Napoleon di Bonaparte. During this given time period, French residents wrecked and rearranged their country’s political scenery, relocating centuries-old régimes such as total monarchy and the medieval system. Similar to the American Revolution before it, the French Revolution was influenced by ideals, mostly the concepts of popular control and undeniable rights. Though it failed to complete all of its goals and at times relapsed into a messy bloodbath, the effort played an uncertain role in influencing recent populations, by showing the world the will-power of the people. Many ideals and ideas influenced events and motivated members during the French Revolution. Goals such as liberty, equality, and brotherhood stood of great importance...
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...the most reward within a society. Durkheim also saw stratification as a benefit to society because it sets a limit to people’s aspirations and therefore people do not become overly ambitious and therefore disappointed when they are unable to reach specific goals. Instead, as the stratification system is regarded as equal and fair, people are contented with their position is society. However, Durkheim noted that there were some flaws within his argument as he saw that if people are unable to compete for jobs or specific roles within a job then moral consensus and solidarity could potentially break down. Also, he saw that moral order could be disturbed by shifts in a society. For example, economic recession could lead to a rapid and sudden rise in unemployment and deflation in wages or a dictatorship could lead to...
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...Capital Gains A majority of people in America can hardly imagine an existence without capitalism; individuals consume without a thought when we buy the latest cell phone or a new pair of hundred dollar designer jeans. It is clear that most of the world supports some form of capitalism and therefore, at least for now, capitalism has won the struggle between economic systems. Capitalism began in 1200 CE with rug merchants. Just like many traders, today, the rug merchants had to borrow money to buy their wares in order to then resell them for profit, but they had to pay back the money borrowed—usually with interest. This was called mercantile capitalism and it was a global phenomenon, from the Indian and Chinese Ocean trade to Muslim merchants who funded trade caravanserai across the Sahara. Later, merchants in Britain had expanded capitalism by developing stock companies which financed even bigger trade missions. Increased wealth of course resulted by the increased investment, but it only affected as small percentage of the population and did not create cultural influence from capitalism. Mercantile capitalism only affected a small percentage of the population, whereas industrial capitalism impacted majority of the population. Industrial capitalism was something altogether different, both in practice and scale. According to Joyce Appleby’s definition of industrial capitalism: “An economic system that relies on investment of capital in machines and technology that are used...
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...ESSAY – ‘What is the Marxist theory of the state and how might it be criticised?’ Introduction Marxism first arose in 1987 when Marx and Engels were commissioned to write the manifesto for the political party of radical workers, The Communist League; this political party was formed in order to create a unity of the ‘working men’, in favour of the creation of a classless society. The purpose of The Communist Manifesto, and much of Marx’s early writings on the state, was to promote social change, in refutation to Hegel’s theory of the dialetic. This is achieved through the construction of a materialist interpretation of the state as ‘the active, conscious and official expression (of) the present structure of society' (Collected Works, 3, p. 199). Marx’s ultimate aim was to “lay bare the economic law of motion of modern society.” (Marx, Capital [1867] 1965, p10), which is to… This essay will explain and analyse Marx’s theory of state, a nd assess the legitimacy of the theory through criticisms. Marx’s theory of history/state: History is a study of past events in human affairs; Marx believes that historical events are driven forward by changing economic factors within the ‘base’ of society. According to Marx, human society is made up of two measures: a base and a superstructure. The superstructure is the set of 'non-economic institutions whose character is explained by the nature of the economic structure (the base).' (G. A. Cohen Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence pp 216...
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...they consistent? More specifically, do the circumstances that exist under capitalism, as described in his critique, put the world in a realistic position to undergo his desired revolution? Taking his opinions of the world under capitalism as fact, the answer is yes: the desperation of alienation will drive the growing majority of men to unite and revolt. That said, a thorough examination of both his critique of capitalism and his planned communist revolution are necessary. Marx begins his discussion of life under capitalism by defining the term “estranged labor.” In essence, estranged labor is a separation between a worker and his product. This can come as a result of a division of labor, the institution of machines in factories, or the rise in importance of money,...
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...society. They also believe that society is more important than the individual and that social institutions exist in order to keep the social order. For example the education system socialises us into the culture of society and this provides us with our values which support the society. A Marxist would disagree with this view, they see social institutions being used by the ruling class to control the working class and that education give people their values which support the bourgeoisie exploitation. For example in a child’s learning life they are taught to strictly obey rules which follows them into working life. Functionalists also believe in meritocracy which is if you work harder, you get further. For example someone born into a poverty stricken household can grow up to become a billionaire if they work hard enough and have the talent to succeed. A Marxist strongly disagrees with this view and sees society as having only two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marxism states that the bourgeoisie control the jobs and in this society someone who has talent to be successful could end up a failure...
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...Beginning with the separation of the Estates General, the French Revolution was a huge political, social, and economic upset that occurred in three parts: the First Revolution, the Second Revolution, and the Thermidorian Reaction with Napoleon’s era. Each section benefitted a different part of France’s vast class system and was detrimental to others. While the First Revolution was most beneficial for the bourgeoisie, the Second Revolution helped the sans culottes, and the Thermidorian Reaction and Napoleon helped the wealthy classes again. The First Revolution of the French Revolution was based around the Enlightenment thinker Locke’s ideas. He believed that there should be consent of the governed and that all citizens have the rights...
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