under the influence of the bourgeois, and actually

Communist Manifesto served to further the objectives of the bourgeoisie.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
_____________________________________ Bullet 1: The Communists' theory simply describes
a historical movement underway at this very
Bullet 1: This society has class antagonisms as moment. This includes the abolition of private
well, but it is also unique: class antagonisms have property.
become simplified, as society increasingly splits
into two rival camps--Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. Bullet 2: Rather, the "property" or capital they
produce serves to exploit them. This property,
Bullet 2: The development of the bourgeoisie began controlled by the bourgeoisie, represents a social--
in the earliest towns, and gained momentum with not a personal--power. Changing it into common
the Age of Exploration. Feudal guilds couldn't property does not abolish property as a right, but
provide for increasing markets, and the merely changes its social character, by eliminating
manufacturing middle class took its place. its class character.
However, markets kept growing and demand kept
increasing, and manufacture couldn't keep up. This Bullet 3:
led to the Industrial Revolution. Manufacture was
replaced by "Modern Industry," and the industrial Many dissenters maintain that no one will work if
middle class was replaced by "industrial private property is abolished. However, by this
millionaires," the modern bourgeois. logic, bourgeois society should have been
overcome with laziness long ago. In reality, it is
Bullet 3:  Religious fervor, chivalry and presently the case that those who work don't
sentimentalism have all been sacrificed. Personal acquire anything, and those who acquire things
worth is now measured by exchange value, and the don't work. Other opponents hold that Communism
only freedom is that of Free Trade. Thus, will destroy all intellectual products. However, this
exploitation that used to be veiled by religious and reflects a bourgeois misunderstanding. The
political "illusions" is now direct, brutal and blatant. disappearance of "class culture" is not the same
The bourgeoisie has changed all occupations into thing as the disappearance of all culture.
wage-laboring professions, even those that were
previously honored, such as that of the doctor. Marx moves to the arguments against the
Similarly, family relations have lost their veil of "infamous" Communist proposal of abolishing the
sentimentality and have been reduced to pure family. He says the modern family is based on
money relations. capital and private gain. Thus he writes, the
Communists "plead guilty" to wanting to do away
with present familial relations, in that they want to
Bullet 1: They are a commodity, and are vulnerable
stop the exploitation of children by their parents.
to all the fluctuations of the market. Due to the
Similarly, they do not want to altogether abolish the
development of machines and the division of labor,
education of children, but simply to free it from the
the proletarian's work has lost all "charm;" the
control of the ruling class.
proletarian is simply an appendage of a machine.
Furthermore, as his work becomes more repulsive,
Communists are also criticized for their desire to
his wage only decreases. Marx describes the
abolish country and nationality. Marx replies that
worker as a soldier, and as a slave. Distinctions of
workingmen have no country; and we can't take
age and sex are becoming less important as all
from them what they don't have. National
people are simply instruments of labor.
differences and antagonisms lose significance as
industrialization increasingly standardizes life
Bullet 2: This is due to the fact that they lack
sufficient capital, and the fact that technology has Conclusion:
rendered their specialized skills no longer useful. -The Communist Manifesto reflects an attempt to
explain the goals of Communism, as well as the
Bullet 3: This struggle originally involved the theory underlying this movement. It argues that
individual laborer, and later groups of workers, class struggles, or the exploitation of one class by
rebelling against the bourgeois that directly another, are the motivating force behind all
exploited them. These workers hoped to revive the historical developments. Class relationships are
medieval status of the worker. At this point, the defined by an era's means of production.
workers were still disorganized, divided by
geography and by competition with one another. --However, eventually these relationships cease to
Furthermore, when they did form unions, they were be compatible with the developing forces of
production. At this point, a revolution occurs and a
new class emerges as the ruling one. This process property and by the organization of labor for the
represents the "march of history" as driven by common advantage of all members.
larger economic forces.
 Dialectical Materialism: The Marxian
-Modern Industrial society in specific is interpretation of reality that views matter as the sole
characterized by class conflict between the subject of change and all change as the product of
bourgeoisie and proletariat. However, the a constant conflict between opposites arising from
productive forces of capitalism are quickly ceasing the internal contradictions inherent in all events,
to be compatible with this exploitative relationship. ideas, and movements.
Thus, the proletariat will lead a revolution.
However, this revolution will be of a different PROBLEMS OF CAPITALISM:
character than all previous ones: previous 1. Alienation - as far as Karl Marx is concerned,
revolutions simply reallocated property in favor of being a worker in the capitalist system will
the new ruling class. However, by the nature of definitely lead to alienation of labour because
their class, the members of the proletariat have no workers will not have chance to possess
way of appropriating property. materials, products that they produced with their
own hands. Their meanings of life become the
-Therefore, when they obtain control they will have profit of their bosses, the increase of company’s
share. In a sense they will lose their identity as
to destroy all ownership of private property, and
human beings. They have to work all day and to
classes themselves will disappear.
rest at home in order to wake up the next day’s
morning. They do not have any chance to
-The Manifesto argues that this development is develop their mental or physical skills and for
inevitable, and that capitalism is inherently surviving they should continue to live this life of
unstable. The Communists intend to promote this vicious circle. A worker also destroys his body
revolution, and will promote the parties and and wastes his mind in this kind of a system.
associations that are moving history towards its Marx asserts that this is nothing but coerced or
natural conclusion. They argue that the elimination forced labour. “The worker, therefore, feels
of social classes cannot come about through himself only outside his work, and feels beside
himself in his work. He is at home when he is
reforms or changes in government. Rather, a
not working, and when he is working he is not at
revolution will be required.
home. His work therefore is not voluntary, but
coerced; it is forced labour” (Marx, p. 136). 
Bourgeoisie  - Composing the class of modern 2. Marx also does not trust in market forces. He
Capitalists, the bourgeoisie are the employers of thinks that capitalism will face with problems like
wage laborers, and the owners of the means of overproduction (surplus), shortage and rejects
production. theories like invisible hand of Adam Smith. This
Means of production  -  The means of production will be caused because of the lack of planning in
include not only the physical instruments of economy. That is why. All socialist countries that
were established on the basis of Marxism,
production (tools, machines, etc.), but also the
introduced command economies and made 5
methods of working (skills, forms of cooperation,
years plans called gosplans. In addition to these
division of labor, etc.), and knowledge that can be
market problems, Marx argues that capitalists
applied to production (science, etc.). will try to transform people into consumers for
Mode of production  -  The economic structure of increasing their profit. It is not very surprising
society that defines people's mode of living. It that we live in a world dominated by firms,
consists of the means of production as well as the brands, advertisements and commodity
relations of production. fetishism. Moreover, injustices will increase with
Proletariat  -  The class of modern wage-laborers. the maturing of capitalism because some firms
They do not have their own means of production, will become monopolies. What makes alienation
and therefore they must sell their own labor in order of labour so inevitable for Marx can be easily
demonstrated by this conflict. The profit of
to survive.
capitalists is based on the non-profit of workers.
Relations of production  -  The necessary
If a patron gives more salaries to workers, his
relations between people as required for a certain profit will fall.
form of material production. The relations of
COMMUNISM
production refer to the distribution of the means of
-The Communist revolution is the most radical rupture
production, the forms of possession (collective and
with traditional property relations; no wonder that its
individual private property), and the distribution of
the produc development involved the most radical rupture with
traditional ideas. But let us have done with the
 Communism: A theoretical economic system bourgeois objections to Communism.
characterized by the collective ownership of
-We have seen above, that the first step in the whole nation, the public power will lose its political
revolution by the working class is to raise the proletariat character. Political power, properly so called, is merely
to the position of ruling class to win the battle of the organised power of one class for oppressing
democracy. The proletariat will use its political another. If the proletariat during its contest with the
supremacy to wrest, by degree, all capital from the bourgeoisie is compelled, by the force of circumstances,
bourgeoisie, to centralise all instruments of production to organise itself as a class, if, by means of a revolution,
in the hands of the State, i.e., of the proletariat it makes itself the ruling class, and, as such, sweeps
organised as the ruling class; and to increase the total away by force the old conditions of production, then it
productive forces as rapidly as possible. will, along with these conditions, have swept away the
conditions for the existence of class antagonisms and of
-Of course, in the beginning, this cannot be effected classes generally, and will thereby have abolished its
except by means of despotic inroads on the rights of own supremacy as a class.
property, and on the conditions of bourgeois
production; by means of measures, therefore, which 0In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes
appear economically insufficient and untenable, but and class antagonisms, we shall have an association, in
which, in the course of the movement, outstrip which the free development of each is the condition for
themselves, necessitate further inroads upon the old the free development of all.
social order, and are unavoidable as a means of entirely
revolutionising the mode of production. These
measures will, of course, be different in different
countries. Nevertheless, in most advanced countries,
the following will be pretty generally applicable.

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. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the state,
by means of a national bank with State capital and
an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralisation 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 liability 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 labour in its present
form. Combination of education with industrial
production, &c, &c.

-When, in the course of development, class distinctions

have disappeared, and all production has been
concentrated in the hands of a vast association of the