The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto’s History

The Communist Manifesto’s history reflects the modern working-class movement. The idea is the most prevalent in modern culture and the source of socialist literature.

The Impact of the Communist Manifesto

Indeed, the communist manifesto has had a significant global impact. The Communist Manifesto article is possibly the only piece of writing by Marx and Engels that piques the curiosity of most workers. As one reads the article, one may come across several sentences that summarize certain crucial conceptions of Marxist theory. For instance, “the capitalists make their own gravediggers,” “the working men have no country,” among others. The Marxist theory and the Manifesto have a similar starting point in history. The two ideas talk about the struggles between classes which finally proved to be decisive and which either led to a new way of organizing work and leaving a revolutionary change in the society, or the general destruction of the competing classes. The whole community is pushed back if the outcome of the struggle is not decisive. Therefore, Manifesto analyzes the society by focusing on the progress of capitalism and its revolutionary nature.

The Striking Image of Capitalism in the Communist Manifesto

Communist Manifesto creates a striking and robust image of capitalism as continually changing and a dynamic system. Besides, it also conveys Marx and Engel’s achievements of the capitalist development. It is, however, hard to imagine that 150 years later, the society has experienced two world wars, the Holocaust, famine and acute poverty which have become facts of the modern capitalist life. Capitalism had taken a path of destroying the old feudal order and establishing its own rule. According to Marx and Engels, the establishments would lead to the creation of the pre-conditions for the struggle for socialism and the industrial production of a revolutionary working class.

Marx in the 21st Century

Nobody ever imagined the technical failure of communism when the Soviet society fell in the 20th Century. The collapse was comprehensive both regarding moral, material, and intellectual aspects. According to the communist doctrines, equality, freedom, real justice, and exploitation could only provoke a bitter laughter. When things fell apart, communism gained a general reputation with the champions and the intellectual founders being cast aside. People living in the west had a contrary view. According to the Westerns, there was a significant misunderstanding of Marx’s philosophy. Indeed, the communism in the Soviet Union and the Eastern parts of Europe was a perversion of what Marx had in mind. What has been considered to be a failure of Marxism could have appalled Karl just the same way it shocks most people who live in the contemporary society. Marx was right concerning the negatives of capitalism. For example, ideas about globalization, international markets, the business cycles, and the manner in which economics shape ideas.

Lenin and the Need for Revolutionary Movements

In one of the most famous articles titled “What is to be done?” Lenin talks about the spontaneous development of the masses that expresses through the politics of the trade unions. The struggle for socialism should be both political and economical because if that is not the case, then the political ideas which are alien to the working class are likely to set into the movement. Even though the fight for the reforms that benefit the working class is a must, it does not end the struggle according to Lenin. The sentiments of Lenin are entirely true to the ideals of the contemporary society. In fact, the current trade union leadership are adopting the bourgeois ideas of reformism and a responsible capitalism. In most places across the globe, a capitalist crisis is crushing the workers; thus the reformism without reforms leads to further misery for the working class. Lenin once said that there could be no revolutionary movement without a revolutionary theory behind it. From this perspective, the leadership of the Union movement has continued to exist without a revolutionary Marxist thought; hence such changes need protection against austerity through the revolutionary movements. The need explains why the advocates of Marxism form marches, demonstrations, and rallies trying to send messages regarding the revolutionary socialism.

Marxism and Trade Union Movements

Marxists, therefore, have the obligation to argue for socialist direction for the mass trade union movements. The demonstrations, rallies, and trade unions can be used as platforms for speaking out and convincing people about the need for a socialist transformation of society to that which can help its residents achieve a better living standard and protection for their rights. Regarding the trade unionism, Marxism is relevant in the sense that it acts as a force for the socialist ideas amongst the mass of people to offer them a direction towards a new internationalist proletarian cause leading to a breakage of the link between the bourgeois politics and economism. As far as the economic struggle is concerned, it is imperative that the society does not create a split. In the wage-labor and capital Marx concludes by stating that capital does not live upon labor. Marx refers to the non-ending anarchy and cyclical crises of production under the hospices of capitalism, and the disasters that occur in the international markets, claiming victims every time through poverty, famine, desperation, slavery, and death in the downtrodden countries.

Marxism and the Human Capitalism under Modern Capitalism

Capitalism is an ideology that promises people a happy and self-fulfilling lifestyle. The vision is commonly referred to as the American dream in the US. However, the reality that the environment provides falls far short of this. The social issues like divorce rates, child abuse, family violence, stress among others are an indication of the reality of people’s experience. Many philosophers including Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus believed that alienation is part and parcel of humanity. According to Marxism, separation is the consequence of societal class in general and capitalism in particular. The implication of Marxist’s view is that it is possible to have a society with a pervasive alienation through a reorganization of the economic systems. In reality, work is intrinsically unpleasant but it cannot be avoided. Marx held a contrary opinion though; according to him a meaningful, creative and self-expressive work can be fulfilling and satisfying. Alienation is likely to arise in a capitalist society because it accentuates the division of labor, thus breaking production into more specialized tasks with the sole objective of improving profitability. Besides, capitalism generates alienation because it allows a small minority to control the means of production, hence people can sell their labor power. Therefore, work has no or very little intrinsic worth for the worker.

Conclusion

Marxism does not only exist in the modern society, but also continues to have economic relevance. The existence is in terms of explanation of the nature of capital and the alternatives that it offers. Economic and political struggles still need Marxism since the two concepts need each other. The continued existence of Marxism in the society is facilitated by the fact that things have not actually changed, and the proletariat still remains to be a subordinate of capital. Consequentially people grow up knowing that greed is good, and that selfishness is a “human nature.” According to Karl Marx, alienation is not only a feature of capitalism, but all the different kinds of society.

Work Cited

Marx, Karl and D. Rowbotham. “Alienated labor.” Marx, Karl. Organisation and Identities: Text and Readings in Organisational Behaviour. 1994. 766-773.