Analysis Of Marx And Engels 'The Communist Manifesto'

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was one of the most influential thinkers and writers of modern times. Although it was only until after his death when his doctrine became world know and was titled Marxism. Marx is best known for his publication, The Communist Manifesto that he wrote with Engels; it became a very influential for future ideologies. A German political philosopher and revolutionary, Karl Marx was widely known for his radical concepts of society. This paper give an analysis of “The Manifesto” which is a series of writings to advocate Marx ‘s theory of struggles between classes. I will be writing on The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, which lays down his theories on socialism and Communism.

The Communist Manifesto, originally drafted as, “Manifesto of the Communist Party”, is a pamphlet written by Karl Marx, that in essence reflects an attempt to explain the goals and objectives of Communism, while also explaining the concrete theories about the nature of society in relation to the political ideology. The Communist Manifesto breaks down the relationship of socio-economic classes and specifically identifies the friction between those classes. Karl Marx essentially presents a well analyzed understanding of class struggles and the issues concerning capitalism, the means and modes of production and how those means affect the classes as a whole.

In this essay I will discuss three of the main ideas from Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto”. I have chosen to look at class struggles, the abolishment of private property and the idea that states look after the dominant classes in societies. I chose these as I found them to be the three main ideas that stood out to me most after reading the book. I have delved into each one and shown why I think they are the three main ideas. I found them to be very interesting ideas which Marx has communicated very well.

In The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels present the flaws of the modern capitalistic society by pointing out its unfair ruling class, the phenomenon of alienation, and excessive individuality in order to emphasize the aim of Communism of eliminating economic gaps between the social classes. According to On Liberty, Mill would respond to Marx by agreeing with Marx’s fundamental ideals and disagree with his socialist methods. Marx opposes a tyrannical government, objects alienation, and supports less individuality within the society; Mill resonances with Marx’s overall goal of achieving an ideal society that represents equality and classlessness, but his liberal ideology proves that he would disapprove of Marx’s proposed solutions to the issues of capitalism. Therefore, the similarities between Marx and Mill’s ideologies do not suggest that Marx and Mill have the same belief. It is the difference between their implementations to achieve the same end goal of social progress towards more freedom that marks the divergence between Communism and Liberalism.

The Communist Manifesto had little influence when it was first published, in 1848. Marx and Engels start out the document with the phrase, “[a] specter is haunting Europe – the specter of communism” (Marx and Engels, 14). Marx and Engels are referring to the fear of communism that was spreading in Europe. The fear towards communism, first surfaced by groups that were attempting to flaunt enormous power, saw the risk of their interests being affected; therefore, they promoted a generalized panic that had a critical social impact. The manifesto of the Communist Party simply explains that throughout history, humanity there has been a war between the dominant and oppressed classes. Marx and Engels called these groups the bourgeoisies and the proletariats.

“The selfish misconception that induces you to transform into eternal laws of nature and of reason, the social forms springing from your present mode of production and form of property- historical relations that rise and disappear in the progress of production- this misconception you share with every ruling class that has preceded you.” The Communist Manifesto was a way to characterize the growing social and economic troubles in Europe during the time. Marx attempts to introduce new ways of looking at these social and economic struggles through Communism. The main point made is that issues each class struggles with drives the economy.

     The Communist Manifesto was written by two world renowned philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. This book was produced in an era of great suffering and anguish of all workers in a socially distressed system. In a time when revolutions were spreading through Europe like wildfire, Marx organized his thoughts and views to produce the critical pamphlet “The Communist Manifesto”. Marx’s scrutiny illustrates his belief that unless change is to occur the constant outcome will repeatedly remain uniform. This is a novel that displays the differentiation between the Bourgeois and the Proletariat. Class relationships are defined by an era's means of production. Marx’s

The Communist Manifesto first came about as a result of the economic and political chaos. Within the document, it distinguishes the class stratification and the struggles within. Also within the Communist Manifesto, it was clear that the production of development involving the lower class (proletariat) and the middle class (bourgeoise) was its clear focus. The document then discusses the class struggles of both the proletariat and the bourgeoise, and soon shows how one class over powers the other. This would soon develop a new form of freedom for the rest of the society.

The next section, Proletarians and Communists, is used to argue against the criticism they have gotten from others about their views. The idea that the Communists have no interest other than to help the working class is constantly reinforced. Criticisms are brought up and time and time again the answers that Marx and Engels have for the people are that the bourgeoise have ruined certain aspects of government, work, and personal life for the proletariats. They have taken control of all property, have introduced wage-labor, have made culture to be seemingly a "mere training to act as a machine" (26), and have cut all ties that the working class with any sort of nationalist love for their country. In short the communists counteract all their criticisms of trying to take abolish things like property, countries, nationalities, culture, family, and education by saying that the proletariats

Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto in order to give a voice to the struggling classes in Europe. In the document he expressed the frustrations of the lower class. As Marx began his document with "the history of all hitherto societies has been the history of class struggles" he gave power to the lower classes and sparked a destruction of their opressors.1 He argued that during the nineteenth century Europe was divided into two main classes: the wealthy upper class, the bourgeoisie, and the lower working class, the proletariat. After years of suffering oppression the proletariats decided to use their autonomy and make a choice to gain power. During the

Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels explains the good parts of the communist system and how it should still apply to the future. They also predicted how the Communist Manifesto can stabilize the class structure without conflict. They talks about how especially through the increase in productivity, the power of the bourgeois class increases. They argues that the social class struggle is the reason for historical developments and if there are no more classes then there is no reason to worry about class antagonism. Karl Marx wrote this to warn about the dangers in capitalism. Through the idea of communism, Marx says that the society would not have to be divided into social classes. Marx is saying that society is split up

The specialised critique of capitalism found in the Communist Manifesto (written by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels), provides a basis for the analysis and critique of the capitalist system. Marx and Engels wrote about economical in relation to the means or mode of production, ideology, alienation and most fundamentally, class relations (particularly between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat). Collectively, these two men created the theory of Marxism. There are multiple critiques of Marxism that attack the fundamental tenants of their argument. Several historical events have fueled such criticisms, such as the fall of the Soviet Union, where Marxism was significantly invalidated and condemned. On the flip side, Marxism has been widely supported in times of capitalist hardships. What viewpoint a person will hold towards Marxism is largely dependable on the economical environment in which they live. Further, it is also important to remember that Marx and Engels lived in a very different era than today’s society, and the concept of capitalism may have arguably changed quite a lot over time. Therefore, the principles found in the Manifesto may often have to be refurnished and reapplied to fit different economic environments.

Karl Marx studied law and philosophy and he was heavily involved in political, economic, and social issues throughout his adult life. In 1843 he relocated to the radical city of Paris where he met his lifelong friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels. (BBC, 2014) In 1847, a group of prominent communists of various nationalities met in London and commissioned Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to devise “The Manifesto of the Communist Party.” In the introduction to the manifesto, Marx says the Spectre of Communism is haunting Europe. He writes, “It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Communism with a Manifesto

In the chapter, “Manifesto of the Communist Party” in The Marx-Engels Reader book, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels had broken up the topic of the Communist Party up to four parts: 1. “Bourgeois and Proletarians”, 2. “Proletarians and Communists”, 3. “Socialist and Communist Literature”, and 4. “Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties.” In this essay, I’ll be focusing on the first two parts of the “Manifesto” since there are so much information to cover within three to four pages. To begin I would like to summarize, “Bourgeois and Proletarians” was about the vicious cycle of the proletariats having to constantly fight the socioeconomic classes above them considering that they are always exploited, yet they have no norms (“appropriation”) of their own to secure or embrace. “Proletarians and Communists” was where Marx and Engels define what Communism is, how it relates to the Proletarians, and how Communism works (or would work). History can be trace back to the class/political struggles; the oppressed fighting against their oppressors; the “subordinate gradations”. Subordinate gradation was defined as a social rank, where the highest power is at the top and the weakest is at the bottom. However, when old subordinate gradation falls another one would rise, that was the cycle. Marx and Engels went on to make a statement that the current class antagonisms are between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The proletariat is defined as the

The definition of utopia is an ideally perfect place especially in its social, political, and moral aspects (dictionary.com). This paper will discuss the changes in capitalism since Marx’s critique in 1848. Marx’s fundamental critique remains correct today. Marx is still correct about his critique of capitalism because even though there have been changes made to capitalism to prevent some abuses, capitalism still produces inequality, reduces the family relationship, destroys small business, and enslaves.