Marx and Nietzsche's Theories Essay

“You say individuality vanishes. You must therefore confess that by “individual” you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property” (The Communist Manifesto 16) The idea of communism is to encourage people to actually be individuals while being an active member of society.

Marx believed that societies were evolving in a certain direction, which was leading to communist societies (Habibis & Walter, 2009. p. 15). This would lead to the fulfilment of people’s potential as opposed to the distribution of wealth and power (p. 15). He also believed that all forms of inequality were created by capitalistic values where wealth provided further wealth (p. 5). Also that there was economical deterministic value of class (p. 5). The stratification of society into classes was in itself a social inequality system (p. 5).

Marx has the idea that human nature is based on communism. Through history we see the oppressors and the oppressed in some type of battle. There are examples in history such as, “Freeman and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman…” (Marx, 14) who Marx brings up. The usual way the conflict is resolved is by revolution or in the classes’ common ruin. Looking back at the examples that Marx has given, all of the conflicts were ended in revolution or in the classes’ common ruin. Marx’s believes that humans have the capability of making and shaping their nature. Marx sees human nature being more pushed towards social relations rather than as a species. Throughout history, society has been arranged into different class structures. In the Middle Ages, the classes were set up

The bourgeoisie society was unlike many in the past. They held onto this facade of capitalism, economic wealth and means of production. Individuality, family, and property were still prevalent among the proletariats, but were suppressed by the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie were considered the ruling class, and tore apart the family sentiment focusing on money, stripped the proletariats of their individuality, and owned all of the factories and industries. Although they prided themselves on being a wealthy social class, their means of production and wealth relied heavily on the labor of the proletariats. Marx criticized that the proletariats want to “fight against the bourgeoisie, to save from extinction their existence.” The proletariats came to realization that under the rule of the bourgeoisie they would only be viewed as a machine in means of production. If the bourgeoisie continued to obtain power and create more capital, there would always be class struggle and conflict, history all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” Marx pointed out that what the “bourgeoisie therefore

One of the greatest debates of all time has been regarding the issue of the freedom of mankind. The one determining factor, for Marx, it that freedom is linked with class conflict. As a historian, Karl Marx traced the history of mankind by the ways in which the economy operated and the role of classes within the economy. For Marx, the biggest question that needed to be answered was “Who owns freedom?” With this in mind, Marx gives us a solution to both the issues of freedom and class conflict in his critique of capitalism and theory of communism, which is the ideal society for Marx. His theory of communism is based on the “ultimate end of human history” because there will be freedom for all humankind.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels is a political manifesto in defense of, and advocation for, the ideals of communism. Chapter one begins stating that, “The history of all hitherto existing society, is the history of class struggles.” The chapter, titled “Bourgeois and Proletarians,” goes on to describe the modern bourgeois structure of society that has formed, and with it, new conditions of oppression for people who do not own any means of production. Throughout the chapter, Marx describes the development of the bourgeoisie throughout history and its power - how the bourgeoisie has revolutionized the current economic structure of society and exploited the proletariat (working class) for labor that they are forced to sell. The second chapter, titled “Proletarians and Communists,” proposes communism as a solution to class antagonisms and defends its ideals against criticism.

Marx describes the rise of the bourgeois by saying "the place of manufacture was taken by the giant, Modern Industry, the place of the industrial middle class, by the industrial millionaire, the

Opening his book with one short sentence he is able to set the historical context of his argument, frame the perspective from which he views society, and engage the reader in reflective thought that will set the tone for this compelling critique of society. “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” (9) Viewing society from the perspective of the classes - a class being a group of people who share a role within the economy - Marx argues that all of history can be boiled down into the classes struggle for power. This inherently antagonistic relationship is the basis from which Marx trains his analysis and commentary. “[In] our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie…society…is…splitting up into two hostile camps…bourgeoisie and proletariat” (9) A one sided relationship between the working class, or proletariat 's and the ruling class, the bourgeoisie. The loser of this relationship is the proletariat, “... A class of laborer, who live only so long as they find work, and who finds work so long as their labors increase capital.” (15) Marx claims the working class contends with ever increasing worsening conditions until an eventual and inevitable revolt against their masters, the bourgeoisie.

Marx starts his book off by outlining what is happening to society. He states that “society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two hostile camps, into two great classes facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.” Here, he is portraying that society has divided themselves and are on the verge of fighting, hence him saying “two hostile camps”. He is describing the fact that, according to him, money is driving us to fight. Bourgeoisie, by Marx’s definition, means “the capitalist class who owns most of society's wealth and means of production”. He posits that this class has title to all of the people below them because they own the means of production. These people under

The very definition of Karl Marx’s communism preaches for the abolition of government, opting for an autonomous, classless society. The truth is we have failed to construct a completely communist society. Many of Karl Marx’s ideas have re-emerged in recent years, albeit not under the name of communism. The common people, the poor and downtrodden masses are resurrecting Marx’s communism and revising the system to address the limitations and

The logic behind this goal is that for the working class to obtain private property they would have to work. To work and earn money/capital, they have to work for the Bourgeoisie. Therefore, the Bourgeoisie still control the property. By eliminating Bourgeoisie controlled property the laborer is working for themselves, not the Bourgeoisie. The second half of this section in the Manifesto addresses the issues to communism. Opponents say that if there is no private property then no one would work because they (the lazy) would gain just as much as the people who work. Karl Marx argues that the Bourgeoisie gain more than the people who work even though they don’t work. Therefore, the elimination of private property will be an improvement in society. The next argument Karl Marx tries to reason is the abolishment of the family. As prior said, the family values have changed to money relations. What Karl Marx means by this is in reference to child labor, thus freeing children as products of commerce.

Karl Marx thought along this line as well. In the opening chapter of the communist manifesto Marx says, “The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary re-constitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes”. Marx is talking about the struggle between what he calls the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. Marx argues that the bourgeoisie are the haves in the society, owning and controlling the means of production. The proletarians are the working class who represent the have-nots, “…who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labor increases capital”.(Marx Communist Manifesto)

The basic thought running through the manifesto is that all history has been a history of class struggles between the exploited and exploiting, between dominated and dominating classes at different stages of social evolution. (Slavery, Feudalism, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism). This struggle, however, is believed to have reached a stage where the exploited and oppressed class (the proletariat) can no longer liberate itself from the bourgeoisie. This thought belongs to Marx and Marx only as we've learned.

And, so, by an inevitable historical process, "the modern bourgeoisie is itself the product of a long course of development, of a series of revolutions in the modes of production and of exchange."(57) And each of these has been "accompanied by a corresponding

Without economic equality in the society, freedom and political equality could not be achieved. The manifesto was to advocate for the redistribution of resources as the most effective way of promoting democracy far beyond the earlier democracy which is practiced in a capitalist society. Through the establishment of communist society, resources and social amenities such as education, health and housing could be provided on an equal basis . During the period of industrial revolution disparity level and social life was becoming hard for the working class. Thus, communist was considered as the solution to the social conflict that was prevalent in the society and the antagonist resolution between men and nature, necessity and freedom. They were right to advocate for the communist society to promote the welfare of the working population in the society. It was the best remedy of preventing the exploitation of the working class and ensuring that democracy prevail for all people regardless of their position and status in the society.