Karl Marx Communist Manifesto

 

“Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workers of all countries unite!”

 

I chose this quote because despite it has been 172 years since Marx’s writing of The Communist Manifesto, it’s relevance today still holds strong.  We see the same struggles in the present that existed in the past. 

Marx argued that history was on the side of the workers to overthrow capitalism. He convinced workers in the Communist Manifesto to engage in a revolution against capitalism.  He asserted that the history of all societies of the world was the history of class struggle between the Proletariat and Bourgeoisie, that society had always been divided into classes, and each ruling class used its power to control and gain wealth.

The discovery of America established the world market and created new opportunities for the Bourgeoisie. In American society today, we still see differences in class struggles and conflicts between the working class and the capitalist.  We still see exploitation with migrant workers and the employers, and income inequality still exists between the rich and the poor.   

Marx along with other philosophers believed in a Laissez-faire economy, to encourage free trade so that the economy would prosper and grow.  He described communism as socialism where the means of production was controlled by the people and returns would be shared equally. The Proletariat was separated from the bourgeoisie because production became a social enterprise. The technology used in the factories alienated workers and they were no longer viewed as having a specialized skill. In today’s contemporary world, we are facing the same issues with artificial intelligence and many jobs being eliminated as a result of technology performing certain tasks faster and efficiently. 

In conclusion, according to Marx, the result of the struggle between the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat would be equal amounts of property for everyone. This legacy and struggle hold true today globally.