What is Communism:
o Society of plenty rather than scarcity because it would be based on the economic advances of industrial capitalism o However he did not write much about how a communist government would look like Marxist theory of stages
Materialist Conception of History
Dialectical Materialism
Plenary
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When and where was Karl Marx born?
1818, Rhineland, Germany
Using examples, explain what Georg Hegel’s (1770-1831) theory of history is
Georg Hegel’s theory of history was Hegel’s dialectic. Hegel’s dialectic argued that there was an interaction of ideas that led to change. An example of this is the conflict between the absolute freedom of post-revolutionary France and the absolute monarchy of Prussia had led to the synthesis that was the 19thcentury Prussian state.
What job did Marx take after University in 1841?
Journalism
How did that job change Marx’s belief in Hegelian idealism?
Led to Marx questioning the validity of Hegel’s stress on the importance of ideas (idealism).
When did Marx go to Paris and why?
1944, because it was the centre of Europe’s revolutionary tradition and allowed him to meet French Socialists.
How did Marx’s ideas change in Paris?
He finally rejected the idea of Idealism, he decided that states were not shaped by ideas but by the material interests of the dominant groups in society.
How did Marx and Engels meet?
They met in Paris, after Marx had read an article in the Deutsch- Franzosiche Jahrbucher by Engels in 1844.
What were the main points of the ‘Communist Manifesto?’
· That the existence of classes is only bound up with particular, historic phases in the development of production
· That the class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat
· That this dictatorship itself only constitutes the transition to the abolition of all classes and to classless society.
What is the opening statement of the Communist Manifesto?
The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle
What is meant by ‘class struggle’?
class struggle varies according to the nature of the principal form of production
According to Marx, how did the ‘bourgeoisie’ emerge?
Through the class struggle between the lord and the serf
Which ‘class’ did the bourgeois struggle with and why?
Further progress of the bourgeois was inhibited by the priorities of the feudal state
How did class conflict continue in bourgeoise society?
Bourgeois class conflict continued with the proletariat or working class
Who owned the ‘means of production’ in bourgeois society?
The means of production were owned by the bourgeois normally in the form of industrial factories
How did Capitalism change human relationships?
All relationships were reduced to a question of cash
How and why was bourgeois Capitalism unfair to the working class?
It was unfair because it lowered wages because the of the mechanization and simplification of labour processes.
According to Marx, what other problems did Capitalism suffer from?
The crisis of overproduction because more goods had been produced than could be used, but because there were not enough people to buy them at prices that would sustain profits
What is Marx’s view of history?
Marx’s view of history is a materialist version of the Hegelian dialectic (and hence is often called dialectical materialism), where the conflict is between social classes not ideas.
According to Marx, how would the ‘end of history’ be achieved and what would it be like?
The end of history will be initiated by the proletarian revolution that will overthrow the bourgeoisie. It will lead to national control of the industry. Once that had occurred the unequal distribution of goods that had characterized previous societies would also disappear. Material plenty, created by a modern industry controlled for the benefit of society as a whole, would also ensure the disappearance of class conflict, and without such conflict historical change, would, in his view, cease.
Why did the Communist Manifesto survive and thrive?
Because it made sense of the experiences of growing numbers of industrial workers in Europe and the United States. It explained why Capitalism emerged, it located industrial conflicts within the context of the class-struggle, and it claimed to demonstrate how that class struggle would result in the victory of the proletariat. This relevance to their experience also explains why the socialist parties of late 19th-century-Europe were overwhelmingly Marxist in character. The international appeal of the Manifesto was undoubtedly enhanced by its claim that the whole working class, world-wide, had a stake in overthrowing capitalism.
Why is the Communist Manifesto so historically significant?
The historical significance of the Communist Manifesto is that virtually all socialist parties, from the Communist Party of China to the tiniest Trotskyist sect, owe a lesser or greater debt to the ideas expressed in its pages.
1818, Rhineland, Germany
Using examples, explain what Georg Hegel’s (1770-1831) theory of history is
Georg Hegel’s theory of history was Hegel’s dialectic. Hegel’s dialectic argued that there was an interaction of ideas that led to change. An example of this is the conflict between the absolute freedom of post-revolutionary France and the absolute monarchy of Prussia had led to the synthesis that was the 19thcentury Prussian state.
What job did Marx take after University in 1841?
Journalism
How did that job change Marx’s belief in Hegelian idealism?
Led to Marx questioning the validity of Hegel’s stress on the importance of ideas (idealism).
When did Marx go to Paris and why?
1944, because it was the centre of Europe’s revolutionary tradition and allowed him to meet French Socialists.
How did Marx’s ideas change in Paris?
He finally rejected the idea of Idealism, he decided that states were not shaped by ideas but by the material interests of the dominant groups in society.
How did Marx and Engels meet?
They met in Paris, after Marx had read an article in the Deutsch- Franzosiche Jahrbucher by Engels in 1844.
What were the main points of the ‘Communist Manifesto?’
· That the existence of classes is only bound up with particular, historic phases in the development of production
· That the class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat
· That this dictatorship itself only constitutes the transition to the abolition of all classes and to classless society.
What is the opening statement of the Communist Manifesto?
The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle
What is meant by ‘class struggle’?
class struggle varies according to the nature of the principal form of production
According to Marx, how did the ‘bourgeoisie’ emerge?
Through the class struggle between the lord and the serf
Which ‘class’ did the bourgeois struggle with and why?
Further progress of the bourgeois was inhibited by the priorities of the feudal state
How did class conflict continue in bourgeoise society?
Bourgeois class conflict continued with the proletariat or working class
Who owned the ‘means of production’ in bourgeois society?
The means of production were owned by the bourgeois normally in the form of industrial factories
How did Capitalism change human relationships?
All relationships were reduced to a question of cash
How and why was bourgeois Capitalism unfair to the working class?
It was unfair because it lowered wages because the of the mechanization and simplification of labour processes.
According to Marx, what other problems did Capitalism suffer from?
The crisis of overproduction because more goods had been produced than could be used, but because there were not enough people to buy them at prices that would sustain profits
What is Marx’s view of history?
Marx’s view of history is a materialist version of the Hegelian dialectic (and hence is often called dialectical materialism), where the conflict is between social classes not ideas.
According to Marx, how would the ‘end of history’ be achieved and what would it be like?
The end of history will be initiated by the proletarian revolution that will overthrow the bourgeoisie. It will lead to national control of the industry. Once that had occurred the unequal distribution of goods that had characterized previous societies would also disappear. Material plenty, created by a modern industry controlled for the benefit of society as a whole, would also ensure the disappearance of class conflict, and without such conflict historical change, would, in his view, cease.
Why did the Communist Manifesto survive and thrive?
Because it made sense of the experiences of growing numbers of industrial workers in Europe and the United States. It explained why Capitalism emerged, it located industrial conflicts within the context of the class-struggle, and it claimed to demonstrate how that class struggle would result in the victory of the proletariat. This relevance to their experience also explains why the socialist parties of late 19th-century-Europe were overwhelmingly Marxist in character. The international appeal of the Manifesto was undoubtedly enhanced by its claim that the whole working class, world-wide, had a stake in overthrowing capitalism.
Why is the Communist Manifesto so historically significant?
The historical significance of the Communist Manifesto is that virtually all socialist parties, from the Communist Party of China to the tiniest Trotskyist sect, owe a lesser or greater debt to the ideas expressed in its pages.