Understanding the Communist Manifesto and Its Implications in our Modern Day Society - Case Study Example

Understanding the Communist Manifesto and Its Implications in our Modern Day Society Many scholars argued that the communist manifesto is a relic of the past and that its ideas no longer have any bearing in our modern day society. Much we would like to believe that the old theories of communism expounded in the manifesto are no longer applicable in our modern times, there are a lot of reasons for us to take yet another look at the manifesto and rethink our position. The Manifesto may have been written more than 150 years ago but there are things that are mentioned in this document that still rings true even today. To help us understand the communist manifesto and it implications to our modern times, let us look into the theories of capitalism and communism that served as the foundations of the manifesto. Capitalism and Its Modern Day Implications on the Anti Capitalist and the labor sector Capitalism is one of the most widely discussed theories in the Communist manifesto. Here, Marx discussed at length the effects of capitalism in relation to labor. Marx considers capitalism as a specific mode of production whereby productivity is dictated by the people who controlled the mode of production (Burnham, Peter (2003). Marx sees the "bourgeois society" as advanced form of social organization whereby the people who controls the wealth also controls production (Marx and Engels, 1948). To distinguish the value of commodities, Marx presented the idea that value of use of commodities is different from their exchange value in the market. He believed that capital is created to when one purchases commodities to create another commodity that can command a higher value in the market. According to Marx, labor becomes like any other commodity under a capitalist society in the sense that labor earns less value for its service compared to the value that the capitalist derived from labor. A good example of this scenario is a person who offers his or her service to a big manufacturing company in exchange for minimum wage. Marx argued that the difference in the value of the service rendered by the employee and the value derived by the employee from the service rendered by the employee is surplus value which the capitalist earned on the expense of labor. (Marx, 1909). Under this principle, since labor has less influence and power over production, labor is continuously exploited. All throughout the discussions in the communist manifesto, Marx struggled to present how the labor sector is exploited by reason of its status in society which gives it less bargaining powers compared to the "bourgeois". For anti-capitalists, the Communist manifesto represents the history of the struggle of the proletariat and the path towards the transition from capitalism to socialism. They believe that the manifesto is a guide to a way of life. Until today, many anti-capitalists strongly believe in the message of the communist manifesto. For many anti-capitalists, the opening statement of the manifesto which states “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles" (Marx and Engels 1848) is a reminder that their struggle is but a continuation of what their forefathers have started. Even in our modern times where freedom and democracy is said to rule of the day, the idea of labor being exploited by the "bourgeois" still pervades. The scenario is prevalent both in highly developed and developing nations all over the world. The rich and poor are still on the opposing sides of society and exploitation of the weak and the helpless is still very much evident. In the words of Marx and Engels more than 150 years ago “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…(Marx and Engels 1848)” Although slavery has been outlawed and supposedly eradicated in our modern society, a gnawing gap still exists between those people who control resources and those who people who do not have access to these resources. If we take a closer look at things, the gap between those who have resources and those who dont have access to resources is more pronounced in depressed areas of the country and in developing countries all over the world (Marx and Engels 1848). The gap between those who control the resources and those who have limited or do not have access to resources widen as we enter into the era of globalization (Karat, Prakash (1998). Note that globalization is mostly market driven which means that the capitalists who have great influence in the economy can now dictate the flow of goods and services. As unfettered capitalism becomes dominant in the market, the proletariat or the labor sector stands to be more at a disadvantage (Karat, Prakash (1998). Anti-capitalists see the predictions of Marx and Engels coming to life. “The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the whole surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connections everywhere.(Marx and Engels 1848)” Perhaps the greatest contribution of globalization into the affairs of the economy is the increase the velocity of production and competition. Competition is actually a good thing because it forces the manufacturers to constantly seek for ways to improve their services to stay on top of the competition. For the consumers, competition is also a good thing because this would mean better services and better prices. Unfortunately, the effect of competition may not really be favorable to the working class. Note that as the capitalists seek to improve their production rate, they tend to favor machines over manual labor simply because machines require less maintenance and they machines do not really complained about unfair labor treatment, poor working conditions and the likes. Since capitalists tend to favor machines over manual labor, the labor sector stands to lose yet another battle to bring itself a few notches up on the economic ladder. For many anti-capitalists around the world, globalization as a huge threat that needs to be addressed squarely. The conflict of interest between labor and capital in the wake of globalization can have some tremendous effect on the working class. Marx and Engels may not really have globalization is mind when they wrote the communist manifesto more that 150 years ago but the ideas that they presented then are still applicable even today. When Marx and Engels wrote the manifesto, they have this idea that labor and capital should grow at a proportionate rate. However, as advancement in technologies set in and jobs become more and more mechanized, a disproportional growth between labor and capital occurs. “In proportion as the bourgeoisie, i.e. capital, is developed, in the same proportion is the proletariat, the modern working class, developed – a class of laborers, who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labor increases capital(Marx and Engels 1848).” As machines take over the work at factories, skilled and unskilled labor soon find itself in the unemployment line grappling with the reality that they have been replaced by more efficient machines1. As millions of unskilled labor joined the unemployed sector, the gap between the rich and the poor widens. Moreover, as the large volume of cross border capital flows around the globe, we experience the push factor whereby the capitalist nations who pour money into the ailing economies of developing countries spur the economy of the developing nations (Eswar S. Prasad et al(2003). This situation pushes developing countries to create more liberal policies to accommodate the new capital pouring into their territories (Eswar S. Prasad et al (2003). In most cases, the influx of transnational capital into developing nations spurs the privatization of more industries in these areas (Eswar S. Prasad et al (2003). This scenario can be quite dismal for people who believe in more equitable distribution of wealth. Yet, as Marx and Engels said, the struggle for self-preservation is an uphill battle and those who do not have the energy to persevere is more likely to perish in the struggle. “All old-established national industries have been destroyed or are being destroyed. They are dislodged by new industries, whose introduction becomes a life and death question for all civilized nations… (Marx and Engels 1848)” Another area where anti-capitalists see the manifesto as very much relevant in our present times is the “induction of women into the industrial work force (Marx and Engels 1848).” Although there is nothing wrong with the idea of women going into the labor force and building their own career, the fact that women are becoming cheap source of labor in many developing countries is something that we should not overlook. A study conducted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) showed that in last 10 years, women comprised about 40% of the entire workforce all over the globe (International Labor organization (March 2007). The same study shows that most of these women are employed as agricultural workers and are receiving deplorably low daily wages for their trouble. Women who are living in developing nations in the sub-Saharan Africa North Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and in some areas in the Middle East bear the brunt of unfair labor practices (International Labor organization (March 2007). Women are exploited for manual jobs and are paid less than they should be (Oostendorp, R.H, (2004). As more and more women render their services to the capitalist for a very cheap price, the capitalists stand to gain more profit from labor. No, the argument that earning a little money is better than not earning anything at all is never justifiable. If we are to create a more humane and equitable society, we need to level the playing field and give every man or woman what is due to him or to her. Socialism As A Prelude To Communism The very core of the communist manifesto is the creation of a perfect government whereby all people are treated as equal and everyone shall have access to resources. As a form of transition from the capitalist form of society, the communist manifesto highlighted the idea of socialism as a prelude to communism. According to Marx, socialism is the socio-economic system that is created as a result of the proletarian revolution. For Marx, socialism is but a part of societal transition from capitalism to communism. The socialist stage of development is characterized by pay distribution according to the amount of labor or service rendered by the person. The idea here is to equitably distribute wealth based on the efforts exerted by the person to acquire such wealth. However, socialism is not really the end that Marx and Engels would like to achieve when they wrote the communist manifesto. Although socialism affords all people in a given state proper access to the resources that they need to live comfortable, Marx Engels still prefer a higher form of community which is communism. Technically, communism is socio-economic structure that establishes and promotes what we call a classless and stateless society. For Marx and Engels, communism is the perfect society because it affords equality to everyone. In the communist manifesto, Marx and Engels proposed the abolition of the right to ownership of private properties, the confiscation of property rights, abolition of rights of inheritance, the institution of heavily progressive income taxes, the establishment of a central banking system and government ownership of vital industries such as transportation, communication, education and others. Furthermore, the communist manifesto proposed government control on labor. According to Marx and Engels, the only way to solve the problems created by capitalism is to replace the wealthy ruling class or the bourgeois and put in place a class less society. Unfortunately, the idea of a classless society is not really feasible especially in our modern era. This situation can be clearly seen in the way the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) collapsed in the 1990s (Grant, Ted 1997). The idea of an economy controlled by a central government has lost its appeal over the years (Ball T. and Richard Dagger (2006). Most countries who used to embrace the ideals of communism are rethinking their position and some of them are even beginning to open to their doors towards a more capitalist driven economy. Conclusion As times change, governments evolve and more often than not, the market forces become too strong for governments to control. We must understand that external forces such as globalization and advancement in technologies can influence the way the market behaves and no matter how countries would like to stay closed to outside interference to preserve their way of life, they cannot really close its doors forever to the outside world. The fact that the labor sector still struggles against the capitalists is certain. Even in our modern times when labor is supposedly more equipped to market itself at higher prices, most people are still unable to command a good price for their skills. However, this reality is something that all of us must face squarely without the need of a central government that controls the flow of goods and services. Although there are some advantages of having a government that protects its people and ensure that everyone gets their fair share, there are also a lot of disadvantages of having such government. Much as we would like to believe that capitalism is the culprit for most of the troubles suffered by the working class, we cannot just simply rule out the possibility that capitalism also offers a lot of opportunities for people especially in this global era (Ball T. and Richard Dagger (2006). The ideas an theories presented by Marx and Engels in the communist manifesto are to some extent plausible but we must understand that after more than 150 years, the theories and principles presented in the communist manifesto are to some extent obsolete. Bibliography 1. Ball T. and Richard Dagger (2006). "Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal." Pearson Education, Inc. 2. Burnham, Peter (2003). Capitalism: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Oxford University Press.  3. Eswar S. Prasad, Kenneth Rogoff, Shang-Jin Wei, and M. Ayan Kose (2003) Effects of Financial Globalization on Developing Countries. Some Empirical Evidence International Monetary Fund 4. Globalization and the World Market retrieved 28 April 2008 http://www.aucegypt.edu/src/globalization/labor_Market.htm 5. Grant, Ted (1997) Russia, from Revolution to Counter-Revolution, London, Well Red Publications 6. International Labor organization (March 2007) Global Employment Trends for Women retrieved 29 March 2007 http://public/english/employment/strat/download/getw07.pdf 7. Karat, Prakash (1998) The Communist Manifesto: Globalisation, The Nation-State and Class Struggle retrieved 28 April 2008 http://cpim.org/marxist/199804_marxist_cmanifesto_pk.htm 8. Marx and Engels (1848) Manifesto of the Communist party retrieved 28 March 2007 http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ 9. Marx K. 1909 The Capital 10. Oostendorp, R.H, (2004). “Globalization and the Gender Wage Gap”, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3256, Washington, D.C., 11. Percy, John. The relevance of the Communist Manifesto Today retrieved 28 April 2008 http://www.dsp.org.au/links/back/issue10/percy.pdf Read More