Capitalism and the Revolution Required to Overcome It - Essay Example

number Capitalism and the Revolution required to overcome it The concept of capitalism became prominent when the feudal economies came to an end. Today, it capitalism has emerged as one of the major economic systems that drives the most advanced nations. The specific doctrines of capitalism comprise of wage labor and property rights, and they are also regarded as the foundations of representative governments. Capitalism is highly associated with the growth of an economy, since the price and production processes are influenced by the market other than the government. Rights to private property give individuals independence to produce services and goods, which they can sell when they take them to the market (Capitalism magazine). However, capitalism has often been criticized for the emphasis that it lays on profit generation, and the manner is contributes to both economic and social inequality. In addition, it is subjected to criticisms given the emphasis that it awards to consumption. It is because of this that various theorists and analysts aim to counter capitalism and impose socialism so as to foster equality in a society. However, it is still the most dominant force in developed economies today (Capitalism magazine). This paper will explain ways in which Marx and Engels, Luxemburg and Lenin view capitalism and the appropriate revolution that is needed to overcome its effects, and this issue is evident in Warren Beatty’s film, Reds. Discussion Marx and Engels’ view on Capitalism Friedrich Engels and Karl Mark stipulate that it is possible to do away with capitalism by eliminating private property appropriation entirely. They developed this idea because the production level in capitalist nations was high while compared to other countries from across the globe. Therefore, overthrowing capitalism would improve the lives of masses. Engel and Marx reveal that you cannot undertake a revolution for one day, and then witness a socialist society the following day. This is because even after starting a revolution, there would remain some leftovers of a capitalist society. In a document that Marx published in 1891, The Critique if the Gotha Program”, he refrained with the proposals of the German Social Democratic Party, and he explained that people are supposed to be compensated on an equal basis based on their labor (Dowell). Though this sounds like a great idea while compared to what we witness in the modern society where people are paid on arbitrary basis, capitalists to get away with the mode of payment that they adopt while paying others. Bosses believe that low pay is better as opposed to the effort and actual time that laborers portray. Engels and Marx also proposed the elimination of subjective disparity between mental and physical labor. For instance a sanitation worker is devalued in a society that adopts capitalism while compared to a ‘professional’ employee. It is because of this that Marx and Engel decided to set a stage for a socialist society, each based on their work and ability (Dowell). The “equal rights” idea is not treated as the highest level of realizing achievements. This is because a capitalist society is broad with respect to the advances that it has made against racism, bigotry, sexism among others. Though people are noted to be fighting for equal rights most of the time, both Engels and Marx projected more. For instance, not each person has the potential to work in the same spirit like others do. Additionally, people have different needs like in the case where one works to raise his family while the other works to support himself. When these people are allocated the same salary, this does not indicate equality though they undertake similar tasks (Worldsocialism). Marx stipulated that a communist society is the one that should be given more emphasis since it results from a capitalism society, and it entails the traits of the old society. Despite this, Marx adds that despite the equal rights that people advocate for, he recognizes unequal individual talent as a productive capacity and a form of natural freedom. This is therefore a right that guarantees inequality that avoids defects. Therefore, instead of being equal, rights are supposed to be unequal. Since there lacks sufficient abundance, the initial stage of socialism should progress along the proposed lines. However, as a society realizes full abundance, Engels and Marx stipulate that it would not be essential to measure people by comparing them with amount of work that they can handle (Worldsocialism). Also, Marx stipulates that in the event of a dominant communist society, after people have been enslaved and subordinated to division of labor, and when antithesis between physical and mental labor vanishes, labor becomes the prime want of life after the forces of production increase and an individual develops. In this case the issue of cooperative wealth tends to flow in an abundant manner, and hence make it possible to narrow the gap that is affiliated with a bourgeois society (Worldsocialism). The other issue that Marx and Engels propose in the initial stage that is affiliated with socialism is that capitalism’s dictatorship deserves to be replaced by the authoritarianism of the oppressed and workers. Therefore, with regard to the equal pay mentality, this move would serve as an advance whereby people develop similar interests in their minds as opposed to profits. However, like Engels and Marx observed the idea of equal pay through socialism as temporary, they also saw dictatorship pertaining to the proletariat as being transitory (Worldsocialism). Proletariat’s dictatorship is vital in terms helping to transform a society. This is essential because it helps to organize a society in such a way that allows it to utilize the productive forces and meet the needs of the people in an effective manner. Moreover, it helps to combat the middleclass culture that deserves to be challenged whenever a revolution is witnessed. It would also be essential in terms of addressing the issues that result from counterrevolution since no one would think that capitalists can walk away once socialists take their property (Dowell). After productive forces have been set up in a way that ensures that every person is provided for based on their needs, the state would be treated as nonessential and would eventually become obsolete and disappear. This would result to the highest communism stage. Engels stipulates that though the capitalist production mode completely transforms most of the population into proletarians, it generates power, which facilitates in the accomplishment of the revolution. The proletariat attains political power, which allows him to transform the production means to property that is owned by the state (Dowell). However, by engaging in such an initiative, this eliminates itself as being a proletariat, removes all distinctions and antagonisms that prevail in class, and also terminates the state. This means that society, which is based on antagonisms needs the state. In case an organization is affiliated with a certain class, especially the class that is popular for exploiting, then it is supposed to prevent any form of interference without emphasizing on the prevailing production conditions (Dowell). In case an oppressing class emerges as the sole representative of an entire society, it renders itself nonessential. For instance, in case no other social class is present to be subjected to oppression, especially when class rule as well as individuals struggle to exist, nothing more can be treated as being repressed when production anarchies are removed. In this case the state is no longer treated as being essential. The interference of the state in social activities becomes superfluous and then dies out. The administration of things replaces the government of persons through the conduct of production processes (Worldsocialism). The things that Engels and Marx did not anticipate is the way in which socialist revolutions have been going down until the present day. They tended to believe that socialists’ revolutions would take place in the most advanced capitalist nations, with respect to production capacity and productive forces. However, most socialist revolutions have taken place in the less advanced nations (Worldsocialism). Luxemburg and Lenin view on Capitalism Vladimir Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg advanced from a social democracy where they played crucial roles. Their work had a significant influence in the Polish, German and Russian labor movements, and also emerged as highly significant across the globe. They supported a movement that opposed the reformism and revisionism regarding the Second International. Their names are linked with the reorganization of the labor movement when the World War was going on, and when it came to an end. They were regarded as Marxists since they broadly supported his theory (DAmato). Though Lenin and Luxemburg targeted the same task that aimed at reviving the labor movement that had sunk in the waves of reformism, as well as in overthrowing the capitalist society on a global scale, their ways diverged in their struggle to realize this goal. However, though they portrayed respect for the initiatives of each party, they at times remained at odds with respect to making decisions regarding the appropriate revolutionary tactics to apply, and with respect to questions that were tied to the revolutionary principle. Most of the points that Luxemburg stipulated differed from those of Lenin, just like in the case of the problems of proletarian and bourgeois revolution. Any attempts that have been made to reconcile Luxemburg with Lenin have failed significantly, especially in the case of those who try to erase the opposition that prevails among them, and then use them to their advantage. This is a mere falsification that is attributed to history and it serves no one but them in a temporary manner (DAmato). The major issue that united both Lenis and Luxemburg is common struggle that they portrayed regarding the pre-war reformists as well as the chauvinism that was directed to social democracy when the war was going on. However, this struggle was also followed by the dispute that prevailed among them, especially with respect to which strategy would result to a revolution. Since tactic cannot be separated from principle, a dispute prevailed regarding the form and content that would be attributed to the resultant labor movement (DAmato). It is true that both Lenin and Luxemburg were real enemies to the revisionism concept, and it is because of this reason that their names are mentioned simultaneously. Conversely, today, it is difficult to identify the differences that prevailed among them. The Third International over the past decade in line with the political crises inside it have used as well as abused Rosa Luxemburg’s work, especially while campaigning against the concept that it refers to as “counter-revolutionary Luxemburgism.” However, the works of Luxemburg had not been particularly well identified. Moreover, the differences that she portrayed with Lenin have not yet been clarified. As a result, it is appropriate to let the past to remain buried (Blunden). However, in the case where competition comes forth regarding the Third International, Luxemburg rises to favor. Even with the experience that people have had with the two Internationals, they tend to portray concern with the establishment of a revolutionary movement, and also want to generate profits from past lessons. The concern with regard to Lenin and Luxemburg does not go further other than reducing their oppositions on the dispute pertaining to the national question. In this case, the opposition is mild one, though Lenin is treated as having emerged victorious from the conflict (Blunden). Of the attacks that Luxemburg directed towards revisionism, she stipulated that it is not possible to eliminate the exploitation of the working class since the economic process is not possible to soften or abolish through a legislation framework in a bourgeois society. She insisted that social reform does not entail invading a capitalist society, but imposing a regulation that can order this form of exploitation to serve the interests of the capitalist society. It is not possible to direct capital towards socialism, but a collapse only. This form of collapse is the one that laborers should be adjusted to, and not to reform so as to allow them to embark on revolution. This means that the present questions pertaining to rejection of Marxism should be renounced, and fight to improve the situation of employees in a capitalist society (DAmato). Contrary to revisionism, this move becomes appealing in the case where the fight is carried out as opposed to the immediate objectives. According to Marxism, moments in political struggle and trade-union reflect the development of the subjective factors pertaining to the revolution of the working class and the promotion of consciousness to the revolutionary class. In the case of reform and revolution, the prevailing oppositions should be offered their appropriate place in the entire social process. However, a society should not lose sight of the end goal of the proletarian revolution with regard to every day struggle demands (DAmato). Lenin also attacked revisionism whereby she stipulated that reforms were a reflection of the by-product that is associated with the struggle for political power. Both Lenin and Luxemburg were struggling against the elimination of Marxist movement. As a result, they gave their stand on a revolutionary power struggle. Both Lenin and Luxemburg opposed each other during the 1905 revolution when power struggle was a vital issue that had to be addressed in a concrete manner. In this case, the conflict that prevailed among them first turned to tactical problems before landing to organizational and national questions (Blunden). Warren Beatty’s Film Reds Analysis In the film, Reds by Warren Beatty, the actor Reed is taken to Russia and then returned to Portland. There are other missions that Reed takes to Moscow as well as a variety of heated political discussions in the basements of New York. Reed is noted to be running behind the cart of a horse while in the middle of a forgotten battle that takes place in the Russian empire. The motivation for Reed in this case is not to point to the picture, but to illustrate that there is a motivation that is taking place, and that human societies are being set aside to pave way for a new class that is in control. In this case, it is true that the new class that is in control is the capitalist society, and that humans have embarked on a revolution to eliminate it, but to no avail based on the power that it possesses. Marx and Engels as well as Luxemburg and Lenin reveal that a capitalist society is powerful in that any efforts that have been applied to abolish it have failed. This is the concept that most of the powerful nations in the globe employ to run their economies. On the other hand, most of the underdeveloped economies are the ones that have managed to implement the socialist movement (Iglarsh). Conclusion The paper has revealed that a socialist economy is effective in terms of facilitating for the equality of human societies, unlike the case of capitalism whereby the ruling class is the one that realizes benefits at the expense of the laborers. However, a capitalism society plays a crucial role in terms of improving the performance of an economy. It is a strong entity, and various revolutions that have been carried out around the world have not been able to abolish it. Therefore, it is appropriate for economies across the globe to devise ways in which they can foster equality in a society so as to create a balance between laborers and the ruling class to avoid conflicts between them. Works Cited Blunden, Andy. "Luxemburg versus Lenin." 2003. Marxists. web. 18 Apr 2014. Capitalism magazine. "What is Capitalism?" 2013. Capitalism Magazine. web. 18 Apr 2014. DAmato, Paul. "Marx, Lenin, and Luxemburg Party, organization, and revolution." 2013. The International Socialist Review. web. 18 Apr 2014 . Dowell, LeiLani. "A Marxist view of socialism." 2012. Workers World. web. 18 Apr 2014. Iglarsh, Hugh. "Revolution as Ego Trip." 2012. Counterpunch. web. 18 Apr 2014. Worldsocialism. "Marx and Engels and the Collapse of Capitalism." 2014. The Socialist Party of Great Britain. web. 18 Apr 2014. Read More