Marxism as a Theory of Socialism and Its Advantages - Essay Example

Marxism (theory of socialism) and its advantages  Marxism (theory of socialism) and its advantages Even though Communism or Marxism lost its significance in many parts of the world, the theory of socialism remains still significant in many parts of the world. In fact communism failed in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world because of its inability in functioning more closely with the needs of the people. Marxist principles were good in theory, but it was difficult to implement these theories into practice. China is one among the few countries in which Marxism or communism still prevails. Marxism or the theory of socialism has lot of advantages even though people are projecting its disadvantages at present. This paper analyses the main characteristics of Marxism and its advantages. Main characteristics of Marxism “More than a century after his death, Karl Marx remains one of the most controversial figures in the. His relentless criticism of capitalism and his corresponding promise of an inevitable, harmonious socialist future inspired a revolution of global proportions” (Prichitko, 2008). It is difficult to define capitalism in few words. Broadly speaking, capitalism is nothing but the private ownership. Ownership of capital in the form of money or properties can be referred as the symbols of capitalism. Marx believed that the entire wealth in this world belongs to the entire population in this world. In his opinion, some people, because of their superior abilities and power have conquered the entire wealth in this world. Marx argued that all the people enters and leaves this world with empty hands and therefore they have no claim at all on the wealth of this world. Marks argued that all types of production activities, businesses for profit, wages and competition etc are elements of capitalism. Some people take undue advantages form these capitalistic elements and gain control over the wealth of this world. In short, Marxism argued for the uniform distribution of wealth to all the people under the control of the government. The above concept was enclosed in the name of socialism by Marx. In other words, achievement of socialism or equality by all people in all aspects is the major idea of Marxism. Value of goods was interpreted differently by Marxism. “The increase of productivity of labour decreases the socially necessary labour and lowers the value of a unit of goods” (Rubin, n. d). For example, with the introduction of machines, productivity increased a lot. It is quite possible that a machine can work much faster than human and therefore its output would be much more than that of the human. In short, value of goods may come down because of the introduction of machines or superior technologies. Marx’s theory of classes is based on the recognition that in each class society, part of society (the ruling class) appropriates the social surplus product. But that surplus product can take three essentially different forms. It can take the form of straightforward unpaid surplus labour, as in the slave mode of production. It can take the form of goods appropriated by the ruling class in the form of use-values pure and simple. And it can take a money form, like money-rent in the final phases of feudalism, and capitalist profits (Mandel, 2011) Theory of working class is another major characteristic of Marxism. Marxism argues for the wellbeing of working class. It believes that the working class is exploited by the ruling class in the society. Marx believed that in a ruling class dominated society, working class cannot progress properly even if they work hard. Ruling class has the power and influence to suppress the needs of the working class. Advantage of Marxism Major advantage of Marxism is the concept of socialism. “Since private owners of the means of production (capitalists) exploited the workers, the way to end the exploitation was to take ownership from the capitalists and put it in the hands of the government”(Socialism and Marxism, n.d). Even though majority of the political philosophies and social institutions argue for equality in society, Marxism seems to be the only philosophy which argues for the betterment of working class. “Marxism calls for a revolutionary overthrow of capitalism by the oppressed workers (proletariat) and eventually, rule by the people” (Marxism, 2011). Majority of the conflicts in this world occur for the ownership of property. Marxism never allows private property and therefore conflicts with respect to property rights or ownership could be avoided with the introduction of Marxism. Marxism tries to take control of all the properties and distribute it evenly to the public. Equality in society can be achieved only through the implementation of Marxism. It should be noted that all the other social and political institutions argue for equality in society, no such institutions argue for the prohibition of private capital. Private capital is the number one enemy of socialism and therefore other political philosophies have limitations in achieving true socialism. “Religion, according to Marx was the response to the pain of being alive, the response to earthly suffering” (What is Marxism?, 2011). Marx never advocated the belief in religion. It should be noted that many of the conflicts in the current world are taking place because of the differences in religious beliefs and traditions. Many people are of the view that the current war on terror, Palestine-Israel conflicts, India-Pakistan issues etc are occurring not because of political reasons, but because of religious reasons. In other words, religious beliefs are causing major problems in this world. Communism perceives religions as narcotic drugs and it never allows people to spread their religious beliefs. Thus majority of the conflicts in this world in the name of religion can be avoided if Marxism is implemented. Conclusions Marxism is a political institution or philosophy which argues for the equality of the society. It rejects the idea of capitalism and belief in religions. The theory of socialism put forward by Marxism is more practical than the theory of socialism suggested by other political and social institutions. Majority of the conflicts in the name of religion can be avoided with the help of Marxist principles. References Mandel E. (2011). Marx’s Theory of Surplus Value. Retrieved from http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article287 Marxism (2011). Retrieved from http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/29422.html Prichitko D.L. (2008). Marxism. The concise encyclopaedia of economics. Retrieved from http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Marxism.html Rubin I.I. (n. d.). Essays on Marxs Theory of Value. Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/archive/rubin/value/ch08a.htm Socialism and Marxism (n. d). Retrieved from http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/socialism.html What is Marxism? (2011). Retrieved from http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/what-is-marxism-faq.htm Read More