Communist Manifesto: Karl Marxs Philosophy - Essay Example

The paper “Karl Marx‘s Philosophy on Revolutionary Communism at The Communist Manifesto" is a potent version of a book review on sociology. Karl Marx‘s philosophy on revolutionary communism led to the emergence of several communist regimes in the 20th century some of which have had a big impact today. The Communist Manifesto is based on a history of class struggles. Marx argues that historically, society is marked by different social stratifications. On one hand, the exploited and oppressed; the proletariat and on the other the exploiting class, the bourgeoisie.

These classes are constantly fighting which culminates into the revolutionary reconstitution of the society as a whole or ends up ruining the contending classes. He foresaw a situation whereby the proletariat will get tired of the oppression and exploitation and take over the lead from the bourgeoisie. When this happens, the whole society will be freed from the exploitation and the social stratification will cease to exist leading to communism. This paper explores Marx’s theory that the market production process leads to social classes which in turn leads to the exploitation of the working class as hypothesized in Karl Marx’s ideas on The Communist Manifesto.

The Social Classes and Existing ConflictsAccording to Marx, the exploiting bourgeoisie continue to exploit the proletariat by constantly revolutionizing the production process, interfering with all social conditions coupled with everlasting uncertainty and agitation. The exploiting class exists to exploit others because of capitalism. Capitalism allows a few private hands to accumulate all wealth and creation and increase of capital. The competition then arises amongst the proletariat leading them to seek wage labor.

The bourgeoisies then utilize this chance to exploit them for manual labor offering them cheap wages continuing to enrich themselves even more. The only way that the proletariat can rise above this is through riots and the formation of unions. But then again, this will never be possible as long as capitalism exists. The only way it can be possible is by revolutionizing the whole societal structure by overthrowing capitalism and welcoming communism. According to him, communism is the pathway to class equality amongst all humanity.

But his opinion of capitalism is dual in that, on one hand, he sees it as really oppressive and exploitative, referring to it as “vampires sucking workers blood” (Marx, 164), while on the other hand defending the capitalists by arguing that the profits they obtain do not result to injustice and they are allowed not to go against the system. Rather, he blames it on the economic system as a whole and capital which is the relationship between owners and workers.He argued that capitalism in itself is very deterministic and vulnerable to periodic crisis.

He foresaw a situation whereby technology will continue to be more and more invested in production substituting labor in the process. The result of this will be an escalating economy while the profits continue to decrease. In the end, however, the capitalists will be empowered and more enriched while the proletariat will continue to sink deeper in poverty and impoverishment. He explains the role of feudalism, capitalism and social stratification in the historical process. The bourgeoisie has its foundation on the means of production brought about by the feudal system.

But with time, the conditions under which the feudal system produced and exchanged could no longer be compatible with the developed productive forces and they had to be split up. In its place free competition stepped in with a new social and political constitution that suits it, swaying away from the capitalists. In the same way, the same process is recurring itself where the productive forces no longer favor the advancement of the bourgeoisie’s wealth. Instead, they have overpowered these conditions on which they are chained and as soon as they tear down these chains, they will bring down the capitalists and their wealth, (Marx, 178).

Marx in his bid to defend the communist system draws to us the relationship between conscious communists with the working class. He says that they will never be found to oppose each other and they will at all times express the general will and interests of the working class as a whole and not their own selfish interests. The communist distinguish themselves from the other proletarians by fighting for the common interests of the whole working class group regardless of their racial differences. He believed that they would undertake means of production and utilize them for the equal benefit of all.

According to Marx, the new communist society the humans will not be bound by the unfair market conditions but will be free to act in democracy. There would be little or no need to have a state which is the object of social inequalities. The working class would hold the political power and forcibly socialize the means of production. He argued that revolution would be peaceful in countries with stable democratic institutional structures but in countries characterized by traditional centralized regimes, the revolution must be forced.

ConclusionMarx’s work The Communist Manifesto has continued to be relevant even today. Capitalist Revolution has continued to expand worldwide. Money as a tool has resulted in a new global market and a whole lot of shopping malls everywhere. In The Communist Manifesto, Marx foresaw it all. The thesis provides insight into the society we live in today, its origin and its destination. It has been able to explain what economists and sociologists have been unable to explain; today’s recurrent global wars and the unending economic crises, overproduction on one side while hundreds of millions are starving on the other.

Even most writings on globalization have been based on it. No wonder it has been referred to as the manifesto for the 21st century.