Karl Marx Communist Manifesto

Marx’s and Engels’ book talks extensively from the Conflict perspective, which deals with the Proletariat and the Bourgeoisie. The purpose of it is to expose the viewpoint and workings of the Communist Party. The Proletariat is a group of people that work to create labor. Their exported labor is greatly desired by the Bourgeoisie, the wealthy business owners, because it generates a profit that benefits them. The Bourgeoisie exploits the Proletariat by plaguing them with bad working conditions and low wages. The book highlights information about the working class. During the time it was written, Marx did not know about labor unions, so he predicted the Proletariat would eventually tire of their continued subordination and seek to get rid of the oppressive arrangements the Bourgeois placed on them. He theorized that Capitalism would be overthrown and a class-less system, one in which there was no class structure and no property owned by individual people, would result. This new system would be communism.

Although most likely accurate during the time it was written, we now have labor unions to help protect workers from unfair treatment and working conditions, also the ability to strike. This oppressive, exploitative system is still relevant because our current society is very similar. The focus between the two group’s interaction is struggle. The business owners control how and what things are produced, such as the factories and the land. They take advantage of the workers, while keeping the profits and accumulating and hoarding the wealth entirely for themselves. This is one thing that started the income inequality that exists today. The people who worked (Proletariat) was engaged in a battle against those that owned the businesses. The clash would result in a revolution said to restructure society into a classless society. The Bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat extensively. The work that the Proletariat did made the Bourgeoisie very wealthy. If the Bourgeoisie sought continued control, they had to spread their reign across the land, find things to create and sell them. They also were tasked with finding and keeping new customers. They also had to have an adequate supply of workers.

The Proletariat have cruel working condition because life is very impersonal and the only thing that matters is making money and making a profit. The Proletariat strives amongst themselves and other Bourgeoisie. The Bourgeoisie clashes against others in their same positions and the Proletariat.The Bourgeoisie thinks the Proletariat conspires to rid everyone of owning property privately. However, the Communists wished to get rid of the business owner’s individua property. To enact this, the Communist party desires to give the control of production to those in the community. Personal affects would not be affected. Some background information was that during this time there were people dwelling in overpopulated cities. Those cities were expanding. A lot of the people who were in the working class that lived in those cities were poor. The goods that the Proletariat produces were sold at a profit that the Bourgeoisie kept themselves. The workers received no benefit from the work they did.

Marx believed Capitalism was self- serving and destructive. It was a very dependent system. The business owners depended greatly on the work from the Proletariat, as they would not do the work themselves. So, to keep the system of oppression operating, there had to be lower-class citizens. Without them, no work was done, and no profits were made. That is where Marx’s predictions originated from, that Proletariat would eventually tire of their oppression and overthrow the system. The Bourgeoisie would no longer be able to control the Proletariat. The Proletariat should then make sure the rich do not get to keep their capital and lose their inheritance. Once this is accomplished, a new world system can be ushered in. Once the system was overthrown, a new, class-less society would be created. It was fantasized that most things would be shared in this society, such as land and wealth. Everyone would be able to get an education and there would be no set structure to the class system. structure. The workers would have to make sure that no one would own property, since they could not, to obtain and maintain control.

Works Cited

1. Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). The Communist Manifesto. Verso Books.
2. Bottomore, T. (1991). Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Oxford University Press.
3. McLellan, D. (Ed.). (2000). Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Oxford University Press.
4. Hobsbawm, E. J. (1998). The Age of Capital: 1848-1875. Vintage.
5. Harvey, D. (2010). A Companion to Marx's Capital. Verso Books.
6. Callinicos, A. (2010). The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx. Bookmarks Publications.
7. Sayer, D. (2004). Marx's Method: Ideology, Science, and Critique in Capital. Haymarket Books.
8. Wood, E. M. (2017). The Origin of Capitalism: A Longer View. Verso Books.
9. Fromm, E. (2000). Marx's Concept of Man. Continuum.
10. McLellan, D. (1995). Marxism: Essential Writings. Oxford University Press.