3.1.5 Response: Karl Marx and Marxism
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3.1.5 Response: Marxism
Rejection of Classical Liberal Society
One of the biggest problems associated with the economic effects of classical liberalism was inequality of the working class and the wealthy people who owned the means of production. While the Chartists lobbied for better laws to protect workers,
and the Utopian Socialists tried to effect change in their own factories, others suggested that an entirely new ideology was needed to resolve the injustices brought about throughout history. Socialism is a collectivist ideology that supports economic equality and cooperation. It advocates a fair distribution of resources through public management. In other words, socialists believe that the "means of production" (land, labour, and capital) should not be owned by individual people for personal profit, but they should be controlled by the public for the benefit of everyone.
The term "scientific socialism" came from Karl Marx and Friederich Engels who believed that the great social injustices and inequalities brought about by the Industrial Revolution could never be resolved through a capitalist democracy. They believed that as long as one class of people owned the land, factories, and mines, they would always exploit those who worked for a living.
Marx believed, through his study of history, that the upper class always exploited the working class and a revolution in which the working class rose up and took charge would be the natural result of years of injustice. He did not believe that society could create a more just society peacefully.
Marx and Engels were not political or economic leaders. They were two educated men who had ideas about how the world worked, and how it should work. The promise of an ideal society presented by these ideas captured the imagination of people around the world. These theories morphed into practice in many parts of the world, resulting in the distinct ideologies of socialism and communism that you will learn more about.
Beliefs of Karl Marx
Portrait of Karl Marx on August 24th, 1875 by John Jabez Edwin Mayal
Courtesy of the International Institute of Social History. Wikimedia
Commons, Public Domain
Marx believed that capitalism led people to sell their own labour for a price, almost like slaves. This led to people valuing things in terms of their price rather than their usefulness. He also believed that it led to over-production of goods
and working people earning less for their labour. He also saw the growing gap between the rich and the poor under classical liberalism. The rich had more than they could ever need while the working class was too poor to consume the goods it
produced.
He felt that the long-term consequence of unregulated capitalism would be the enrichment and empowerment of the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and the continued impoverishment of the proletariat, or working class.
Marx believed that a massive, well-organized, and violent revolution would be required in some nations because the ruling class would not give up power without a fight. He believed the revolution would be violent in Germany, but it could be achieved in Great Britain and the United States through parliamentary change. He felt that a system controlled by the working man would result in a fair distribution of power and wealth.
He felt that the long-term consequence of unregulated capitalism would be the enrichment and empowerment of the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and the continued impoverishment of the proletariat, or working class.
Marx believed that a massive, well-organized, and violent revolution would be required in some nations because the ruling class would not give up power without a fight. He believed the revolution would be violent in Germany, but it could be achieved in Great Britain and the United States through parliamentary change. He felt that a system controlled by the working man would result in a fair distribution of power and wealth.
Marx's Main Ideas
- Throughout history, the various classes of human society have been in ongoing conflict with one another.
- Those who labour sell themselves as a commodity, no more than slaves of the wealthy.
- Eventually, the proletariat will emerge victorious over the wealthy bourgeoisie.
- The state that results from the workers revolution will include a strong centralized government and an economic system in which all industry, communication, and transportation are controlled by the government. There is no private property or inheritance, all citizens are expected to work, there is a progressive system of taxation on incomes, and education is free.
As you learn more about Karl Marx, take notes on the following:
- What are the main ideas of Marxism?
- How were these ideas a rejection of classical liberalism?
Read about Karl Marx and scientific socialism in your text, Perspectives on Ideology, on pages 136 to 137. Pay special attention to Figure 4-6 on page 136.
As you
read, consider the issue question:
- To what extent is Marxist resistance to liberalism justified?
Karl Marx and His Relevance Today
How relevant is Marxism today? You will need to review these links to effectively complete the forum discussion that follows.- Karl Marx was voted the "Greatest Thinker of the Millennium" by voters on the British Broadcasting Corporation.
- Rolling Stone Magazine wrote "Marx was Right: 5 Surprising Ways Karl Marx Predicted 2014."
- Right wing Fox News editorial in 2018 "Is Teen Vogue turning Karl Marx into its next teen idol?"