Communist Challenge to Classical Liberalism and Laissez-faire

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In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, what communism is is discussed; this writing attempts to enlighten the world about what communism ideals are. The communist party is pro-proletariat and wants what is best, in their eyes, for the working class people. “The essential condition for the existence and rule of the bourgeois class is the accumulation of wealth in private hands, the formation of capital; the essential condition of capital is wage-labour” (Marx, p. 135). According to Marx and Engels, the reason the bourgeois class exists is because of the labor from the proletariat class; without the capital produced from the proletariat the bourgeois class would not be as successful as they are. “The Communists are no separate party distinct from other working people” (Marx, p. 135). It is being argued that the Communist party is made up of working class people who are tired of their rights being trampled on and want to do something about it. This shows a connection to the proletariat and the Communist party is more likely to gain support by utilizing this approach. In What is to be Done by Lenin, he talks about social reform in Russian society. “Social-Democracy must change from a party of the social revolution into a democratic party of social reforms” (Lenin, p. 9). Instead of just merely changing how the government is currently run there must be change to the concept in order to spark a revolution. Lenin adopted this idea from the writing What is Property by Proudhon. According to Lenin, “the Social-Democratic movement is in its very essence an international movement” (p. 26). Lenin understands that in order for there to be a revolution in Russia the entire world may get involved. There are drastic changes that are taking pl... ... middle of paper ... ...nd Other Revolutionary Writings. Ed. Paul Negri. N.p.: Dover Publications, 2003. 170-186. Print. Lassalle, Ferdinand. "The Working Man’s Programme." The Communist Manifesto and Other Revolutionary Writings. Ed. Paul Negri. N.p.: Dover Publications, 2003. 161-169. Print. Lenin, Vladimir I. What Is To Be Done? New York: International, 2005. Print. Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. "The Manifesto of the Communist Party." The Communist Manifesto and Other Revolutionary Writings. Ed. Paul Negri. N.p.: Dover Publications, 2003. 123-50. Print. Owen, Robert. "The Legacy of Robert Owen." The Communist Manifesto and Other Revolutionary Writings. Ed. Paul Negri. N.p.: Dover Publications, 2003. 98-101. Print. Proudhon, Pierre-Joseph. "What Is Property?." The Communist Manifesto and Other Revolutionary Writings. Ed. Paul Negri. N.p.: Dover Publications, 2003. 102-122. Print.

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