Communism: Marx and Engels' Solution to Class Struggle

Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels is their attempt to explain the goal of communism. They explained that class struggling or when one class exploits another is a result that is motivated by historical development. Their solution to all the exploitation and class struggle is communism. Where, the proletariats rise up against the bourgeoisies. Relationship in each class is defined by their source of production. Nevertheless, they end up not being compatible with the force of production they being placed with. Then, this end up with a revolution that will occur at this point and a new class appears and becomes the ruling class. Class conflicts in the society were characterized between the proletariat and bourgeoisie.

However, capitalism bring with it, its production force which is not compatible and brings its exploitative relationship. According to Marx, with such relationship, the proletariats will have to start a revolution. This revolution according to Marx, will the make the proletariats rise and become the new ruling class, but, with the nature of their class they will not be able to appropriate a property. So, when they get control they will have to stop/end all ownership of private property, abolish capitalism and classes itself will disappear.
The Communist Manifesto is divided into four sections, each section discussing the issues concerning the society, capitalism and how communism is better than other form of political system. The first section, Bourgeoisie and Proletariats talks about how the society has oppressed and is still oppressing the underclass without having any opportunity to rise. Furthermore, it talks about the historical pursuit of materialistically things and how capitalism has made the working class or the proletariats work under harsh conditions and how they have struggled with the means of production provided by the Bourgeoisies. The Bourgeoisies, constantly exploits the Proletariats labor power for he gain and of profits for themselves. This eventually will come back to bite the Bourgeoisies because, the working environment provided to the Proletariats will make them rise up against the Bourgeoisie. Marx and Engels, argues that such happening is inevitable and that capitalism is very unstable. They believed communism can promote this revolution and that annihilating social classes cannot be done through government but through a revolution.
Marx and Engels started by stating the relationship of communism and the rest of working class and their support for communism and how it advocates for “free love”. That is the will not oppose other working class but will show general will and defend the interest of the proletariats unlike the other political economic system. They ended this section with a few demand like progressive tax income, abolition of private property and inheritance, and free public education and many more. He stated that the others who start a revolution did not fully understand the significance of the proletariats struggling therefore, he rejected there revolutions. He continued by stating the three problems which they face at least one: they depend on previous revolutions to solve present issues, they deny/refuse accepting those in cause of existing conflicts and finally, the do not accept revolution from the proletariats is the way to end the conditions of oppression.
The third section, Socialist and Communist Literature differentiates communism from socialist ideology around at that time. They are being categorized as; reactionary socialism, bourgeoisie socialism, critical utopia socialism and communism. Marx and Engels ended up with a prediction of a world revolution that will follow after the various revolutions happen in the mid-nineteenth century in various countries like France, Switzerland, Poland and Germany.

As a person living in the twenty-first century and knows about communism my first reaction is to do away with such acts and political system. We have grown up to believe that communism is bad, does not speak democracy and equal human rights. But on the other hand, after reading Marx and Engels Communist Manifesto, you then get to understand what they might have visualized for communism and what their interpretation might have been rather than what we grew up knowing. Not saying that Communism is the best has they indicated, but while looking at it communism as we interpret it right now is not from how reading in the communist manifesto but from how it has been practiced in more recent years by leaders like Lenin, Stalin, Castro, Mao and many more.
Marx and Engels claim that communism will help the proletariats rise up from their struggling class, they also had some predictions about capitalism which is come through now in the twenty-first century making it more fascinating since those predictions were made in the mid-nineteenth century.

I do with agree with some of Marx’s claims about capitalism due to I could see some substantial prove right now that it indeed happening. That is although, some of his prediction might have seem unrealistic we could also say some of his predictions have come to pass. For instance, in an article published by Rolling Stones in 2014 stating some of Marx’s critique and predications of capitalism and how his analysis is happening right now. First, the Great recession which Marx described as Capitalism chaotic nature? Marx argued that the relentless pursuit of profit will drive companies over labor their workers, producing more and more goods and depriving the workers from their wages until they can no longer purchase what they have manufactured/created. The great depression and much other economic turbulence can be linked to Marx’s term “fictitious capitalism”. We produce and produce till there is no one left to purchase the product. Just like what happened to the housing market in 2008 and we are still going in circles. Decades of inequalities made people go in debt and crashing hardly. Another Marx prediction is Imaginary appetites for instance the iPhone. Marx was concerned of how capitalism will lead consumers to concentrate high value on products and would over time lead to what he called imaginary appetite. This is what we see in the society today where we enjoy incredible luxury and yet are driven by constant need or more items to buy. Just like an iPhone, consumers tend to buy every year a different one comes out but the question here should be what is the different between the iPhone 6s you may own now and is it really different from the iPhone 6 we had last year or

the iPhone 5s we had last two year or other iPhones that we have had years before that? While people in China fall sick with cancer from e-waste, multinational companies are more concerned with gaining more profits. Another listed is Monopoly, companies like Wal-Mart falls in such category. Economist has the classical theory that economy as competition is natural and therefore self-sustaining. But, Marx argued that capitalism would eventually create a large monopoly as companies and business with feast on each other for more profits; mostly bigger, megacorporation feasting on smaller companies. Like Wal-Mart replacing a small family shop. Another prediction mention was Low wages, big profits which Marx called reserve army of industrial labor. This was one of Marx biggest concern toward capitalism. He believed that wages would be held down. He said capitalist would prefer to pay little as possible for labor and this is easiest to do when there too many workers floating around.
This list above proves some of Marx’s predication and thoughts about capitalism but that does not it is all that bad. Yes it is true it has some those connotative he predicted but let’s not forgets the gain one benefits from capitalism. When he look at capitalism we can see he what had predicted but we can also see its bright side. Capitalism brings economic freedom which in turn helps how political freedom. If governments own the means of production and set prices, it directly leads to a powerful state. Capitalism is efficient, it brings economic growth and there are no better alternative to capitalism. Although, I do agree with Marx on the instability of capitalism, I do not agree to change into communism. The reason for my reluctance toward communism is because of past examples. We can take example of countries that have tried to use capitalism and seen how they have failed and using communism.
When it comes to revolution and people rising against those oppressing them, the circle is going to go on. Because those who were oppressed will gradually become the oppressor and the ruling class. This revolution has the tendency of creating more militant and making class struggle go nowhere since the struggle will continue in reverse. That is to say communism and revolution would not end class struggle but keeps in going. The government in charge during the revolution must have enjoyed the power the obtained during this revolution and will like to maintain their power.
Marx was right about many things but at the same time he was very wrong about many other things. He mostly focused on criticizing capitalism instead of proposing an alternate solution to replace it. His idea of communism has been misinterpreted by crazy leader like Stalin and many others. But his work also shapes our world in a positive way. His idea of progressive income tax added its advantages to many countries. Before the Communist Manifesto there wasn’t a country that had one. But now, there is barely a one country without such tax. Finally, Marx description of a communism that eliminates class is unreliable. The upper class has the wealth and lower has the least. He middle class plays the peace maker between them and without that we cannot have a stable economy/society. Either if it is communism or capitalism. In addition to that, capitalism is more democratic than communism with tend to lead to an authoritarian government