The Historical Leader: Karl Marx
Karl Marx is one of the greatest historical leaders through his revolutionary philosophical ideas which relates to transformational leadership. Examining his work on revolution, which emerged from his writing in 19th century Germany and England. Marx, is history’s greatest leader because of the manner in which he linked the philosopher theory to activism and revolutionary change in society. Marx is a transformational leader through his revolutionary change in society and the way the society is running. Marx envisioned a society creating a sense of commune and trust working together as a whole instead of separate entities. In The
Communist Manifesto (CM), Marx and Engels write that “the bourgeoisie, historically, has played a most revolutionary part” (475). This phrase is sarcastic towards the idea as the bourgeoisie (working class) role is not of provoking revolutionary struggle, but rather creating conditions suitable for working class revolution. Marx writes that, with capitalism, “Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat” (CM, 474).
The bourgeoisie’s role in production, and thus revolution, exists in terms of both Marx’s concepts of the base and the superstructure. Marx proposes that the bourgeoisie, through its control of the means of production has succeeded in ruining the common bonds that once created harmony within the public (CM, 475). With regards to the base itself, the bourgeoisie’s unequal control over the means of economic production causes the anger of isolated workers (Wage
Labor and Capital (WLC), 216-217). Beyond this, the bourgeoisie also enable revolution as much ...
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...g about social change, and even argues that this change will ultimately be inevitable, and lead to the disappearance of the unjust social structures which now surround us.
Through this, I feel that Karl Marx was one of the first, if not the first transformational leader in history, which makes him such a historical leader.
THE HISTORICAL LEADER: KARL MARX
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References
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To Marx, history d... ... middle of paper ... ... 67 Jon Elster, Making sense of Marx, Cambridge University press 1985 C.Slaughter, Marxism and the class struggle, New Park Publications LTD 1975 Tony Bilton, Kevin Bonnett, Pip Jones etc.. Introductory Sociology 4th edition, Palgrave Macmillan 2002 Gregor McLennan, The Story of Sociology Ken Morrison, Marx Durkheim Weber, Sage publications LTD 1995 Fulcher&Scott, Sociology 2nd edition, Oxford university press 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] German Ideology, pp.8-13 [2] Karl Marx: Selected Writings in Sociology and Social Philosophy, p.150, Pelican books 1963 [3] ibid, p107 [4] Karl Marx: Selected Writings in Sociology and Social Philosophy, p.177, Pelican books 1963 [5] Essential writings of Karl Marx; p176; Panther Books Ltd ,1967
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, and Robert C. Tucker. The Marx-Engels reader . 2d ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Print.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Trans. Paul M. Sweeny. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998.
Under this course of dialogue, Marx’s work is seen as speculations and possible reasons for certain patterns seen over history, but it concretes the idea of these patterns in such a way that they are finite and do not lend themselves to change or modification.
Bender, Frederic L. Karl Marx: The Communist Manifesto. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ed. 1988.
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, and Robert C. Tucker. The Marx-Engels reader. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Print.
Lenin’s reforms were necessary to carry out a socialist revolution in Russia, and the contributions he made drastically changed the course of history. It can be assumed that, the Soviet Union would not have been as powerful if it had not been for Lenin’s initial advocacy of violence and tight organization. Marxism is a philosophy coined by Karl Marx with the help of Friedrich Engles in the early nineteenth century. Marx’s writings inspired many progressive thinkers throughout the European continent and the United States. The Marxist doctrine stated that first a bourgeoisie revolution, which will ignite a capitalist fire.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. 1st Signic Classic print. ed. New York, NY: Signic Classic, 1998.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. "The German Ideology." The Marx-Engels Reader. Ed. Robert C. Tucker. New York: Norton, 1978. 146-200. Print
Now his work has also to a great extent the political forces of today all of which his work inspired. In my point of view it is no exaggeration to say that of all theorists of society Karl Marx is a revolutionary. and has deeply touched and affected all our lives. Our modern political field reflects his ideologies and is under much of his influence. The snare of the snare.
Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. "The Communist Manifesto." The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: Norton, 2001. 769-773.