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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Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, and Robert C. Tucker. The Marx-Engels reader. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Print.
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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.
Selsam, Howard, and Harry Martel. Reader in Marxist Philosophy: From the Writings of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. New York: International, 1963. Print.
Analysis of the Main Strengths and Weaknesses of Marx’s Sociological Thought “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles” Marx and Engels (1967, p.67) Born in 1818, Karl Marx, using his philosophical and socialist ideas, attempted to show how conflict and struggle in social development were important in the development of a society. The works of Marx were influenced by three distinct intellectual traditions: German idealist philosophy, French socialism and British political economy. German idealist philosophy is an approach based on the thesis that only the mind and its content really exist. This philosophy maintains that it is through the advance of human reason that human beings progress. French socialism is a political doctrine that emerged during the French Revolution and emphasised social progress led by a new industrial class.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Trans. Paul M. Sweeny. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998.
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.
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
The Sociological Contribution of Karl Marx to an Understanding of Contemporary Society. This essay will discuss how the Karl Marx contributed his knowledge to the understanding of contemporary society. Karl Marx is often referred to. as the ‘intellectual father of modern day Marxist economics’.