Karl Marx 1818-1883

A German Scholar
The proponent of socialism
Works: Das Capital: Gospel of communist, Communist Manifesto
Communist Manifesto is jointly written by Marx and Engels. It is divided intofour
parts:
1) Deals with the history of social evolution. It shows how society is one
class of war and the society is dived into two parts: the haves and have
nots; the exploiters and exploited.
2) The doctrine of communist party and their justification. It brings abouta
transition from capitalism to a proletarian society. The communist
manifesto advocated the following measures:
a) Abolition of property of land;
b) A progressive income tax;
c) Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
The communists are a part of working class and there can be no separation
between the two (proletarian).
3) A criticism of existing socialist and communist doctrine.
4) A summary of position of the communist and their tactics in the face of
opposition.

Sources of Marxism
1) German classical philosophy – The historical materialism derived fromit.
2) The classical school of British political economy – Theory of surplus value
and labor theory of value derived from it. The classical economists(Adams
Smith, David Ricardo) gave the theory of value and the theory of surplus
value aiming at the welfare of capitalist. Marx used these theories in the
interest of workers.
3) The French revolutionary tradition – A theory of state and revolution.
Dialectical Materialism
• Dialectic means the process whereby ideas are formed and clarified in
course of intellectual debate.
• From Hegel Marx learned the principle of development by contrast and
conflict.
• A proposition or thesis is first advanced, and then challenged by a counter
proposition or antithesis. Since both are partly true, the normaloutcome is
a revised proposition or synthesis. This process continues until reach to the
ultimate truth.
• Every state or condition or proposition call forth its negation, which in
turn provokes the negation of negation.
• Every thesis reacts its own anti-thesis, which leads to synthesis,
combining both thesis and anti-thesis. This process goes on forever in
the world, which is dynamic, not static.
• All development proceeds not in a straight line but in a zig-zag manner
following the formula of thesis-antithesis-synthesis. Every action is
followed by a reaction.
• Human history: Despotism – unlicensed democracy – constitutional
monarchy.
• He accepts the main idea of Hegel but used it in different manner.
• Marx abandoned its idealistic basis and connected it with the materialist
view of the world.
• Marx – not idea matter is the ultimate reality. It is matter in motion.
Here, the goal of evolutionary process is to a society of no exploitation of one
class by another.
• Transformation of quantity into quality.
• Unity and struggle of opposite
• Negation of negation
Historical materialism and economic determinism
• Historical materialism is the application of the principles of dialectical
materialism to the development of society.
• It is an interpretation of history according to which all the phenomenaof
the history are determined by the economic factors.
• Mode of production determines the structure of society.
• Mode of production consists means of production and relation of
production.
• Economy is the basic structure. Politics, religion, culture are super
structures.
• All social and political changes lie in the mode of production and
exchange.
• Production and exchange of things produced are the basis of every
social order.

Theory of class struggle

• According to Marx, classes are the fundamental categories of a social
organization and class struggle is the driving force for social and political
change.
• Classes are determined on the basis of economic structure of society and
their relationship with the means of production.
• In every class divided society, there are mainly two classes-
One that possess ownership
The other property less class
• In capitalist society there are two classes:
The bourgeoisie
The proletariat.
• If we look back to the history, we will see the history of society is the
history of class struggle:
✓ Freeman Vs slave.
✓ Patricians and Plebeians
✓ Lord and Serf
✓ Guild master and journeyman.
• In a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in a contrast opposition to
one another.
 • It can only be eliminated by revolution.

Theory of Surplus value

• Labor theory of value --Labor is the single creator of value in a
commodity. The value of a commodity is determined by the amount of
labor power spent over the production of that commodity.
• Surplus value is the difference between the value of a commodity
produced by labor and the wages received by laborers.
• According to Marx, as value of a thing is due to labor alone, the whole
price of thing should be paid to the laborers. However, in capitalist
society, the capitalists give only a little to the manufacturer and pocket
the rest of it.

Theory of revolution
When the number of proletariats will rise, they will more conscious about
their class. Their sufferings will also increase due to exploitation by
bourgeoise and that will be unbearable.
There will be two options for then either strike or strive.
At the highest stage of capitalism, the capital will be in the hand of few
bourgeoise. On the other hand, the number of proletariat will rise. The profit
motive of bourgeoise will lead them to search for new ways of exploitation.
This exploitation will result in revolution.
The bourgeoise will be destroyed by the revolution and the ownership of means
of production will be replaced to the proletariat according to economic
determinism and the key to political power will be in the hands of proletariat.
They will use this political power to snatch the capital from bourgeoise and to
handover the production mechanisms to the proletariat as the ruling class.

Stateless and classless society

The dictatorship of proletariats is an interim period. When there will be noclass
and exploitation, their will be no state.
Characteristics
• The production system will be in the hand of the community. The
proletariat class will be merged into the community.
• As their will be no longer a class struggle, their will be no longer a stateas
instrument of exploitation of one class by another.
• As there be no class struggle, matter will govern instead of human.
• People will give the society according to their qualifications and will
receive according to their needs.
• Their will be change in the relationships between men and women. The
real love will be the bridge of relationship instead of materialistic interest.