KARL MARX

Prussia, comfortable, middle class, Jewish Co- Author Das Kapital, The Communist Manifesto Moved to Paris (1843) – exiled (1844) Brussels, London Journalist, philosopher, social scientist, historian, revolutionary, poet, father, husband University of Berlin, lawyer Influenced by George Hegel

Professor University of Berlin German Philosopher Volkgeist (absolute spirit) Happiness = Study History align yourself – Volkgeist Volkgiest works through state leaders Dialectical Process

“volk” – spiritual entity Literature, music, art, culture of people manifestations of the “volkgeist” German myths, legends, fairytales National Spirit, Universal Spirit

THESIS ANTITHESIS SYNTHESIS VOLKGIEST

THESIS THESIS – Set of Ideas - established order ANTITHESIS ANTITHESIS – Conflict of ideas that challenge to the established order SYNTHESIS SYNTHESIS – solution emerged that was a step ahead of the old system

Historical Evolution “History is the unfolding of reality itself, the ideas of the minds of the universe…” Nothing in history is accidental or arbitrary Each era = set of ideas + opposing ideas = synthesis Stages – Asiatic – absolute monarchy – Greco-Roman – individual freedom – Germanic European – synthesis of freedom with a strong state

Hegel – conflict of ideas???? NOT IDEAS / $$$ Hegel too idealistic too mystical class struggle Marx conflict of economic class struggle “turned Hegel on his head” Applied Hegelianism to society and economics “Scientific Socialism” “Scientific Socialism” – philosophy grounded in empirical historical, sociological, and economic data Happiness come through the erasure of false class consciousness

“The philosophers have only interpreted the world, the point is to change it” – MARX Communism – each should contribute according to their ability and receive according to their need "the nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production."

October 1843 Home of many revolutionaries Relationship with Friedrich Engels – Son of a wealthy factory owner, Communist & Atheist Marxist ideology a reaction to the conditions of the day – one of many Industrial Revolution

1848 Co-authored Friedrich Engels ( ) History is the record of humankind’s coming to grips with the physical nature to produce goods necessary for survival class struggle Historical process determined the structures, values, and ideas of society – rooted in class struggle

Primitive Slave Owning Feudal Capitalist Communist “Capitalism will destroy itself, because it contains the seed of its own destruction” - Marx

Dialectical Materialism Class Struggle The Theory of Surplus Value The Inevitability of Communism The Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Human history based on wealth of ownership and means of production Modes of production determine the rest of the social structure Marx – conflict of material conditions (economics) Owners of Production – bourgeoisie Workers – Proletariat Industrial Revolution – inequity between the “haves” and “have nots” Changes in material condition will change the whole nature of society

What are the means of production? How wealth, or capital, is produced and divided? Who owns the means of production? CLASS STRUGGLE = CLASS STRUGGLE IDEALS OF SOCIETY Laws, morals, ethics, religion Justification, rationale, ideology, for who controls means of production BASE

$ Labor is the source of all value $ Capitalist got more labor than he paid for $ According to Marx, the capitalist stole from the worker $ According to Marx, the capitalist stole from the worker $ Amount charge over the amount to produce = “PROFIT” $ Amount charge over the amount to produce = “PROFIT”

History - involved conflict b/w classes that owned the means of production and the classes that worked for them VIOLENT REVOLUTION OF THE PROLETARIAT classless Property-less and classless Communist society “State withers away” Transitional period b/w Capitalism and Communism equally Socialism inevitable – wealth distributed equally

Divided society into two giant hostile groups Did not take into account the power of Nationalism, Religion Predicted Revolution would occur in Capitalist nations first ? Russia, agricultural, China More and More people did not suffer from Industrial society – benefited Workers lose their incentive to work and progress Gov’t – difficulty managing complex economic system, will become a dictatorship, place needs of the state ahead of the needs of the people

Late nineteenth century Re-evaluate Marxism Eduard Bernstein ( ) Evolutionary Socialism Evolutionary Socialism (1889) Capitalism showed no signs of collapse, conditions of workers improved through LEGISLATION REFORM within existing order rather than revolution Achievements through the Democratic political process (Social Democrats)

Marxism was just another ideology that existed and criticize the emerging industrial capitalist society Marx theory was largely ignored by scholars during his lifetime After his death – his social, political, and economic philosophy gained acceptance and was altered Until recently (1989) – almost half of the world’s population claimed to be Communist

First applied 1917 Bolshevik Revolution Marxism-Leninism Lenin altered Marx ideology - 70 years later Marx in its pure philosophy was never applied Marx waited for history Lenin made it Lenin 1 st to alter Marx

Revolution possible in an agricultural country (Marx – industrial nation first) “Revolution from above” – elite intellectual revolutionaries not below (workers) Revolution determined by human leadership not historical laws

Mao Zedong version of Marxism Leader the Chinese Communist Revolution 1949 – 1976 “Great Leap Forward” “Cultural Revolution”

NORTH KOREA VIETNAM CUBA LAOS CHINA

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR CHAINS” “WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR CHAINS”