Marxist Communism

Introduction

Marxist communism is a political and economic idea that has changed world history rather significantly. Created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 1800s, it criticises capitalism (the economic system where private owners control trade and industry) and suggests a different way to run society. 

 

What is Marxist Communism?

Marxist communism is a theory for a society without social classes. It claims that all of history is a story of conflict between different classes of people. This conflict is between the rich owners (of factories, land, and tools) and the regular workers who must work for them to live.

 

Marx and Engels explained their ideas in famous books like The Communist Manifesto. They described the problems they saw in the world, predicted how they thought society would change, stated that they believed that all people should be treated equally, and asserted that everyone should have their share. 

 

The Marxist Theory is based on a few ideas. This includes the way a society produces what it needs (like food and goods), but also how its government, laws, and culture are built. Big changes in history happen when the way things are produced changes.

 

Additionally, society is divided into classes. In modern times, this is generally between:

• The Bourgeoisie: The small class of wealthy people who own the factories, land, and businesses.

• The Proletariat: The large class of average workers who sell their time and labour to the bourgeoisie for a wage.

 

Marx believed capitalism is unfair. Workers create more value with their labour than they are paid. The extra value, called surplus value, is taken as profit by the owners. This leads to a small group of people becoming very rich while most people struggle with poverty. From this, Marx thought that the workers would eventually realise they were being exploited. They would unite and start a revolution to take control of the means of production.

 

After the revolution, the final goal was a stateless, classless society. In this ideal world, there would be no government as we know it, and people would contribute what they could and receive what they need. The famous slogan for this is: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

 

Communism in the Real World

In the 1900s, several countries like the Soviet Union and China tried to build communist societies based on these ideas.
 

In practice, these countries usually had:

• Only one political party in charge (the Communist Party).

• The government owning all businesses and land.

• A planned economy, where government officials decide what to produce instead of the open market.

• Limits on personal freedoms and disagreement with the government.

 

Conclusion

Marxist communism is a powerful set of ideas that criticises capitalism and imagines a fairer society. It has inspired many people and movements. However, on a few occasions when it was put into practice, it led to authoritarian governments with limited freedom. Knowing both the original ideas and what actually happened is key to understanding its role in our world.

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Glossary

• Bourgeoisie: In Marxist theory, the class of people who own the means of production (like factories and land) in a capitalist society.

• Capitalism: An economic system where trade, industry, and the means of production are largely owned by private individuals for profit.

• Stateless, Classless Society: The ultimate goal of communism, a society where there are no social or economic classes, and all people have equal status. Due to everyone’s needs being fulfilled, there is no incentive to commit crimes, thus making the government unnecessary.

• Communism: A political and economic ideology based on Marxist theory that aims to create a classless society where property and resources are owned by the community as a whole.

• Means of Production: The facilities, resources, and tools used to produce goods, such as factories, land, and machinery.

• Proletariat: In Marxist theory, the class of workers who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to survive.

• Revolution: In this context, a fundamental and often violent change in political and social organization, specifically the overthrow of a capitalist system by the working class.

• Surplus Value: The difference between the value a worker produces and the wage they are paid. Marxists see this as the source of capitalist profit and a form of exploitation.

 

References

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, September 11). Karl Marx. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Marx 

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Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Karl Marx. Retrieved October 29, 2023, from https://iep.utm.edu/marx/ 

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Kagan, J. (2023, September 6). Communism. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/communism.asp 

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023, October 16). Marxism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marxism 

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Wolff, R. D. (n.d.). What is Marxism?. Marxian Economics. https://www.rdwolff.com/what_is_marxism