The Communist Manifesto: An Introduction

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The Communist Manifesto An Introduction
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Why Study This?

• Extremely Influential
• Adds economic issues (distribution of wealth)
  to the concerns of 19th-cent. revolutions
• Provides a set of questions we can (still) use to
  analyze social problems

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Marx and Engels

• Karl Marx (1818-83)
• Father converts from Judaism
• Marx studies history and philosophy
• works as journalist
• Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
• Father was an industrialist
• Studied accounting practices in Manchester
• Friend, patron, and partner of Marx

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Key Terms

• Class Consciousness not just objective
  membership in a particular class, but the
  subjective political awareness of one's class
  position result's in political behavior on
  behalf of one's class

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Key Terms

• Class Consciousness
• Surplus Value the manner in which exploitation
  takes place under capitalism the working class
  produces a net product called a commodity which
  can be sold for more than they receive as wages,
  the surplus takes the form of profit for
  example
• A raw materials and non-wage expenses like tools
  and machinery
• B labor expenses or wages
• C selling price of the commodity
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• C-(AB)Surplus (profit)

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Key Terms

• Class Consciousness
• Surplus Value
• Base and Superstructure an architectural or
  building-like metaphor for society the base is
  the economic foundation of society (capitalism,
  for example) while the superstructure, which
  rests upon the base, is the apparatus of the
  state and civil society (which would include all
  culture forms as well) a change in the base can
  result in a corresponding change in the
  superstructure and vice versa

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Key Terms

• Class Consciousness
• Surplus Value
• Base and Superstructure
• Dialectical Materialism a theory of historical
  change that combines elements of two
  philosophies G.F. Hegel's (1770-1831)
  dialectics, a theory of change, and the
  Enlightenment conception of materialism
  dialectics thesisantithesissynthesis(becomes
  the new thesis) materialism assumes that what
  is important about being human is our connection
  to nature, providing for our existence, and
  engaging in meaningful work under our own
  control opposed to the idea that the human
  essence is thought (or idealism) example
• Thesis (bourgeosie) Antithesis (proletariat)
  Synthesis (socialism)

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Key Terms

• Class Consciousness
• Surplus Value
• Base and Superstructure
• Dialectical Materialism
• Alienation there are different kinds of
  alienation for Marxists one of the most
  important is the idea that under capitalism the
  products (commodities) of the exploited working
  class are not manufactured and disposed of
  according to their own wishes a worker's product
  is alienated from him or herself because the
  worker is just a replaceable cog in a giant
  machine his or her labor is therefore alienated
  from his or her nature or being.

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Lets Read The Communist Manifesto!
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