Karl Marx and Marxism

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Karl Marx and Marxism
For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object
to be manipulated by him
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Politics

• Marx was a communist.
• He wrote The Communist Manifesto with his friend,
  Friedrich Engels in 1848.

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Engels on Marx

• His real mission in life was to contribute, in
  one way or another, to the overthrow of
  capitalist society and of the state institutions
  which it had brought into being, to contribute to
  the liberation of the modern proletariat, which
  he was the first to make conscious of its own
  position and its needs, conscious of the
  conditions of its emancipation. His name will
  endure through the ages, and so also will his
  work.

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Marxism

• Communism is a political philosophy which argues
  that men should have equal rights to wealth.
• Marxism is a way of understanding and analysing
  the organization and structure of society. It is
  also a way of understanding how societies develop
  and change.

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Marxs role in history

• When Marx died, he was not well known except in
  revolutionary circles.
• After his death, his writing prompted a number of
  politicians to lead revolutions in his name.
• Many of these societies were totalitarian.
• His philosophy underlies the thinking of many
  political parties.

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(Marxist) Conflict theory

• All societies are divided into two groups
• Owners
• Workers
• Our society is capitalist.
• Owners are bourgeoisie
• Workers are proletarians

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Owners and workers

• Owners exploit workers and live off the money
  which the workers earn
• Workers put up with this inequality because
• They are oppressed wage slaves and cannot fight
  the system
• They are indoctrinated by ideology and religion
  into believing what they are told by the powerful.

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Marx on the workers

• The worker becomes all the poorer the more
  wealth he produces, the more his production
  increases in power and range.

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Cardiff Who paid?
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Marx and The Revolution

• Marx predicted that wealth would belong to fewer
  and fewer people.
• The workers would eventually realize their
  position and overthrow the bourgeoisie
• There would be an armed revolution which would
  begin in Britain.
• It would happen in the very near future.

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Events of Europe1914Present
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• World War I
• World War II
• The Cold War
• Modern Europe

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World War 1 19141918
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On June 28th, 1914. Archduke Francis Ferdinand,
the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was
assassinated. This set off a chain reaction of
events all across Europe. Within days, Germany
invaded the neutral country of Belgium and rolled
toward Paris. The invasion of Belgium convinced
the British to join the allies against Germany.
Germany declared war on Russia and invaded
Russian Poland. Austria-Hungary declared war on
Serbia at this time and attempted an invasion but
was repeatedly repulsed.
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In 1917, The United States also entered the war
because of the continuous attacks on American
ships such as the Lusitania. The United States,
with France and other allied forces, pushed the
German army back to well past its original
borders. Both sides experienced heavy losses,
but the Germans were finally beaten back, ending
the war in 1918. Although short, World War I
changed warfare drastically. World War I was
when airplanes first became widely used. The
introduction of gases such as mustard gas and
chlorine gas had devastating consequences too.
An estimated 100,000 people died from gas attacks
and another 1,000,000 were seriously injured.
Tanks were also introduced for the first time
during World War I. A total of about 9 million
people died, and countries were still recovering
from their losses 50 years later.
Most of World War I was fought in trenches
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After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles was
made by the allied forces. Germanys colonies
in Africa, China and the North Pacific were
seized. Provisions were included to make sure
that Germany could never start a war again. The
huge German navy had to be reduced to 6 war
ships, no submarines were allowed and Germany
could not have an army of more than 100,000. In
addition, Germany was forced to pay a total of
more than 33 billion to the allies. The Germans
thought the treaty unfair, but were forced to
sign because of starvation of their people. The
German diplomats left the hall weeping, with a
sence that things were not yet resolved. Looking
back, The Treaty of Versailles proved to be a
step backwards, evident less than a generation
later.
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Map of Europe after World War I
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World War II 19391945
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Germany
After World War I ended, Germany entered an
economic depression. The Germans blamed other
European countries and the Jews for their
economic difficulties. In 1934 Adolf Hitler
took control. Under Hitlers rule, Germany began
to increase its power. It renounced the Treaty
of Versailles and annexed Austria in 1937 and
1938. In 1939 Germanys invasion of Poland
began. In 1940, Germany attacked Norway,
Denmark, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and
France. Then, in 1941, Germany attacked the
Soviet Union.
Adolf Hitler
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Italy
In 1940, Italy, under Mussolini entered the war.
It attacked countries of North Africa in 1940 and
declared war on France and Britain in 1941. It
also attempted invasions on Greece although
unsuccessful. Italy defeated British forces in
in Africa in 1942. But in 1943, the US entered
the desert war and along with other allied
forces, conquered the Italian army. Italys
mainland was then attacked and conquered during
the same year. After being beaten, Italy
actually changed sides and attacked Germany,
although they lost to the Nazis too.
Hitler and Mussolini during a parade
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The Holocaust
Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler started a mass
extermination of the Jews. Jews across Europe
were sent to concentration camps where they were
tortured and gassed. Other groups that suffered
at the hands of the Nazis were Gypsies,
homosexuals, and the mentally retarded.
Jews at a concentration camp
Mass graves
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Germanys power began to wane in 1943. After a
series of battles, they lost completely to the
allied powers. The atomic bombs dropped on Japan
in 1945 signified the end World War II. The
devastating effects of World War II are
inconceivable. Over 50 million people lost their
lives, half of them civilians, including 6
million Jews.
The Big Three after WWII. From left, Churchill
of Britain, Truman of the USA and Stalin of USSR.
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USSR History

• Circa 862
• Rurik, a semi-legendary Scandinavian warrior,
  establishes "Russ" or "Rhos" state at Novgorod
• 1462-1505
• Ivan III (the Great) begins annexing surrounding
  areas, builds autocratic state religious leaders
  proclaim Moscow "the third Rome"heir to Rome,
  Constantinople

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USSR

• 1533
• Ivan IV (the Terrible) the first czar expands
  autocracy, begins annexation of Siberia
• 1613
• Michael Romanov becomes czar, founds dynasty that
  rules until 1917
• Russia loses Russo-Japanese War Revolution of
  1905 forces Nicholas II to accept a parliament,
  constitution

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USSR

• 1917
• Bolshevik Revolution Czar Nicholas abdicates
  Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, take
  control Russian Soviet Socialist Republic
  established capital moves to Moscow
• 1918
• Bolsheviks assassinate czar Nicholas

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USSR

• 1918-1921
• Red Terror Lenin purges Communist Party,
  socializes economy 5 million die of famine
• Lenin who once said "It matters not if 90 of
  the Russian people perish so long as 10 bring
  about a world revolution."
• 1922
• Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Transcaucasia
  (present-day Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) form
  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

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• Ironic Revolution?
• The tax system had broken down, so the
  Bolsheviks just turned on the Czar's printing
  pressing to fund their activities. At the same
  time, the prices of most goods were fixed, so as
  the money supply increased without limit, the
  legal prices became less and less realistic.
  Rationing cards replaced rubles as the means of
  acquiring goods. But if money no longer bought
  goods, then what was the point of working? Hence,
  the imposition of compulsory labor

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• 1924-1929
• Joseph Stalin consolidates power inaugurates
  first Five-Year Plan, collectivizes agriculture,
  industrializes famine returns
• 1936
• Millions die in Stalin's Great Purge (through
  1953) 1941

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Stalins 5 year plan

• In the late 1920s and early '30s the state
  combined the peasants' lands and animals into
  collective farms. Starting in 1929 a policy of
  enforcement was applied, using regular troops and
  secret police to confiscate lands and material
  where necessary.
• Many resisted, and a desperate struggle by the
  peasantry against the authorities ensued. Some
  slaughtered their livestock rather than turn it
  over to the collectives. Wealthier peasants were
  labeled "kulaks", enemies of the state. Tens of
  thousands were executed and about 100,000
  families were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan.

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• 1941
• Germany invades Russia
• 1945
• World War II ends Russia occupies Eastern
  Europe, establishes puppet governments, Cold War
  takes shape
• 1949
• Soviets explode atomic device

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Germanys power began to wane in 1943. After a
series of battles, they lost completely to the
allied powers. The atomic bombs dropped on Japan
in 1945 signified the end World War II. The
devastating effects of World War II are
inconceivable. Over 50 million people lost their
lives, half of them civilians, including 6
million Jews.
The Big Three after WWII. From left, Churchill
of Britain, Truman of the USA and Stalin of USSR.
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The Cold War
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The basis for the Cold War was democracy versus
communism. It was the clash between the two most
powerful nations in the world, The Soviet Union
and The United States of America. In 1949 The
Soviet Union tested its first atom bomb and China
turned to communism. These two events showed
that communism was spreading and gaining power.
The US responded by making more nuclear weapons.
They also helped make countries devastated by the
war, such as Japan and Germany, into democratic
and economic world powers. Containment efforts
led to fighting communism in Korea and Vietnam.
Nuclear bomb test site
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NATO
Shortly after World War II, NATO or the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization was made. This
organization of ten West European and two North
American countries agreed to protect each other
from the powerful Soviet Union whose troops were
massed along borders of communist and democratic
nations. Through Mutual Assured Destruction
(MAD), NATO kept the Soviet Union from using its
nuclear weapons. Now that the Cold War is over,
NATO still tries to improve security for
countries as well as to help reform the former
Soviet bloc countries.
NATO flag (left) and shield (right)
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Arguably the most vivid symbol of the cold war
was the Berlin wall which separated East and West
Germany. In 1948, the Berlin crisis arose, in
which Soviets blockaded West Berlin, in an
attempt to starve West Berlin into communism.
But the allies airlifted food to the citizens,
ending the crisis.
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Communist Russia and Eastern Europe VS democratic
US and Western Europe
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Under communism, incredible amounts of people
suffered. In the Soviet Union alone, an
estimated 61,000,000 people were killed by the
communists. Some estimates argue Stalin himself
was responsible for 43,000,000 of these.
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Background The Soviet Union

• Nikita Khrushev Stalins successor
• De-Stalinization
• Peaceful Co-existence with West
• Intolerant of independence movements
• Hungary
• Increased Arms Race
• Removed and under house arrest from 1964-1971

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Brezhnev Era

• 1964 to 1982
• Suppressed dissidents
• Fully used Brezhnev Doctrine promise of use of
  violence against fellow Warsaw Pact members
• Interesting in meeting with US, but not willing
  to negotiate away any stockpiles of weapons

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The End of Brezhnev New Generation of Leaders
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Failure of the Planned Economy

• Soviet benefits low rents, cheap staple food
  items, free health care/day care, very little
  unemployment
• Soviet Drawbacks
• Collectivization unproductive
• Command economy cannot produce enough consumer
  goods
• Long lines, few luxury items
• Central planning unaware of local problems
• Lifetime security little worker motivation

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• 1953 European Common Market
• Soviets invited to join, declined
• Created long-lasting suspicion
• Fed Cold War fears

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Detente

• Definition Easing of tension between the USSR
  and US in the 1970s
• Ended in 1979
• Lack of trust
• Neither nation willing to give up nuclear
  weapons.

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The Gorbachev Revolution

• 1985 new generation
• Renounced Brezhnev Doctrine
• Improve economy by reducing military spending
• Pulled troops out of Afghanistan
• Must make an agreement with the United States
  about nuclear weapons

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Gorbachev Reform

• Glasnost openness
• Ended censorship, encouraged discussion of
  problems
• Perestroika
• Restructuring of the government and economy
• Reduced size of bureaucracy
• Backed free marked reform
• essence of communism
• State still owns factories, but managers make
  decisions
• Land is still owned by state, but farmers can
  have more for personal profit
• Eliminates Soviet monopoly on political parties

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Gorbachev Loses Power

• Reform economic chaos. Problems are actually
  worse
• Without gov. help, factories closed, increasing
  unemployment
• Discontent spread
• Independence for many Bloc nations
• 1991 Gorbachev resigns.
• Communism dead after 74 years.

Communism fell, but so did Gorbachev.
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Communist Party Voted Out
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1991 Russia Under Yeltsin

• 1991 Boris Yeltsin
• 1993 Crisis, Constitution adopted
• Privatization of state-run industries and farms
• High unemployment and prices
• Led to organized crime, corruption
• 1998 economy collapsed
• No one to give aid to Russia (unlike E. Germany)

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Problems in Russia Minorities

• 1994 Revolt in Chechnya. Want to secede
• Many ethnic groups, but mostly Muslim
• 1999 Another revolt
• 1999 Terrorist activity in Moscow by Chechen
  rebels
• 2000 Revolts crushed by Vladimir Putin

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Vladimir Putin

• Member of Soviet secret police, reputation for
  ruthlessness. Not a strong supporter of
  Democracy.
• Acting president in 1999 when Yeltsin resigned,
  elected in 2000
• Unable to stop terrorist activity by Chechen
  rebels
• Corruption is still a problem