Marx's Critique On Capitalism example essay topic

Karl Marx and his critique of capitalism The definition of utopia is an ideally perfect place especially in its social, political, and moral aspects (dictionary. com). This paper will discuss the changes in capitalism since Marx's critique in 1848. Marx's fundamental critique remains correct today. Marx is still correct about his critique of capitalism because even though there have been changes made to capitalism to prevent some abuses, capitalism still produces inequality, reduces the family relationship, destroys small business, and enslaves.

In 1848 Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto which was a formal statement of the communist party. "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles [... ] we find almost everywhere a complicated arrangement of society into various orders, a manifold graduation of social rank" (Cohen and Fermon, 448). Marx believed that throughout the past the great societies of the world have all experienced class struggle in all their internal conflict. Marx felt that the class struggle that exists in capitalism would become the main internal conflict surpassing all other struggles. Marx illustrated class distinctions in both ancient history and modern history. Marx explained, "In ancient Rome we have patricians, knights, plebeians, (and) slaves; in the middle ages, feudal lords, vassals, guild masters, journeymen, and apprentices" (Cohen and Fermon, 448).

Marx makes this point to show that if a knight fought a slave then it was a class struggle, the oppressor vs. the oppressed. Marx comments on the cycles between the oppressors and the oppressed because he felt that the capitalistic ways of oppression have been replaced with new forms of oppression, he stated: The modern bourgeois society [... ] has established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in the place of old ones. Our epoch has simplified the class antagonisms: Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, two great camps facing each other: Bourgeois and Proletariat (Cohen and Fermon, 448-449). One can see an example of prejudice disappearing in a capitalist society through women in the modern workplace, which shows that prejudices are of less importance when it comes to making money for the bourgeoisie. Marx felt that the disappearance of certain prejudice through capitalism would be replaced with enslavement to the bourgeoisie and the machine. Marx said, "They are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the over-looker, and above all by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself" (Cohen and Fermon, 453).

People are slaves to the machine and the bourgeoisie because they need to work more hours daily for lower wages because the jobs become more simplistic and automated. A modern example of this is people on an assembly in Detroit, where cars are made. Things are now to the point were you can learn a job in a week when in the past it would have taken years to learn the same job. Marx believes that to sustain market growth capitalism becomes more automated for the giants of industry. Due to this "machinery obliterates all distinctions of labour and nearly everywhere reduces wages" (Cohen and Fermon, 454). In capitalism people are enslaved for lower wages, as the work becomes less appealing.

Marx believed, "As the repulsiveness of the work increases, the wage decreases" (Cohen and Fermon, 453). Marx said that due to the global market and market growth "the place of the manufacture was taken up by the giants" (Cohen and Fermon, 448). Industry taken up by the giants meant that local companies would be lost to international conglomerates. For example, in New Orleans there was a local drugstore named K and B that had been there for more than seventy-five years, it was bought out by Rite Aid a national corporation because it could not compete with the prices Rite Aid was charging. Marx also discussed free trade as a freedom replacing other freedoms one might enjoy in another form of government.

He said, "In the place of the numberless indefeasible charted freedoms, [the elite] has set up that single, unconscionable freedom- free trade" (Cohen and Fermon, 450). Marx illustrates that for free trade we have to give up our right to receive a fair wage, our free time, and our emotional attachment to our family. Marx believed that the family relationship while under capitalism has been reduced to a "mere money relationship". I agree with Marx on this point because, in a capitalistic family structure financial support is emphasized, while emotional relationships are not. Children are either seen as support for the family if they work or a burden on the family if they do not.

Through communism this problem would be reversed and emotional attachment would once again be the most important factor in a family. Marx also said that the bourgeoisie class would not survive without constant change in production and the instruments of production. Because of this Marx said that the need for change brings the bourgeoisie all across the globe, turning barbarian societies into civil ones. This fact of civilization makes great cities and takes people out of small towns and agriculture, which leads to more interdependence and continually puts property into the hands of the elite. This is illustrated with the urbanization of an originally agricultural society, the United States. I think that one of the main problems that affect us today in a capitalistic society is interdependence.

If there is a drought in the Midwest then there will be food shortages in other parts of the country and the world, or prices will go up with the demand for more. If capitalism were working at its best and in its original form people would compete and work for fewer wages because jobs become scarce as the bourgeoisie struggle to maintain the income they had when things were booming. Marx believed that in the past, revolutions have been of the minorities, but the proletariat movement is of the vast majority, because of this he pictured a revolution were it would be the majority in conflict against the minority. The proletariat revolution was very close in the 1930's. The roaring 20's when the economy was strong and there were many jobs available to during the Great Depression in the 1930's when people fought to work for wages that could not support a family. Overall, Marx is very negative about capitalism but he does concede that there are some things that capitalism does very well as an economic model.

Marx says that we are extremely productive, extremely innovative, trade flourishes, and communication reaches its highest quality with capitalism (Cohen and Fermon, 451). Due to modern global communication Marx believed that it would be easier for unions to come about and start revolutions for the proletariat when this problem comes to a head and people develop class-consciousness. The infrastructure that is developed during capitalism is used to sustain ourselves while we develop into a communist society. The lack of capitalistic infrastructure would be the reason why Marx says that Soviet Union, Cuba, and China have failed due to their communist societies.

Marx did admit that early "defects" may appear immediately after the revolution of the working class has taken place. Marx talked about how you get what you give to society, he said, "The same amount of labor which he has given to society in one form he receives back in another" (Cohen and Fermon, 464). Due to the fact that people are not the same and some are better in mind or body, therefore, one can labor more intensely or for longer hours than another and there will be inequality because someone will produce more than another person. Marx said that this will happen because of our way of life with capitalism has just changed. "These defects are inevitable in the first phase of communist society as it is when it has just emerged from prolonged birth pangs from capitalist society" (Cohen and Fermon, 465). Marx that in latter forms of communism this will not be a problem because, "Labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want" (Cohen and Fermon, 465).

Marx said that people in the communist society would begin to realize that they need less and will therefore want less and the workday therefore will be shortened to the amount of time we need to produce for everyone's needs. He said, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" (Cohen and Fermon, 465). Everyone getting what they need when they are working to the best to their ability is true equality. I think that with the changes that have been made to our form of capitalism, a communist society will never come into existence because we have a national minimum wage, laws against monopolies, child labor restrictions, welfare, and other laws to stop abuses by the bourgeoisie. I do think that if capitalism would have continued like Marx saw it around the turn of the century and that we had until the New deal politics of Roosevelt, and some other changes to the America capitalist style that we could possibly be coming to the time when a communist society could be possible in America.

I think that Marx's critique on capitalism is correct and I have shown why I still feel that his critique is correct today even though we have made changes to capitalism to help prevent some of the problems that do in fact arise.