FREE ESSAY ON COMMUNISM - THE IDEAL SOCIETY?

COMMUNISM - THE IDEAL SOCIETY?

Communism-The Ideal Society?
Society is flawed. There are critical imbalances in it that are causing much of humanity
to suffer. I suppose that this would be the driving force behind humanity's relentless
search to plan and create a perfect society. An essential part of having an unflawed
society would be having a perfect government. Throughout history, we have always strived
to find different types of governments that would work more efficiently and more fairly
for the greater good of masses. Needless to say, communism is not often revered as an
"ideal" form of government. There is almost a unanimous sense of hatred that is emitted
from all non-communist countries when the topic of communism is brought up. Many
countries and societies have enacted communism and some still uphold it to this day. This
very controversial issue of communism strikes a major chord in people who have lived
under it. Though I am no advocate of communism, I'd like to bring about the question of
whether there maybe the possibility that there are benefits to this system of
government.
In, The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx is reacting to the quest for an ideal society by
describing his vision of a perfectly balanced society, a communist society. Simply put, a
communist society is one where all property is held in common. No one person has more
than the other, but rather everyone shares in the fruits of their labors. Marx is writing
of this society because, he believes it to be the best form of society possible. He
believes that communism creates the correct balance between the needs of the individual,
and the needs of society. He also believes that sometimes violence is necessary to reach
the state of communism. This paper will reflect upon these two topics: the relationship
of the individual and society, and the issue of violence, as each is portrayed in the
manifesto. 
Before embarking upon these topics, it is necessary to establish a baseline from which to
view these ideas. It is important to realize that in everything, humans view things from
their own cultural perspective, thereby possibly distorting or misinterpreting work or
idea. Marx mentions that, Your very ideas are but the outgrowth of the conditions of your
bourgeois production and bourgeois property, just as your jurisprudence is but the will
of your class made into a law for all, a will, whose essential character and direction
are determined by the economical conditions of existence of your class (Marx 37). With
this in mind, some perspective on the society of that time is vital. During Marx's time
the industrial revolution was taking place. There was a massive movement away from small
farms, businesses operated out of homes, and small shops on the corner. Instead, machines
were mass-producing products in giant factories, with underpaid workers. No longer did
people need to have individual skills. It was only necessary that they could keep the
machines going, and do small, repetitive work. The lower working class could no longer
search for a tolerable existence in their own pursuits. They were lowered to working
inhumane hours in these factories. This widened the rift between the upper and lower
class-called bourgeois and proletariat, respectively-until they were essentially two
different worlds. The bourgeois, a tiny portion of the population, has the majority of
the wealth. Meanwhile the proletariat, the huge majority, has nothing. It is with this
background that Marx begins. 
First, the topic of the individual and society will be discussed. This topic in itself
can be broken down even further. First, the flaws with the current system in respect to
the bourgeois and proletariat will be shown, thereby revealing the problems in the
relationship between individual and society. Secondly, the way that communism addresses
these issues, and the rights of the individual, as seen through the manifesto. Quite
clearly, Marx is concerned with the organization of society. He sees that the majority of
society, that is, the proletariat, exist in sub-human conditions. Marx also sees that the
bourgeoisie has a disproportionate abundance of property and power, and that because of
what they are, they abuse it. He writes of how the current situation with the bourgeoisie
and proletariat developed. The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of
class struggles (Marx 41). There have always been struggles between two classes, an upper
and lower class. However, Marx speaks of the current order saying, It [bourgeois] has but
established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of
the old ones. Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this
distinctive feature: it has simplified the class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more
and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly
facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat (Marx 42). The very nature of the
bourgeoisie causes it to grow in size and power while the proletariat shrinks. Therefore
the rift between the two is increased. Marx goes on to describe how this situation came
about, with the industrial revolution and other factors. 
Modern industry has established the world-market, for which the discovery of America
paved the way. This market has given an immense development to commerce, navigation, and
communication by land. This development has, in its turn, reacted on the extension of
industry; and in proportion as industry, commerce, navigation, railways extended, in the
same proportion the bourgeoisie developed, increased its capital, and pushed into the
background every class handed down from the Middle Ages. We see, therefore, how the
modern bourgeoisie is itself the product of a long course of development, of a series of
revolutions in the modes of production and of exchange (Heilbroner 56). 
With these thoughts in mind, a more defined view of the individual classes can be
attained. First, the proletariat: in several places Marx speaks of how the proletariat is
oppressed. He speaks of past societies and the current society when he says, Freeman and
slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word,
oppressor and oppressed… (Marx 41). Bourgeoisie and proletariat could quite
comfortably be added to this list of oppressor and oppressed. In every way the
proletariat is oppressed, with no hope of improving the lot they have been given, or of
raising themselves up. Rather, they are forced to march on hopelessly, knowing that they
will not be released from their labors till death. Marx also writes of the relationship
between the proletariat and the machines, which is a result of the split between the
bourgeoisie and proletariat. He [proletariat] becomes an appendage of the machine, and it
is only the most simply, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack, that is
required of him…Not only are they slaves of the bourgeois class, and of the
bourgeois State; they are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the overlooker,
and, above all, by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself (Marx 55). Marx draws a
picture of how the majority of the population is in an oppressed situation of slavery.
The lot of the proletariat is not to be envied. From here, Marx moves on to describe the
oppressor, the bourgeois. "The bourgeois, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an
end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the
motley feudal ties that bound man to his 'natural superiors,' and has left remaining no
other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous 'cash payment.' It
has drowned the most heavenly ecstasies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm, of
philistine sentimentalism, in the icy water of egotistical calculation. It has resolved
personal worth into exchange value, and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered
freedoms, has set up that single, unconscionable freedom-free trade (Heilbroner 57).
Here Marx is speaking of how the bourgeoisie controlled society takes every aspect of
society and puts them in terms of an exchange value. They reduce all that is noble and
admirable about humanity to monetary matters, all in the name of capitalism. Again, All
that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled
to face with sober senses, his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind
(Marx 49). The bourgeois creates a system in which anything and everything is measured by
its strict cash worth. 
Now that the roles of the bourgeoisie and proletariat have been established, it is
possible to reconsider the communist ideal. Clearly, Marx believes that it is wrong for
the majority of society, the proletariat, to suffer so. He believes that individuals
should be equal, not divided into two distinct worlds. Marx describes the current
individual in society saying that, In bourgeois society, capital is independent and has
individuality, while the living person is dependent and has no individuality (Marx 59).
He also makes the distinguishing point that it is important for the reader to realize
that objections they have more than likely rise up from their own bourgeoisie background.
You must, therefore, confess that by 'individual' you mean no other person than the
bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property. This person must, indeed be swept out
of the way, and made impossible (Marx 60). Marx (and communism) wants to correct society
so that all individuals benefit without a particular ruling and enslaved class. Marx
speaks for communism saying, All that we want to do away with, is the miserable character
of this appropriation, under which the laborer lives merely to increase capital, and is
allowed to live only in so far as the interest of the ruling class requires it (Marx 70).
Marx declares if communism is implemented that, In proportion as the exploitation of one
individual by another is put an end to, the exploitation of one nation by another will
also be put an end to (Marx 63). 
With all of this established clearly, Marx thinks it is wrong that a small group of
people should profit so much to the detriment of so many. Any society that encourages
this, or allows this to develop is wrong, and should be changed. He believes that society
is incorrect and corrupt to allow so many people to suffer. As a result he writes this
manifesto that lays out the problems, and explains why he believes that communism will
correct the balance of society and create an existence where every person is valued, and
no one can raise themselves up by oppressing another. 
This brings up the topic of violence. As declared before, the bourgeois will not be
readily willing to forfeit their position, so stronger measures will be necessary to
create the change that is necessary. Marx has two things to say on this subject. First,
violence in and of itself is not a good thing. Second, it may at times be necessary to
achieve a greater good. First, let's establish Marx's position that violence in general
should be avoided. Marx speaks of constant upheaval and violence in several places.
"…oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on
an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a
revolutionary re-constitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the
contending classes (Marx 45). Constant opposition, or violence results in the destruction
of both forces, according to Marx. Constant upheaval and violence is not a good thing, it
is detrimental to both the individual and society.
However, in order to institute communism, (which is the greatest good according to Marx)
a revolution is necessary. Revolution does not necessarily mean violence. However, in
this case violence will be difficult to avoid, and Marx states that violence may be
necessary. Marx wrote several passages regarding this. What is being described here is
clearly nothing less than a revolution, a complete reversal in thought and society. Marx
describes the first step in this revolution. We have seen above, that the first step in
the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of
ruling class, to win the battle of democracy (Marx 64). So it is clear that the first
step is to raise the proletariat to the ruling class, but how is this done? Marx writes
that …we traced the more or less veiled civil war, raging within existing society,
up to the point where that war breaks out into open revolution, and where the violent
overthrow of the bourgeoisie lays the foundation for the sway of the proletariat (Marx
56). He speaks directly of violence when he says that, If the proletariat during its
contest with the bourgeoisie is compelled, by the force of circumstances, to organize
itself as a class, if, by means of a revolution, it makes itself the ruling class, and,
as such, sweeps away by force the old condition of production… (Marx 75). If the
proletariat is forced to violence, then violence should be taken, because it is for the
greater good. Marx puts it all together in one final statement. In short, the Communists
everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political
order of things. (Marx 86). 
Putting things back into perspective again, it is vital to realize that this violence
should be short lived, and only continue until the proletariat is in position to make
some changes to society. Marx uses terms like 'despotic inroads,' 'necessitate,' and
'unavoidable' to describe the necessary violence. Violent acts are terrible things in and
of themselves, but must be used at times for a greater good. However, in his ideal
society, once communism has been reached there will be no more violence. 
History has shown and proven over and over again that communism is far from any concept
of an "ideal" society. The demonstrations in Tienamen square and the Vietnam war are
obvious examples that people who live in communism are not happy. Marx was not alive to
witness either one of these occurrences (Internet source).
After all this, however, it is clear that Marx makes some rather remarkable assumptions
regarding human nature. First, he believes that it is inevitable that the proletariat
will realize that things are not as they should be, and that something needs to be done
about it. Secondly, he believes that people will know the correct amount of violence
necessary to achieve their goals, and will not exceed that. Finally, he assumes that once
the state of communism is reached, that there will be no dissenters that will try to take
advantage of the situation and raise themselves up. The rule of Stalin and Lenin are good
examples of people taking an opportunity to exploit and oppress. The idea of communism
would appear to be just that, an idea, an ideal. It may not necessarily be bad to try to
approach it, but because human nature is necessarily flawed in all likelihood communism
will never be reached in full. 
However, even with all of this, the idea of communism has some good to it. Clearly it
caused some reform in the area of capitalism, toning it down from what it was during the
time of Marx. It has helped by acting as a mirror in which it is possible to see where
society is making mistakes, and where a new balance must be struck between the needs of
the individual, and the needs of society. Even an idea such as communism which may not be
fully applicable can still have, and has had, a profound effect on future society and
humankind. 
Works Cited Sheet
Heilbroner, Robert. Marxism For And Against. New York: W.W. Norton, 1980.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Bantam, 1992.
The History of Communism. Online posting. 12 July 1999.
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/history.html
Bibliography
Works Cited Sheet
Heilbroner, Robert. Marxism For And Against. New York: W.W. Norton, 1980.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Bantam, 1992.
The History of Communism. Online posting. 12 July 1999.
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/history.html