07/04/20 12:25 Filed in:
Inspiratie
… zei Mark Rutte vorige week … en voegde daaraan toe ‘We zijn natuurlijk een land dat in de kern diep-socialistisch is’ ….. Dat klinkt bijna linkser dan Den Uyl! Dat riekt naar Communisme ….. Dan is het nu wellicht een mooi moment om toch een keer terug te gaan naar de bron, namelijk de werken van Marx en Engels.
Zeker nu, met de steun-paketten van de Overheid, grote delen van de beroepsbevolking indirect in dienst zijn van de Overheid en bedrijven als KLM en Schiphol waarschijnlijk genationaliseerd moeten worden om te overleven. Het Kapitalistische systeem klopt weer (weet u nog 2008 de Banken …) aan bij de Staat voor redding ….
Een herbezinning van het Kapitalistische model is ook op zijn plaats nu we ons realiseren dat Flitsbeleggers en Hedgefonds-managers niet de vitale beroepen zijn …..
Toevallig vroeg mijn zoon vandaag een Essay te reviewen dat hij voor zijn studie moest schrijven en omdat dit de spijker op zijn kop slaat, neem ik het (met zijn instemming) hier integraal over:
The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and his co-author, Friedrich Engels in 1848. In the Manifesto, Marx and Engels analyse society and criticise the capitalist system. The manifesto lays the groundwork for all subsequent Marxist theories that followed. In the manifesto, Marx argues that at every point in history, there have been oppressors and the oppressed. Marx sees the Bourgeoise and Proletariat as fulfilling these roles in modern times. He argues that in every epoch the Bourgeoise revolutionizes the means of production, which also changes the relations of society. He described it as the following in the Manifesto: ‘The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionising the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society. Conservation of the old modes of production in unaltered form, was, on the contrary, the first condition of existence for all earlier industrial classes. Constant revolutionising of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty and agitation distinguish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones. All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify’. (Marx & Engels, 1848, Page 16). The constant revolutionising of the means of production have made it impossible for the Proletariat to recognise their oppressors. Every epoch is more of the same, without the proletariat recognising it. (Marx & Engels, 1848, Page 16).
In the Manifesto, Marx also describes how the Bourgeoise has centralized the means of production in order to make it easier to exploit the Proletariat. As a result, labour has become a commodity just like goods and services. When labour becomes more efficient, the cost of production goes down, this also makes the wages go down. Marx argues that the Proletariat have become slaves to their machines.
Perhaps the most important point that Marx makes in the Communist Manifesto, is the abolishment of private property. Marx argues that it is impossible to create capital by yourself. It is only created when the Proletariat works together in places like factories. Therefore he believes that capital should be commonly owned by the Proletariat, and not go into the pocket of one Bourgeoise. It is important to note however, that Marx specifically means the abolishment of private property of the Bourgeoise. According to Hiley, member of and writer for the Communist Party of the United States, Marx meant the following: ‘’The private property that Marx is talking about is private ownership of things like factories, banks, and railroads, which allow their owners to make money from the work of other people. He has (and we have) no problem with working people accumulating the sort of stuff needed for a comfortable life.’’ (Hiley, 2018). In short, Marx calls upon all the workers in the world to unite and overthrow the Bourgeoise. After which a communist system can be created, where the means of production is in the hands of the workers, and private property can be abolished (Marx & Engels, 1848).
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx are the founding fathers of Communism. Marx and Engels’ association began when Engels published his writings on ‘The Conditions of the Working Class in England’ in 1845. Both Marx and Engels came up with the same observations on the working class separately. After persuading the Communist Congress in London of their views and principles, Marx and Engels began working together on the Communist Manifesto. The Manifesto was mostly based on the Engels’s writing in ‘Principles of Communism’ published in 1847. The Manifesto was written as a statement on the policy and principles of the Communist Party. Engels was seen as the specialist in international affairs, military matters and national questions, and Marx would often turn to Engels for his expertise on different subject matters. In 1867, they expanded upon their ideas with ‘Das Kapital’. Herein Marx analyses the capitalist system from an economic, societal and historical perspective. After Marx died in 1883, Engels became the most important authority on Marxism. He tried to keep the spirit of Marx alive by completing the final chapters of ‘Das Kapital’ and by corresponding with Marxists around the world. Engels died in 1895 of cancer in London (Hammen, n.d.).
One could conclude that Engels always stood in the shadow of Marx. Engels says so himself: ‘What Marx accomplished I would not have achieved. Marx stood higher, saw farther, and took a broader and quicker view than all the rest of us. Marx was a genius; we others were at best men of talent. Without him the theory would be far from what it is today. It therefore rightly bears his name.’ (Engels, 1868). Engels was incredibly modest about his contribution to Marxism. Another Marxist thinker, Leon Trotsky, disagreed. Trotsky wrote in his ‘Diary in Exile’ the following: ’How well they complement one another! Or rather, how consciously Engels endeavours to complement Marx; all his life he uses himself up in this task. He regards it as his mission and finds in it his gratification. And this without a shadow of self-sacrifice-always himself, always full of life, always superior to his environment and his age, with immense intellectual interests, with a true fire of genius always blazing in the forge of thought.’ (Trotsky, 1959). Trotsky saw Engels as the person that made Marx’s ideas more approachable, which was extremely valuable for the development of Communism.
The base and superstructure
The decades following the publication of the communist manifesto, Marx expanded his ideas on the capitalist system. In his preface to ‘A contribution to the Critique of Political Economy’ Marx develops his theory of the base and superstructure. In this theory, Marx outlines the tensions between the means of production and the relations to production. The means of production being all the elements that go into creating goods and serviced, expect human beings, and the relations of production being all the social relationships that form during production. In Marx’s theory these two together form the base. Marx defines the superstructure as a reflection of societies political system, cultural institutions, legal system etc. The base shapes the superstructures, and the superstructures maintains the base. Marx argues that social developments only happen after economic developments. When the relationship between the means of production, and relations to production become outdated through for example, technological advancements, social change is needed to better utilize these advancements. So, when something changes in the (economic) base, it is reflected in the (societal) superstructure (Cole, 2020).
Communism applied to today
The capitalist system that Marx and Engels spent their lives on criticising and trying to overthrow, is still in place today. The past one-hundred years, the capitalist system has only expanded with the rise of globalism. However, Marx was correct in describing the capitalist system as inherently unstable (Easterling, 2003). When capitalism faces a small hick-up, the whole system collapses. The past two decades, the world has seen multiple economic crisis, and is facing one right now. New calls have developed for significant social and economic reform after the COVID-19 crisis is over ("Virus lays bare the frailty of the social contract", 2020). This section focuses on how Marx’s theories can be applied to the current crisis, and how it can pave the way for new social and economic reforms based on Communist ideals.
Changes in the base and superstructure
It is almost certain that the world is on the eve of another global recession. In order to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, daily life in large parts of China, most of Europe and most states in America has completely shut down. Consumers are not able to spend anything as business are forced to close, and people cannot leave their homes. This slump in consumer spending has already been reflected in stock markets all over the world. Kenneth S. Rogoff, a Harvard economist described it as the following: “This is already shaping up as the deepest dive on record for the global economy for over 100 years,” he said. “Everything depends on how long it lasts, but if this goes on for a long time, it’s certainly going to be the mother of all financial crises.” (Goodman, 2020). The complete collapse of the current global capitalist system gives the world the opportunity to enact sweeping economic and societal reforms. As Marx stated in his base and superstructure theory, societal development comes after economic development (Cole, 2020). Right now, the relationship between the means of production, and the relations to production is changing. Marx noted that this relationship usually changes through technological advancements, but with the current crisis it is different. For the foreseeable future, it is impossible for workers to go to their workplace due to the Coronavirus. When workers are unable to be present at their workplace to create capital, many businesses would go bankrupt. These significant changes in the base, have caused development in the superstructure. Many different countries are adopting emergency social policies in order to save workers. For example, in the Netherlands, the Dutch government has adopted emergency legislation, where amongst other things, they promise to pay 90% of workers’ wages ("Corona crisis: temporary emergency bridging measure NOW", 2020). Another example is Canada, where the government is paying all workers affected by the Coronavirus, 2000 Dollars per month ("Canada Emergency Response Benefit - Canada.ca", 2020). The collapse of the global capitalist system gives the world the opportunity to rebuild the system with sweeping economic and social reforms, creating a fairer and more equal world based on Communist ideals.
Conclusion
To conclude, the ideas that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels developed are still relevant and applicable today. The Communist Manifesto is a concise piece, explaining the position of Marx and Engels. It has inspired many Communist movements throughout history. Marx and Engels asserted in the Manifesto that capitalism is an inherently unstable system. This assertion rings true especially today, as the world is yet again on the brink of total economic collapse. However, if one applies Marx’s theories to the current economic crisis, one may assert that this collapse can pave the way for social and economic reform, making the world a fairer place in the process.
References
Engels, F. (1868). Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy - Part 4: Marx. Marxists.org. Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1886/ludwig-feuerbach/ch04.htm.
Cole, N. (2020). Learn to Understand Marx's Base and Superstructure. ThoughtCo. Retrieved 5 April 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-base-and-superstructure-3026372
Hammen, O. Friedrich Engels - Last years. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-Engels/Last-years.
Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). The communist manifesto (1st ed.). Workers' Educational Association.
Trotsky, L. (1959). Pierre Frank-TROTSKY'S DIARY IN EXILE -- 1935. Marxists.org. Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/frank/works/diary.htm.
Easterling, S. (2003). Marx's theory of economic crisis. Isreview.org. Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://isreview.org/issues/32/crisis_theory.shtml.
Goodman, P. (2020). Why the Global Recession Could Last a Long Time. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/business/economy/coronavirus-recession.html.
Corona crisis: temporary emergency bridging measure NOW. business.gov.nl. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://business.gov.nl/subsidy/corona-crisis-temporary-emergency-measure-now/.
Canada Emergency Response Benefit - Canada.ca. Canada.ca. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html.
Hiley, S. (2018). Abolition of private property?. Retrieved 9 March 2020, from https://www.cpusa.org/interact_cpusa/the-father-of/
Tags: Communisme, Piketty
….. nu er aan de andere kant van de Oceaan geëxperimenteerd gaat worden met alternatieve therapieën tegen Corona (bleekmiddel slikken, danwel inspuiten en/of UV-licht het lichaam inbrengen; bron Dr D. Trump), leek het mij een aardig idee wat verder te duiken in de wereld van het absurde. En wat blijkt uit gedegen onderzoek … er is wel degelijk verband tussen de leeftijd van Miss America en het aantal moorden door blootstelling aan een overdosis hete lucht.