INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE IN FUNDAMENTALS OF RESEARCH

Submitted to: Prof. Rosicar E. Escober

Submitted by: Maun, Kristelle Diane R.

BSIT 3-1

Karl Marx

The German economist, sociologist, historian, journalist and philosopher, Karl Marx was one of the most of the influential thinkers of 20th Century. Both a scholar and a political activist, Marx is often called the father of Communism. He published various books during his lifetime, with the most notable being The Communist Manifesto in 1848 and Das Capital in 1867 to1894; some of his works were cowritten with his friend and fellow German revolutionary socialist, Friedrich Engels. Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in the city of Trier, Germany. His father was a lawyer who came from a long line of Rabbis, a person appointed as a Jewish religious leader, but had changed his faith to Protestantism in order to keep his job; his mother was Henriette Pressburg. While he attended a Lutheran elementary school growing up, he later became an atheist and a materialist. In 1835, Marx enrolled in Bonn University in Germany where he took courses in law, however, he was much more interested in philosophy and literature. One year later, he enrolled at the University of Berlin. Marx soon felt at home when he joined a circle of brilliant and extreme thinkers who were challenging existing institutions and ideas, including religion, philosophy, ethics, and politics.. He graduated with his doctoral degree in 1841. Marx died March 14, 1883 and was buried at Highgate Cemetery in North London, the deaths of his eldest daughter and his wife Jenny von Westphalen, clouded the last years of his life. In his times, the Industrial Revolution in Europe helped the factories to produce goods on a largescale. The surplus goods were exported to other countries. The owners of the factories earned huge profits and became rich. They started new factories and earned more profits, thus a few businessmen and industrialists became very rich. This new class of people was called capitalists. Though the capitalists became rich, they did not pay enough wages to the workers. Marx believed that all historical change was caused by a series of class struggles between the bourgeoisie 'haves' and the proletariat 'have nots'. Capitalism describes an economic system in which the means of production, such as factories are privately owned. The bourgeoisie or the haves, are the middle and upper classes. They have economic and political power. They own land and run businesses. They are capitalists. The proletariat, or the 'have nots' are the lower classes, those who do not have economic or political power. The proletariat provides labor on the land or work in the businesses owned by the bourgeoisie. The proletariats are, according to Marx, exploited by the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie employ proletarians in their factories and farms. The proletarians are paid money for their labor and the bourgeoisie then use the proletarian labor to produce goods that are sold for more money than the wage of

the proletarian. The bourgeois businessman keeps the profit and becomes wealthy from the labor of the proletariat. Karl Marx thought about the miseries of the working people. He wanted to fight against the unfair and unjust situation. In 1848, revolution broke out against capitalism in many parts of Europe. Marx and his friend Engels took active part in it. The revolution failed and Karl Marx was expelled from Germany and he spent the rest of his life in London. Marx thought that the modern factories producing large quantities of goods should not be owned by individuals. He wanted the workers or society to own them. The most famous of his early writings is The Communist Manifesto, which he and his friend Engels wrote together in 1848, it appeals to workers in all countries to unite and fight against the capitalists. He wanted a classless, communist society, it is a society where all property is publicly owned and each person is paid according to their works, abilities and needs. Marx and Engels believed the only way to end the class struggle was for an uprising to take place, the proletariats overthrowing the bourgeoisie and the capitalist form of government and installing a socialist rule. This socialist rule will eventually evolve into a communist rule and create a society wherein everyone is completely equal on all levels. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need," was the slogan often used by Marx to promote his theories. This slogan explained means, each person in a society will work hard at what he or she is good at, being equal to his neighbor despite the different jobs they accomplish and each person in said society would contribute and receive back from their contribution and other's contribution exactly what they needed to survive, no man being above another. This form of order would eliminate classes and also eliminate class struggles. "Private ownership is the cause of all the economic, social and class problems," Marx believed that no one would privately own anything but rather what is earned should benefit everyone and not just by oneself ,because if everyone is working to his or her own ability then there is no need for private ownership because everyone is equal. Private ownership only generates problems and jealousy, if one person owns more than another, it can just create another class, and Marxism was developed to eliminate all forms of class. The envy of someone else's private possession causes social tensions and could only lead to many problems in the society. Private ownership also divides people into groups that could be considered classes, those with, and those without, and as stated in Marx's theories this would eventually lead to a class struggle and repeat history. Marx further developed his ideas on economics and wrote them in a book which is known by its German title Das Kapital. Marx claimed that the struggle to make a living, had divided people into social

classes. He wanted the working classes to revolt and makes themselves masters of society. He also wrote many articles in different newspapers. His ideas provided the basis for communist thinking. The ideas and theories of Karl Marx contribute the way we see our environment and society now. People who are rich and famous are the one who continue to become richer, and the lower classes, the ones who work hard for the benefits of the upper class people gain lower profit that result of having a poorer life. The ideas of Karl Marx make us think that there is something wrong in our society now. There should be equality so that all the people will have a good life and all the hard work of each individual will not useless. He opens our minds and encourages us to work hard and each person should be paid according to their works and there should have a classless society, there is no powerful or upper and lower class because that would be unfair. Karl Marx main point about his ideas is the equality of the society. Karl Marx is a man who recognized something is dreadfully wrong in this world like power, exploitation and alienation who longed for something better. He understood about the negative attraction of wealth that we all have and this cause people to be not united and to become selfish to one another that having wealth divides us to different classes. It is important to for us to know the ideas and theories of Karl Marx because it can give us idea on what is going on in the society of the past that it continues to happen now in our generation. He opens our mind and let us think that the world experiencing of having a different classes that the lower class is working hard but the upper class are the one who benefited the most. The lesson that Karl Marx has leave to us is that we should be concerned in our environment, especially in our society now. We should be curious about what is happening, and if possible we should also be responsible and be concerned to our constituents. We should not be attract and tempted by money or wealth. Karl Marx leaves us a lesson that we should have a classless and equal society.