A short introduction to the communism of Karl Marx
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Hello there from the Communist Manifesto Project.
This is a short introduction to the communism of Karl Marx. It’s not the perfect introduction but I think it is reasonably helpful.
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Marx saw history as a process of development with each stage being an advance on the one before. And he identified four stages. Communism is the next stage. It is a development beyond capitalism just as capitalism is an advance beyond the societies that precede it. This is a linear or progressive view of history. History is about humanity advancing from one society to the next.
At the present time in history, the developed countries have achieved the capitalist stage while the developing countries are in transition from agricultural to capitalist societies
After many thousands of years of hunter-gathering, agriculture emerged where there was a combination of population pressure and favourable natural conditions.
Capitalism emerged as production became increasing directed at the market rather than immediate consumption.
Communism is a future society that will be more economically and socially advanced than capitalism, and made possible by the conditions created by capitalism.
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Hunter-gathering society
Hunter-gathering society was the first stage. People foraged for food – they collected wild plants and pursued wild animals.
This was not an ideal society. Death rates among infants and children were quite high. The individual was pretty much an organic part of society. There were no individual options. If you were male you were a hunter, if a female then you were a gatherer. And behavior was completely determined by religion, customs and taboos. So, there was not much scope for individuality or individual development. There was also a lot of violence. Abduction of women was a common practice. There was conflict over territory. And there was a belief that misfortune was due to other people's sorcery and this lead to acts of revenge.
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Agricultural society.
The next stage was society based on agriculture which began to emerge about 10,000 years ago. The domestication of plants and animals enabled the creation of a food surplus in a storable form that could be consumed by those not engaged in food production. This lead to the emergence of a privileged stratum ruling over the rest of society. For most people, this meant that life was worse than under hunter-gathering. However, from an historical perspective it was an advance. Meeting the requirements of an agricultural society, particularly those of the ruling elite, lead to a range of developments. There was writing and mathematics. There were also technological advances such as metal working, textiles, pottery and the building of cities and ships.
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Capitalism – first and present stage of industrial society
Full-blown capitalism first emerged in Western Europe during the 19th century. It was based on production for ever expanding markets, with capitalists owning the means of production and the output of production, and workers selling their labor power to the capitalists. Instead of being slaves or serfs as they often were in agricultural societies, working people were now employees.
Capitalism has lead to vast increases in labor productivity with the introduction of machines powered by fossil fuels. The products of the previous period could be produced more cheaply and in greater abundance. And then came a ceaseless array of new products arising from science and innovation. Only a small minority of the population were left in agriculture, where productivity had been increased dramatically, and this freed up people to work in other sectors of the economy.
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Communism – the next, second stage of industrial society
By communism I mean a society where the means of production are owned jointly by the members of society rather than by individuals, particularly by a small number of very big capitalists. Communism is still not in site. And indeed, the prevailing view is that communism has been discredited by the experience in such places as the Soviet Union. The short answer to that claim is that these countries were only making the transition from the agricultural stage to the first industrial stage. There was no prospect of communism.
However, with the achievement of the industrial stage it becomes possible to imagine making the transition to communism. Communism is possible because capitalism creates the conditions for it and at the same time it is the solution to the problems or limitations of capitalism.
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Capitalism creates the conditions
Now what do I mean by capitalism creating the conditions for communism? I am thinking particularly of three things.
First of all, most people are relegated to the status of proletarians or employees, and as a result they have no vested interest in the capitalist system of ownership.
Secondly, economic and technological development under capitalism eliminates scarcity and toil. This means it becomes possible to do without the profit motive. It is now possible to imagine people working because they enjoy what they are doing and they want to contribute. At the same time, it is possible to imagine people being happy with an equal share. You know that others are doing their best and not shirking, and you are sharing a large and increasing economic cake.
While it is impossible to imagine people sharing poverty and unpleasant work, it is possible to imagine people sharing prosperity and voluntarily doing their bit when the work is generally pleasant and rewarding.
The third point is that capitalism sees the emergence of modern society. This eliminates or undermines much of the backward culture of pre-capitalist conditions, which is characterized by the supremacy of the elder-dominated extended family, the tribe and other groups at the expense of the individual and society. Women are subordinated to men. Autocracy is the accepted political norm and everyone grovels to their superiors. A classless, communist society could not possibly emerge directly from such conditions. Emerging from capitalism will be challenging enough.
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The solution to capitalism
As well as being made possible by capitalism, communism is also the solution to the problems of capitalism.
The essential problem with capitalism is that market relations are by their nature quite toxic. I am thinking here of both the markets for products and for labor. They generate not only an economy but a society based on mutual antagonism rather than mutual regard.
An economy based on mutual regard rather than profit is bound to provide better outcomes. Cooperation is better than competition. This includes cooperation between individuals and between organizations. We will help each other solve problems and share knowledge and information. We will have constant economic growth uninterrupted by slumps. And we will devote far more resources to science and innovation.
The fact that people are thriving as human beings in this cooperative work environment must have a profound effect on their lives and relationships outside of work.
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The communist revolution is about changing human nature
While capitalism makes communism possible, it does not simply happen.
The primary task of the communist revolution is to change human nature. If we don’t do this we can’t break free of capitalism It means creating a society where people are fully motivated by mutual regard. This makes sense because our full development depends on the full development of others. Put it this way, we cannot flourish if the people we have to deal with are bitter and twisted. We need to be interacting with healthy people. So, concern for others is enlightened self-interest.
This change requires a struggle between the old ways and the new ways. This has several elements.
First of all, there is the fight against the enemies of change. To begin with the people who used to run things will resist. They will have a range of skills and abilities that will make them a serious threat.
Then there are the capitalist roaders. These are people in positions of power who pretend to be revolutionary but are reactionary in reality. These are the sort of people who took over in the so-called “communist” countries. Their communism was pure pretence. It was just a career thing. These sorts of people would need to be exposed and cast aside.
Finally, and most importantly, we must struggle to transform ourselves. This is not just a matter of being “good”. It is also about learning to be bold and confident, and not allowing ourselves to be subordinated to others. It is also about standing up to bad behavior when it requires moral courage. I am thinking here of the fact that those who behave badly are often bullies and are good at making out that you are the problem and not them. You need to be strong to stand up to that sort of thing rather than to simply cave in. We will need a large revolutionary mass movement made up of sturdy souls committed to the struggle for change. Without this the enemies of change will win.
A particular feature of this period of transition or transformation is that work incentives will still have to play a role for quite a while. But over time as people and work are transformed, the right to a share of the social product will become increasingly unconnected to the work performed.
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In conclusion
I will conclude now on a rather sobre note about present reality.
Firstly, large parts of the world have not completed the capitalist stage of development and it will take several generations for that to occur. So, the more that capitalism can transform those regions the better, and the quicker the better.
Secondly, there is presently no sign of the revolutionary movement that will be needed to make the political transition. This should not be confused with the ridiculous little political groups that are best described as pseudo left. They make out that they are revolutionary but are in fact quite reactionary. They are part of the problem rather than the solution. In particular, they oppose global capitalist development and believe that limits to economic growth make it impossible for us to achieve the high levels of prosperity required for communism.
So, at this stage perhaps the prime task is seeking greater clarity on critical questions. I would include among these some of the issues raised in this video, such as the way that capitalism creates the conditions for communism, and that we can move from being motivated by reward to being motivated by mutual regard. I would also include thinking about the initial program for a revolutionary government - what it would have to do on day one.
I hope you found this useful. Please check out our other videos and subscribe. And may I also recommend the pamphlet “Rescuing the Message of the Communist Manifesto”. I provide a link to that below.
See you next time.