Within The Communist Manifesto, there are different types of socialism that are talked
about within the book. The “reactionary socialism”1 class, for they look to stop the
industrialization of their society, if they are part of the bourgeois and proletariat they both look
for revolution for their own reason. For the bourgeois, they loved the simpler times for the
idolize the past ways. They hope that if through reactionary socialism they will be able to reach a
better state in society for their society. Where the proletariat during this time wanted things to go
back to the way of the past so the power of aristocracy can still be at play which would greatly
benefit them.
The “conservative or bourgeois socialism”2 it looks to create a society that is favorable
more for the bourgeois. “A part of the bourgeoisie is desirous of redressing social grievances, in
order to secure the contented existence of bourgeoisie society.”2 They look to create a society
that no longer favors the proletariat that was always head rather helps the working class that
created the growth of the society and are the backbone of the country.
The final type of socialism that Marx and Engels refer to in The Communist Manifesto is
“critical-utopian socialism.”3 This type of socialism seems to be the purest form of socialism and
also the closet version to communism. Within this type of socialism, the authors speak of this
system as the one that “…bears an inverse relation to historical development.”4 For this type of
socialism is pushing for no more a need for political direction nor a need for the proletariat,
rather it is the last step when transitioning into a communistic society. Though another big part
1
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party, P.32
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party, P.38
3
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party, p.39
4
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party, P.41
2
of this movement was the focus that it had on peace, “Hence they reject all political, and
especially all revolutionary action; they wish to attain their ends be peaceful means…”5
Socialism and communism have aspects that are the same yet they also have aspects that
are different within The Communist Manifesto. The idea of socialism was created as a transition
point from a capitalist economic system into a communist economic system. For Karl Marx and
Frederick Engels did not believe that the system of capitalism was the true answer for the
economy. They wanted to stop the fact that the people who always had money or the proletariat
were always able to stay on top, rather they wanted to create a fair system where the working
class or bourgeois also had a chance at success. They wanted to create a system transitioned from
the ideas of wealth is the key to society to one that would use what a person put into the
economy. Where evenly this system could transcend into a system that would treat all as equal
and everyone would give all that they had and receive only what they need which is the idea of
economic communism.
The reason that communism has yet to be successful is for several reasons, yet one and
the most obvious is the fact that humans are greedy. People are not willing to be equal within a
society with everyone where they could have the chance to be better than their peers. This can be
done by taking more than one needs or by not sharing the entirety of what one has. What
happens when this occurs is that no longer is all equal within a system yet rather one group
creeps ahead of another and the struggle between the bourgeois and proletariat starts again.
Another reason why the communist economic system has yet to be successful is since there has
yet to be a true communist economic system that follows Marx’s and Engels’ plan. For where
there has been a communist economic system there has been a leader in charge of the country,
5
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party, P.40
rather for the system to be as attended all must be equal including no leader that towers over all
rather the people share all and decided all as a collective group. For these reasons are why there
has yet to be a successful communist economic system.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Manifesto of the Communist Party. International Publishers,
2017.