Marx & Communism
A BRIEF EXAMINATION INTO
HOW COMMUNISM DEFINES JUSTICE
Marx on Religion
“Religion …is the opium of the people. The abolition of
religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required
for their real happiness. The demand to give up the
illusion about its condition is the demand to give up a
condition which needs illusions” -Marx
 What is Marx saying about religion?
To be awesome use our formula from yesterday:
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Opinion
Quote
Explanation/Interpretation of quote
Capitalism
 An economic system in which the means of production
and distribution are privately or corporately owned and
development is proportionate to the accumulation and
reinvestment of profits gained in a free market
Communism
 1. A theoretical economic system characterized by the
collective ownership of property and by the organization
of labor for the common advantage of all members
 a. A system of government in which the state plans and
controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian
party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a
higher social order in which all goods are equally shared
by the people
 b. The Marxist-Leninist version of Communist doctrine
advocates the overthrow of capitalism by the revolution of
the proletariat
Proletariat vs. Bourgeoisie
 Proletariat:
a. The class of industrial wage earners who, possessing neither
capital nor production means, must earn their living by selling
their labor
b. The poorest class of working people
 Bourgeoisie:
a. The middle class (the ownership class)
b. In Marxist theory, the social group opposed to the
proletariat in the class struggle
What is the Solution?
 Human societies progress through class struggle: a conflict between
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an ownership class that controls production and a dispossessed
laboring class that provides the labor for production would
eventually lead to the acceptance of communism
Thus, Marx advocated for the revolution of the proletariat to take
the power away from the bourgeoisie and spread the profit and
resources equally among ALL in the society
No person would claim ownership of production, i.e., no privatized
businesses, no privatized profits
Everyone equally benefits from the efforts put forth from everyone
in society, no matter your job or position
(Ideally) Those in charge would have the best interest of the
collective group in mind and create laws that were advantageous to
the majority and not a select few
Karl Marx
May 5 1818 – March 14, 1883
Studied at the University of Berlin
Most famous works include:
The Communist Manifesto
Das Kapital
Wrote about and studied:
-Sociology
-Philosophy
-Economics
-History
-Socialism
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Religion + Capitalism
 Marx argued that religion, through the doctrine of denying
oneself, advocating suffering on earth, and blindly
following church leaders, politicians, government
officials, and business owners could abuse and
dehumanize their workers through the guise of a “better
afterlife”
 How does this relate to Neo-Platonism (it is OK to suffer
now because the body is sinful and suffering gets you
closer to God)?
Marx on Capitalism
 “Dictatorship of the bourgeoisie”- meaning, in a capitalistic
society the government is run by the wealthy classes for their
own benefit
 Marx argued that the exchange of money for goods destroyed
relationships between people in society – the dehumanizing
effect of placing worth on someone’s time, education, labor
skills, etc
 He further argued that class antagonisms under capitalism
between the bourgeoisie and proletariat would eventuate in the
working class' conquest of political power in the form of social
revolution where (ideally) the proletariat would eventually be
in charge of the common good (administering justice to all
citizens no matter what their station)