Marxist Socialism/ Communism
By Cody Altro
When Communism was Devised and
by Whom
• Fredrick Engels and Karl
Marx
• The theory was devised
in the 1840’s
• Was developed by Karl
Marx and Fredrick
Engels.
Historical Conditions
• Marxism and socialism
are part of the
consequences of the
Industrial Revolution.
• During the Industrial
Revolution in England and
in Germany workers were
forced to work 12 hour
days, 6 days a week in
unsafe conditions for very
poor wages.
Workers in a factory during
the Industrial Revolution
Historical Materialism
• Workers are forced to
do the impossible.
• The Marxist approach
to the interpretation of
history is known as
historical materialism.
• According to this
theory, the history of
society could be
categorized by its
economic
characteristics.
Capitalism and Society
• Marxism criticizes the
capitalist economy and
its effect on society.
• The middle class
factory-owners or
bourgeoisie control by
exploiting the working
masses.
• Marx’s idea of the
capitalist pyramid.
Capitalist Production and Social Class
• The Proletariat being
exploited.
• Marx contended capitalism
creates a hierarchy of
economic classes, that
these classes are alienated
from the other.
• According to this
philosophy, the major two
classes in a capitalist society
were the bourgeoisie,
defined by the fact that
they owned or ran
businesses and the
proletariat, or workers.
Revolution of the Proletariat
• History is always a
struggle between classes.
• Marxist theory believes
revolution is the only way
of achieving true social
change as those that have
wealth would not
abandon their privileges
willingly and that this
change was inevitable as
the theory of historical
materialism
demonstrated.
• Workers Fight Oppression
Marxism after the Revolution
Succeeds
• The workers revolt
• The leaders of the
Revolution must be a
small group who know
how to get the workers
to unite and fight for
their rights. After
succeeding:
• There will be a
dictatorship of the
proletariat, led by the
leaders.
The Ideal World Under Communism
• All workers are paid and
treated equally.
• The workers own all
means of production.
• Eventually there will no
longer be a need for
government.
The Flaws of Communism
• There is no incentive to be
creative because there is no
financial reward for creativity.
• The flaw with Marx's theory is
that he did not understand
human nature.
• He envisioned the lower classes
rising up and over throwing their
rich and then settling down to
live in this utopian society in
which there would be not
religion, no government, and no
private ownership of anything.
• The problem with this vision is
that it goes contrary to human
nature.
More Flaws of Communism
• For communism to
work there can only be
one political party.
• There will be police
terror, indoctrination,
censorship and
persecution.
• The leader exercises
absolute authority.
History of Communism since 1917
• Lenin and Stalin
• The first successful
communist revolution
was in Russia in 1917.
• The first communist
leader was V. Lenin.
• The next leader was
Stalin. He was a brutal
dictator and killed
millions of his own
people.
History of Communism Continued
• The next successful
communist revolution
was in China.
• The first Chinese
communist leader was
Mao Tse Tung.
• Communism still exists
in China today.
• Mao Tse Tung
Communism Today
Communist Leaders
• Today Communism still
exists in:
• China
• Cuba
• Vietnam
• North Korea
• Venezuela
Communism vs Laissez- Faire
Capitalism
Communism
Strict government run
economy. Price controls
and strict control over
production prevailed.
Government ownership
of business.
There is no profit in
communism.
Laissez- Faire Capitalism
The self regulated market
system. From now on you
should refer to the self
regulated market.
Private ownership of
business.
Entrepreneurs take a risk
to make a profit.
Does Communism Have Value Today?
• NO!
• Communism does not allow
for new ideas because there
is no financial incentive to
be creative.
• There would be no Thomas
Edison, Henry Ford, Steve
Jobs or Bill Gates.
• Today communism only
works with the poorest
countries because it
guarantees work, education
and health care; but at the
price of loss of freedom.
Vocabulary
Bourgeoisie-The capitalist class who own most of
society's wealth and means of production.
Proletariat -Workers or working-class people, regarded
collectively
Mode of production- Everything that goes into the
production of the necessities of life
Mean of production- the raw materials and means of
labor (tools, machines, etc) employed in the production
process
Relations of production- The social structures that
regulate the relation between humans in the production
of goods.
Work Cited
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http://www.deepspirits.com/great-people/marx-engels/
http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/h114_2002/marxism.htm
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