Marxism and Capitalism: An Analysis of Societal Evolution
Personal Opinion of Marx
In this dissertation, I proceed to discuss some of the important aspects of Marxian philosophy, based mainly on capitalist society and the pursuit of a classless society. Marx said: “The capitalist society carries within it its own negation. Capitalism is the first step towards a classless society.” Bourgeois capitalist society has brought about a large technological development so that the concepts of ownership and value disappear. An example is the free distribution of files on the Internet. However, since long ago, it has been seen how capitalism has always overcome its crises through small reforms, strengthening institutions that oversee the markets, encouraging public investment or, at this time, controlling the Internet by law. It is noteworthy that some of the causes of the current financial crisis were due to a lack of supervision of banks and excessive state intervention in the economy, causing it to malfunction. If the state did not control either health or education, they would be cheaper and more effective.
Another important aspect, according to Marx, is that the incorporation of India into capitalism was very traumatic since it meant the destruction of an ancient social order, but absolutely necessary for progress towards a communist society. However, in my opinion, there is no guarantee that once the road to capitalism is taken, it will become a better system, without classes or private property. Besides, the loss of cultural diversity of humanity is irretrievable.
On the other hand, regarding the most important arguments of Marx, he said that “economic growth is an imperative to produce the change from capitalism to communism.” I think that what Marx says is putting the health of the planet at risk today. This obsession with increasing economic development has brought, for example, planned obsolescence, a way to make society consume a greater number of times, making us victims of the need to “partake” in consumerism. In turn, he mentions the idea that the dictatorship of the proletariat is the previous step to a communist society. I do not agree with him on this point, as has been seen in Cuba and Venezuela, where an initial dictatorship remains and can even lead to a totalitarian regime.
In conclusion, note that Marxian thought is interesting due to the need to overcome inequalities and hope for a society beneficial to all. Its current relevance is that implementing the Marxist model would be impractical; it would be an absolute failure today. However, everything that has led to the Marxist analysis of capitalism is important, as it has raised awareness and helped drive much to overcome inequalities today.
First Question
The prologue of the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, as set forth in this text by the author, Karl Marx, the famous German philosopher, can be summarized and/or treated as follows:
First, we show a personal score to study the system of bourgeois economy in the following order: capital, land ownership, wage labor, state, foreign trade, and the world market. Some time before, he had written all his work materials in the form of monographs, which were written at long intervals to clarify his own ideas, and not for publication. The systematic production of these materials depends, he admits, on external circumstances.
This preface warns the reader that they have to be renewed from the particular to the general to understand your message correctly. Then, Karl Marx made a brief tour of their studies and experiences, which could also help the reader to understand the work.
Marx was sent to Brussels by M. Guizot, who was the reigning French prime minister under the monarchy of Philip II of Orleans. At this time, there was an absolute monarchy without universal suffrage. Therefore, he is sent to Brussels, where he continued his studies in political economy. Marx, throughout this paragraph, summarizes the main theses of all historical materialism, the result of which was reached by men working in the social contract between them (relations of production). These social relations of production have a space for up to certain material productive forces. The productive forces are the means that human beings develop their work and nature to meet their needs, thereby developing their production. The totality of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society.
The following text summarizes the main thesis of historical materialism, which appears in this text: the relations of production and equality (employee relations). He says that these relationships result in an equal economic structure. Another basic thesis is that all societies can distinguish between economic structure and infrastructure, which determines the legal superstructure, ideological politics (forms of consciousness). Depending on the superstructure and the mode of production, it determines the entire social, political, and spiritual era. That is, the bases of society, which determine the ideology, religion, laws, institutions, etc. Labor forces and social relations that occur in the production process are the infrastructure or economic base of society, which governs the superstructure. Relations of production do not depend on human will, but on the way of organizing the production system and the degree of development of productive forces. With the revolution, everything would end and would result in a different economy, where workers are no longer alienated and conscious of their power to carry out the revolution. So, Marx shows that he not only wants to interpret the world but to change it.
Here, Marx talks about the relationship between infrastructure and superstructure; it is said to be a dialectical relationship. In the first excerpt, the author argues that the very development and advancement of productive forces (labor improvements in the industry, technological advancement) lead necessarily to be in contradiction with the relations of production (landlords conflicting with media production workers and among them according to their hierarchy in the production process). Thus began a period of social revolution that is transforming the economic base, replacing the relations of production with others, and also a transformation of the ideological forms or superstructure. The author emphasizes the primacy of economic conditions in the social process. At the end of the text, he says that social change is possible under physical conditions within the old society if the economic structure has changed to such a revolution previously. The end of history will come when the capitalist mode of production shines by its internal characteristics of the socialist society. There must be a change; this change advances a classless society without exploitation, where public ownership of the means of production is established. The revolution will come when the contradictions are too great.
In the following, Marx expresses his friendship and intellectual match with Engels, leading them to undertake joint work such as “The Critique of German Idealist Philosophy (Hegel’s)” and “The Communist Manifesto.” At this time, he remains in a controversy with Proudhon (an anarchist). Unlike the anarchist thought of Proudhon and utopian socialists like Hegel, Adam Smith, Ricardo, and so on. But the utopian socialists raised no steps to get to organize society. Marx conceives its social and scientific theories, unlike Proudhon and utopian socialism. The author says the economy is what drives the story.
Then, in the next text, Marx recognizes that the publication of the Neue Rheinische Zeitung was forced to abandon his career and the influence they have in their works, the theories of classical English economists of liberal orientation (Adam Smith, David Ricardo…). He studied, in a self-taught manner, in the British Museum Library. These theories he read did not affect his theory but the criticism in the field of economics. Marx also explained the setbacks, many revisions of many of his notes, and, above all, he regrets having to work for a living, something that takes time from their research and drafting of their work.
Finally, Marx concludes with a quote from Dante that makes clear that his theories aspire to the rank of science. However, they are born of many years of thorough and painstaking investigation, and though they may conflict with the prejudices of the class, the dominant claim is to be disinterested, objective, independent, and can be assessed as part of its work: deep, serious, and objective results of which aim to elevate the science category of its new interpretation of economics and history (historical materialism). We note here the irony of Marx at the end of the prologue to the critique of political economy by a quote from Dante (Divine Comedy) in the inviting suspicion aside and ending the vile, he continues to speak of justice and truth, and that applies both to draw attention to the intellectuals of the time (at the door of science) to warn the ruling classes of the arrival of a new era of revolution (the Gate of Hell).