Homework Question on “Communist Manifesto”
- Introduce your topic and your main point (thesis) in a first (brief) paragraph, and include a short summary or conclusion.
- In the middle paragraphs, organize your points logically. 800 words minimum – 900 words maximum in MLA format.
- The excerpt from Marx and Engels’ The Communist Manifesto (pp. 1016-7) warns about the tensions between the proletariat (working people who don’t own the means of production, e.g. factories) and the bourgeosie (those who do). Do those tensions still exist? Are the authors’ assertions valid, in your opinion?
Homework Answer on “Communist Manifesto”
Social classes exist even in the modern society. According to Marx and Engels, in Europe, the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat were examples of such classifications. In the fast developing industrial sector, the factory owners were the Bourgeoisie. They had the means to produce since they had the materials and the machinery required (Karl & Friedrich 1016). The Proletariat, on the other hand, had no means of production.
Their hopes lay in the rich for jobs. The Bourgeoisie was rich and the Proletariat poor. There was no way the poor could rise since they were exploited further by the rich. While the poor depended on the rich for provision of jobs, the rich benefited through gaining profits for their firms (Friedrich 582). The only bond that existed between the two classes was employer-employee relationship (Karl, et. al 1017). This paper will find out if the tensions between social classes still exist. It will also give my opinion on whether I find the assertions of Marx and Engels valid.
In terms of wages, the Proletariat did not get value for their input in the production (Karl et. al 769).They worked so hard and for long hours but when it came to the package, they were given very little. The Bourgeoisie, therefore, realized high-profit margins that saw opening of more industries. The result was an atmosphere of enmity between the two classes (Friedrich, 809). To negotiate for better salaries, the poor employees joined trade unions. Other poor people held peaceful protests and demonstrations which turned violent at times.