Paper Summary:

This paper questions whether Marx and Engel's theories of economic and social equality would be as readily accepted today as they were in the authors' day. The writer analyzes Marx and Engel's theories, with particular emphasis on "The Communist Manifesto." This is compared and contrasted to Robert Putnam's social capital perspective. The author feels that if Marx and Engels had read Putnam's ideas they might have been inspired by some of the benefits of capitalism, possibly altering their manifesto to include certain elements of democracy. The paper also examines the ideas expressed in Albert Hirschman's "Exit, Voice, and Loyalty." The author also believes Hirschman's philosophy would have impacted Marx and Engels as well. The author concludes that if Marx and Engels had lived to see recent history, their vision of a new, just society based on economic plenty shared by all would have certainly changed.

Outline:
About the Communist Manifesto
Putnam's Notion of Social Capital
Exit, Voice, and Loyalty
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper:

"It makes sense that if Marx and Engels were alive in today's society, they would have much different trains of thought. Given their philosophical natures, they would likely be influenced by many of today's contemporary thought leaders, such as Albert Hirschman, author of "Exit Voice and Loyalty", and Robert Putnam, author of "Democracies in Flux". This paper aims to provide a background on the ideas of "The Communist Manifesto" and offer some insight on what Marx and Engels may have changed based on reading these two contemporary works. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hirschman, Albert. 1970. Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Marx and Engels. (1969). Marx/Engels Selected Works, Volume One, Progress Publishers, Moscow, USSR, pp. 98-137.
• Putnam, Robert D.,editor. 2002, Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society, Oxford University Press Inc., New York, NY.

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