Karl Marx

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Karl Marx believed the constant battle of class against class to be the driving force of historical change and how he rejected the Hegelian notion that thought might be the underpinning of philosophy, the guiding force in human affairs. It looks at how, in his focus on the "concrete realities" of society, Marx neglected many other sources of historical change such as the formative powers of religion and social custom.

From the Paper:

"However, if all change - all history - is based on economic considerations - how is that there can be any change at all, if a society's economic structure remains the same? What others call history is filled with examples of non-economic forces that drastically alter existing societies. In Das Kapital, Marx ascribes the origins of guilds and castes, "to the conversion of fractional work into the life-calling of one man." By considering these economic combinations solely from the point of view of the "units of production" i.e. the workers in these industries, Marx ignores certain aspects of guild and caste organization. The guilds that arose in Medieval Europe provided many social services to their members, and helped to create a sense of community among the workers. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Engels, Frederick. Socialism: Utopian and Scientific. "The Development of Utopian Socialism." Orig. Pub. 1880, No Date. URL: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch01.htm.
• Marx, Karl. Capital. Orig. Pub. 1867, Works of Marx and Engels 1845. No Date. URL: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/.
• Marx, Karl. Communist Manifesto. Ch. 1. Orig. Pub. 1848, No Date. URL: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm.
• Marx, Karl. Condition of the Working Class in England. "The Attitude of the Bourgeoisie to the Proletariat." Orig. Pub. 1845, Works of Marx and Engels 1845. No Date. URL: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/condition-working-class/ch13.htm.
• Marx, Karl. The German Ideology. Orig. Pub. 1845, Works of Marx and Engels 1845. No Date. URL: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/.

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