Manifesto of the Communist Party

Main Points of Manifesto of the Communist Party

  1. Critiques capitalism

  2. Argues the inevitability of class struggle

  3. Calls for the working class (proletariat) to overthrow bourgeoisie (capitalist class) 

  4. Establish classless, communist society

Historical Materialism

  • History is defined by class struggle/relations of production 

    • Feudal lords vs. peasants,  bourgeoisie vs. proletariat

Class struggle

  • Always ruling class (bourgeoisie) vs. working class (proletariat)

Bourgeoisie

  • Ruling class/elite.

  • Owns means of production and employ wage-labourer

  • Own relations of production, exchange & property

  • Enforced destruction of massive of productive forces, conquest of new markets, more thorough exploitation of the old ones

Proletariat

  • Working class. Does not own MoP

  • Wage-laborer

  • Exists only to increase capital

  • Lost all individual character and charm for workman

Alienation of Labor

  • Workers do not own products of labor 

  • Workers are treated as expendable commodities

  • Work becomes monotonous and meaningless

Abolition of Private Property

  • Collective ownership of means of production so that there’s a fair distribution of wealth and no exploitation

Political Centralization

  • One government, code of laws, & national class-interest

“Free Trade”

  • Veiled by religious and political illusions, substituted naked, shameless brutal exploitation

Development FoP & RoP