Marx and Engels

Question 1

Books?

Answer 1

• Communist manifesto (1848)
• Das kapital (1867)

Question 2

Human nature

Answer 2

• Human nature originally fraternal and altruisitc, has been contaminated by capitalism, instilling the ‘false consciousness’ of bourgeios values.
• Task was to create a non-capitalist economic system that would revive such characteristsics

Question 3

The state

Answer 3

• The existing liberal-bourgeois state is a tool of the dominant capitalist class: it must destroyed by revolution and replaced by a socialist state: dictatorship of the proletariat
• The liberal state was merely a committee for the ruling class and could never provide an evolutionary road to socialism. Later inspired socialist fundamentalists such as Ralph Milliband and Tariq Ali

Question 4

Society

Answer 4

• Capitalist society is sickeningly, yet fatally, defined by class interests and class conflict
• A communist society will be the perfect ‘end of history’, principle of ‘from each according to his ability to each acording to his needs’

Question 5

The economy

Answer 5

• Capitalism is corrupt, inefficient and ultimately self-destructuve. It should be replaced by an economy based on collective ownership
• Capitalism sought to be competitive by creating ‘ surplus value’, whereas employers paid employees minimum wages so as to allow for most profits to be used for refining the means of production