Manifesto of the Communist Party

Communist Manifesto

Introduction:

This manifesto is the main deceleration of the Communist Party across the Glob. More than one and half century has been passed when this manifesto was published for the first time in London in February 1848. It has a great impact on the the society and it is one of the most famous and worldwide readable book throughout the history. One of the most renewed historian A. J. P. Taylor (1967, p. 7 ) considers it as a " Holy Book". It is not quite an stranger thing because when it was written and published, the entire community of lower class which got the title of "Proletariat" was unaware of it's status in the community. It was facing various problems and being exploited by their masters , rulers , landowners, until the time came and this ownership and leadership vanished and a new group emerged in the form of bourgeoisie. This bourgeoisie attacked on the feudalism and created new world of industrialization, expansion of metropolis , railways , companies and all proletariat class compelled to go for their living.

This manifesto was written by two persons: Karl Marks and Friedrich Engles. Both were in their late 20s. First of them Marx was son of a renewed and prosperous German lawyer. He was living Brussels. He was a migrant person from Prussia to Paris in 1843 following the suppression of his newspaper from the government, then again he was exiled from Paris in 1845. And his fellow Engles who's father had a cotton spinning business with branches in Barmen, Germany, and Manchester , England, was living in Paris.
They met first time in 1842, and began to work together after their second meeting in Paris in 1844. Both of them compiled two books before the compilation of "The Manifesto of The Communist Party". Those books were " The Holly family" (1845) and "The German Ideology" (1846).

In Brussels Marx established a Communist Correspondence Committee to maintain his contact with German, French and English socialists. This community created a link between it and a German communist group in London. In January 1847 the league invited Marx and Engels to become members. In November 1847 both of them attended a congress of the renamed Communist League held in London. At the end of meeting they were invited to compile a book as the Manifesto of the Communist Party that would state the doctrine of this league.

Marx wrote the manifesto in December 1847 and January 1848. Then it was published in London in February , just before the beginning of revolution across the Europe. But it is very surprising that impact of this manifesto was not as much as it was expected by it's authors and the communist party. Although it had no impact in his initial date but this book left a great impact on the proletariat group after being published worldwide in all those languages those are well spoken and understood internationally, such as German in 1872, Russian in 1882, English 1888, Polish 1892, Italian etc. This book has been published several times in all these above mentioned languages and other languages as well.

BOURGEOIS AND PROLETARIANS

It is divided into four chapters: First chapter deals with " Bourgeois and Proletarians", second chapters talks about "Proletarians and Communist" third chapter tells about " Socialist and Communist Literature", and the final chapter refers to the " Position of the Communist in relation to the various Existing Opposition Parties".

In the first chapter they have shown the development of industrial capitalism. They predict for it's future. In the very first line they say: " The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle" It shows that right from the beginning to till date the human body has been struggling and fighting each other between those who have and those who have not. Though their forms have been changed day by day but the core issue was still there in all the epochs. Then since the industrially revolution after exploration of United States of America , the bourgeoisie has captured the political control, by the virtue of this bourgeoisie all sort feudalism, patriarchal relationships between employers and workers. Then there is no any relation between men and men except self-interest , cash payment and brutal exploitation.

The bourgeoisie brought industrial revolution in terms of production's instruments by improving machinery and it destroyed old industries and created new ones. It created big cities made rural areas far far away from metropolis , centralized the means of production , encouraged the big competition and created a world market for it's production. In the manifesto they condemn the bourgeoisie but they also praise saying that " What man's activity can bring about".

The discovery of America opened new door for this. The East India and Chinese markets and exchange of commodities between countries and nation gave a rapid development to this revolution. Even this exchange and expansion gave the birth of new bourgeoisie.

The second creation of this transition was business cycle through raw materials to the new manufactures. It brought also development of proletariat; the modern working class. Under this modern capitalism the workers forced to sell themselves , even they live so long as as they find work and find work only so long as their labor increases capitals. There status is nothing more than means of machines and production. There is no difference between male and female both are equal even children are also compelled to do work. They look as if they are soldiers. Marx says: " Modern industry has converted the little workshop of the patriarchal master into the great factory , or organized like soldiers" (p. 10). Then the result of this industrial development is that the condition of proletarians deteriorated as capitalists progressed: " The modern laborer becomes a pauper , and pauperism develops more rapidly than population and wealth" ( p. 15) .

This was the condition of proletariat. So at the first their resistance took form of isolated acts of machine breaking and arson. The advance of industry and especially the concentration of them in the large factories , led workers to establish their own unions and friendly societies. And finally they formed their own political party which compelled later on to recognition as a separate political group. As their condition was deteriorated , it was clear that the bourgeoisie is not suitable form of rule and then as Marx says: " veiled civil war , raging within existing society .... breaks out into open revolution". Then the proletariat will overthrow the bourgeoisie , and destroy private property. This process is inevitable: " The development of modern industry cuts from under it's feet the very foundation on which the bourgeoisie produces and appropriates products. What the bourgeoisie, therefore , produces , above all, is it's own grave-diggers " (p 15-16).

The first chapter of manifesto has showed a broad picture of class struggle and how it resulted into a new proletariat revolution that overthrew the bourgeois society.

They believe that introduction of machines brought a gravity for adult workers to give up their works for their children and women. By the introduction of machinery was the hand loom cotton weavers , thousands of whom had become jobless and poverty-stricken , as the result of adoption of power loom.

PROLETARIANS AND COMMUNIST

In the second chapter they raise the question regarding relation between proletarians and the Communists who had awaken them and told how they had been exploited through the ages and told that how the human society is divided between two major groups; bourgeoisie and proletariat, saying : " In what relation do the Communists stand to the proletarians as a whole"? In this regard they are saying clearly that there is no difference between communists and proletarians because the Communist party is not a separate party as whole.

They say: " The Communists do not form a separate party opposes to other working class parties. They have no interests separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole. They do not set up any sectarian principles of their own, by which to shape and mould the proletarian movement". By this way their struggle is not for a particular region but they are all equal regardless of country, nationality , race and religion. They always and everywhere represent the interests of the movement as whole.

Then they make their aim very clear saying that : "The immediate aim of the Communists is the same as that of all the other proletarian parties: Formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy , conquest of political powers by the proletariat".

Do the communist want to abolish the property?

No! because they do not want to abolish the property but they want to abolish the bourgeois property and they believe that they will throw them and over come the power as the French revolution abolished the Feudal property in favor of bourgeois property. While in brief one can say that the main aim of Communism is : Abolition of private property.

They want to abolish the private property because they realize that the property is a social thing it is a result of collective efforts it should be divided equally among all the people, there should be no a single ownership. It does not mean that Communism deprives a man of his ownership or the means of living, but they provide each and every one, so that no body can feel ashame of being empty handed and poor in the society.

What they say regarding eternal truth and religion?

They say : " There are besides , eternal truths, such as Freedom, Justice, etc., that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience".

At the end of the second chapter they have given a brief list of there main proposals and main ideas:

1.Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purpose.
2.A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3.Abolition of all right of inheritance.
4.Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5.Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6.Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.
7.Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state ; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8.Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies , especially for agriculture.
9.Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country , by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.
10.Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc

SOCIAL AND COMMUNIST LITERATURE

This chapter makes the communism different from other socialist groups those were existed in that age. They try to show the role of working class , but ironically the ideas given by Marx were neglected by the ending of the 20th century. Within this one chapter there are three small chapters referring to Feudal Socialism, Petty-bourgeois Socialism, and German are the true Socialism.

The Feudal Socialism

This was the earliest for of socialism which Marx charged that it was exploiting the peoples. It was based on aristocracy and bitterly manipulated the people when they were in the power, furthermore the bourgeoisie was their own production as well as the proletariat was result of bourgeoisie. They say at the end of this chapter: Christian Socialism is but the holy water with which the priest consecrates the heartburnings of the aristocrat. (p.76)

Petty-Bourgeois Socialism

He describes that there is a group in between these two huge groups and it is near to proletarians rather than bourgeoisie.

POSITION OF THE COMMUNISM IN RELATION TO THE VARIOUS EXISTING OPPOSITION PARTIES.

In this last chapter which is very small and brief , that seems incomplete . He has given the brief idea of communism saying that : " WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!". (p91)

Conclusion:

The Manifesto of The Communist Party is though a small writing piece but it brought a great impact upon the society as it is mentioned above that a major group of people was unaware of the unjust against him for the ages and ages. There was a black veil which had been covered them by all the portion. It was karl Marx and his fellow Engels who gave such great idea to the human being. However in practice it is still remain to see this theory as applicable upon the Earth. It started to grow in Russia and came to power but for a small period. And since then they have been struggling again to bring it for all the community. But by looking at current situation it is uncertain to say that it will occupy the place one day. However it is not impossible because history changes itself slowly and brings a change in slow speed.

References
1.Manifesto of the Communist party : Karl Marx & Fredrich Engels.
2.The Historical Background of the Communist Manifesto. George R. Boyer
Journal of Economic Perspectives -Volume 12, Number 4-Fall 1998-Pages 151-174
3.Reflections on The Communist Manifesto.
Issue 79 of the INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISM, quarterly journal of the Socialist Workers Party (Britain) Published July 1998.
4.http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/marx/section2.rhtml
5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto
6.http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1557