A Concise Overview of the History and Ideologies of Communism (Part Two)
Formation of the Initial Foundations and Principles of Communism
Since this series of notes primarily discusses the functioning of communism, we will first emphasize certain aspects of its theory to provide a better understanding of the perspectives of influential communist leaders toward the world. This exploration will illustrate why they acted as they did and how they attempted to justify their actions.
The Communist Manifesto
A manifesto is a written document in which a group or party declares its political, social, religious, philosophical, or literary views. In other words, it is equivalent to a platform or program. The modern communist ideology began to take shape during the French Revolution, with its major work, the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and published in 1848: “The Scientific Analysis of History and the Future Path of Human Society.”
Marx and Engels write: “The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles.” The Communist Manifesto identified the French Revolution as a major historical turning point when the “bourgeoisie” (the merchant class gaining control over the means of production) overturned the feudal power structure and began the modern era. The capitalist period that emerged replaced the medieval class struggle between the aristocracy and the peasants. In this modern revolution, the bourgeoisie, as owners of capital, were positioned against the “proletariat” (the working class who sell their labor for wages).
In the Communist Manifesto and subsequent works, Marx, Engels, and their followers advocated for a global proletarian revolution, predicting that it would inevitably begin with an era of socialism and then proceed to communism. This final stage of human development would mark the end of class struggles, with history revealing that all people would live in social equilibrium without class distinctions, family structures, religion, or private ownership, and the state would cease to exist.
As a famous Marxist slogan states: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Marxism
Marxism can be summarized in three main principles: 1. It presents a general view of human history (the philosophy of Marxism). 2. This view applies specifically to the capitalist regime (Marxist economics). 3. It predicts inevitable social changes based on the contradictions of this system (Marx’s revolution).
Thus, the framework of Marxism is identified by three principles: 1. A logical theory that serves as a method of thought, based on dialectics. 2. An interpretation of history based on economics, where the economic base determines all other conditions and circumstances. This is known as historical materialism (Marx’s philosophy). 3. An economic theory that includes the concepts of socialism and communism, advocating for their establishment (Marx’s economics).
Materialism could be considered a fourth principle, though it is not part of the core of Marxism. Today, materialism is not seen as essential to Marxism; for example, in Europe, many Marxists do not embrace materialism (anti-God and anti-religion).
Classical Marxism
Most of what is usually referred to as classical Marxism is, in fact, based on the theories of Marx and his collaborator, Friedrich Engels. However, Marx was the dominant partner in this intellectual relationship; therefore, we follow conventional understanding and refer to their joint works as Marxist works.
Here, the focus will be on Marx himself. Like any other thinker, it is important to place Marx in the context of his time and place to understand his essence. He was born at a time when the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism had already been underway for some time in Western Europe, specifically in the area that is now Germany. Though he spent much of his adult life in England, the consequences of the French Revolution (1789) were still felt across Europe. Several other revolutionary phases also occurred during his life, especially in 1830, 1848-49, and 1871. Marx was fascinated by these revolutionary moments and believed he could identify patterns of historical development. These patterns form in response to events and transformations. When a reaction occurs, it leads to further reactions, creating a dynamic of influence and counterinfluence. For this reason, Marx’s approach to history is called a dialectical approach: he viewed history through the interaction between actions and reactions and believed that identifiable laws drove historical progress. This led many to call him a historian, and his approach historical materialism. This term requires further explanation.
In attempting to explain the nature of reality, philosophers are often divided into two categories: idealists and materialists. The core of the former term is the word “idea.” In this view, the world around us is a manifestation of concepts or ideas. These ideas shape reality, not the worldly manifestations of them. The most famous idealist philosopher is the German Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Though Marx was deeply influenced by Hegel, he adopted a completely different approach to reality. For Marx, the reality of the physical or material world around us shapes our ideas and perceptions. Our view of the world and how we interpret it depend on who we are, as well as where and when we live. For instance, the perception of a person living in New York in the 21st century, with skyscrapers, highways, crowded subways, jazz clubs, and so on, will differ from the perception of someone living in Florence in the 15th century or Athens in ancient Greece. The material nature of these three cities across three different periods has very different characteristics, which influence each person’s understanding of the concept of “city.” However, Marx argued that there is more than just temporal and geographical factors at play. He believed that one’s position in society also impacts how one perceives the world. For example, the owner of a factory sees it differently than a worker does. For the owner, the factory might represent personal achievement, status, and high income, while for the worker, it might represent alienation and hard work for little pay.
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