Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels Flashcards
Dates
Marx-1818-83
Engels 1820-96
Marx two main worm
The communist manifesto 1848
Das Kapital 1867
What did they argue had happened to human nature
Contaminated by capitalism (made people
selfish,ruthless+greedy)
Created a ‘false consciousness’
Why did they argue were the characteristics of original human nature
Cooperative
Selfless
Fraternal
Needed a non capitalist system to revive characteristics
What two conflicted classes did capitalism create
Bourgeoise (ruling class owned+managed economy) Proletariat (ruling class sold its labour)
What did they argue about class differences
Harsh wealth+power inequalities
Exploitation of proletariat
Capitalist societies were unstable-overthrown inevitable revolution
How did they describe capitalism
Competitive
Created surplus value to refine means of production
Surplus value plant ‘seeds of its own destruction’=resentful class consciousness against workers
What did they argue about the state
Serve the interests of whatever class controlled the economy
Not politically neutral
A ‘committee’ for the ruling class
Couldn’t provide evolutionary road to socialism
What did they think should happen after the revolution
New state should arise
Govern interest of new economic class (dictatorship of proletariat)
Once state has cemented socialist values it’ll wither away
Replaced by communism
Stateless society wi common ownership
human nature summary
originally brotherhood
contaminated by capitalism
‘false consciousness’ instilled
the state summary
liberal bourgeois state is tool for dominant capitalist classes
destroyed by rev
socialist state; dictatorship of P
society summary
capitalist society defined by class interests and conflicts communist society=perfect end of history
the economy summary
capitalism=corrupt+inefficient+self destructive
replaced by economy based collective ownership
