(L5) Marx Communist Manifesto

Question 1

What marks the history of class struggles according to the Communist Manifesto?

Answer 1

History is marked by conflicts between oppressors and the oppressed, like freemen vs. slaves, patricians vs. plebeians.

Question 2

How did earlier societies, like Roman society, structure their classes?

Answer 2

Earlier societies had complex social hierarchies, including classes like Roman patricians, knights, plebeians, and slaves.

Question 3

What are the two main classes that emerged from feudal society?

Answer 3

The bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and the proletariat (working class).

Question 4

How has modern society’s class antagonisms simplified?

Answer 4

Modern society is increasingly divided into bourgeoisie and proletariat.

Question 5

What fueled the rise of the bourgeoisie?

Answer 5

The rise of the bourgeoisie was fueled by new markets, trade, and technological advancements.

Question 6

How did the bourgeoisie evolve politically?

Answer 6

The bourgeoisie evolved from an oppressed class to a dominant political force.

Question 7

What characterizes bourgeois society?

Answer 7

Bourgeois society is characterized by self-interest, materialism, and the commodification of labor.

Question 8

What impact did the bourgeoisie have on feudalism?

Answer 8

The bourgeoisie dismantled feudal, patriarchal systems, creating a market-based society.

Question 9

How did the bourgeoisie impact global markets?

Answer 9

The bourgeoisie expanded markets globally, leading to interconnected economies and cultures.

Question 10

What was the role of industrialization in bourgeois society?

Answer 10

Industrialization introduced machinery and mass production, revolutionizing labor and creating industrial capitalists.

Question 11

How does the proletariat develop in relation to capitalism?

Answer 11

The proletariat grows and becomes more exploited as capitalism develops.

Question 12

What happens to worker individuality in a capitalist system?

Answer 12

Workers become part of the machine, leading to reduced wages and increased labor demands.

Question 13

What is the formation of class consciousness?

Answer 13

Workers start forming unions and associations, leading to class struggle against the bourgeoisie.

Question 14

How does the proletariat’s class struggle evolve?

Answer 14

The proletariat’s struggle evolves from individual conflicts to a collective class struggle.

Question 15

What role does the proletariat play in politics?

Answer 15

The proletariat becomes a political force, challenging the bourgeoisie.

Question 16

What is the Communist Manifesto’s view on the inevitability of the bourgeoisie’s downfall?

Answer 16

The bourgeoisie’s economic system creates its own ‘grave-diggers’ (the proletariat), leading to its eventual fall.

Question 17

What is the relationship between Communists and Proletarians?

Answer 17

Communists align with the proletarian movement, not as a separate entity but as its most advanced segment.

Question 18

What perspective do Communists emphasize?

Answer 18

Communists emphasize common interests across national lines and represent the broader interests of the proletariat.

Question 19

What are the roles and goals of Communists?

Answer 19

Communists lead in practical activism and theoretical understanding of the proletarian movement’s goals.

Question 20

What is the critique of bourgeois ideology?

Answer 20

The critique includes the exploitation of wage labor and the notion of capital as a collective product of society.

Question 21

What is the vision of a communist society?

Answer 21

A society where labor benefits the laborer, reversing the dynamic where the past dominates the present.

Question 22

How does the Communist Manifesto address bourgeois criticisms?

Answer 22

It refutes claims about idleness, advocates cultural shifts, and proposes replacing the capitalist-driven family structure.

Question 23

What revolutionary measures does the Communist Manifesto propose?

Answer 23

Measures like the abolition of property in land, heavy progressive income tax, and centralization of credit and transport.

Question 24

What is the ultimate goal of communism?

Answer 24

The dissolution of all classes and class struggles, leading to a society where individual development is tied to collective well-being.