Quiz 3

Question 1

Engels: What is the primary determinant of the course of history according to historical materialism?

Answer 1

The primary determinant is the material conditions of life, specifically the means of production and relationships between different classes.

Question 2

Engels: How did the advent of agriculture impact private property and class divisions?

Answer 2

The advent of agriculture led to the emergence of the concept of private property, leading to class divisions as some individuals began to control more resources than others.

Question 3

Engels: List the stages of society’s historical progression as described by Engels.

Answer 3

The stages include primitive communism, ancient communal and state ownership, feudal or estate property, and capitalist production.

Question 4

Engels: What role do the forces of production play in shaping society?

Answer 4

The ways goods are produced and the structure of the workforce fundamentally shape society. Changes in these production forces lead to changes in social relations and revolutions.

Question 5

Engels: What are some of the inherent contradictions of capitalism highlighted by Engels?

Answer 5

Contradictions include competition among capitalists, the drive for profit, and the inherent instability leading to economic crises.

Question 6

Engels: Who does Engels believe will overthrow capitalism and why?

Answer 6

Engels believes the proletariat (working class) will overthrow capitalism because of their position in the production process and their experience of exploitation.

Question 7

Engels: How does “scientific” socialism differ from “utopian” socialism?

Answer 7

“Scientific” socialism is based on a materialistic understanding of history and society, while “utopian” socialism is based on ideals.

Question 8

Engels: Why does Engels believe socialism is inevitable?

Answer 8

Due to the contradictions within capitalism, socialism is seen as the inevitable outcome.

Question 9

Engles: How does Engels view the modern state in relation to capitalism?

Answer 9

Engels sees the modern state as serving the interests of the capitalist class.

Question 10

Engels: What happens to the state after the proletarian revolution, according to Engels?

Answer 10

After the proletarian revolution, the state would wither away and be replaced by a form of governance that serves the majority.

Question 11

In what order does Marx intend to examine the system of bourgeois economy?

Answer 11

Marx intends to examine the system of bourgeois economy in the following order: capital, landed property, wage-labor; the State, foreign trade, world market.

Question 12

What are the three great classes into which modern bourgeois society is divided, and how are they analyzed in Marx’s work?

Answer 12

The three great classes are capital, landed property, and wage-labor. Marx analyzes their economic conditions of existence under these three headings.

Question 13

Why does Marx omit a general introduction in his work, and what approach does he suggest readers should take?

Answer 13

Marx omits a general introduction because he finds it confusing to anticipate results that still need to be substantiated. He suggests that readers should advance from the particular to the general.

Question 14

How did Marx’s work on political economy initially begin, and what subjects did he study as part of this endeavor?

Answer 14

Marx’s work on political economy began when he had to discuss material interests as the editor of the “Rheinische Zeitung” in 1842-43. He studied economic questions related to forest thefts, the division of landed property, debates on free trade, and protective tariffs.

Question 15

According to Marx, what determines the legal, political, religious, and philosophical forms in society?

Answer 15

Marx believes that the material conditions of life and the relations of production determine these forms in society, rather than individual consciousness.

Question 16

What conditions lead to the replacement of a social order, according to Marx?

Answer 16

A social order is replaced when the material productive forces come into conflict with the existing relations of production or property relations, turning them into fetters.

Question 17

How does Marx categorize the modes of production throughout history?

Answer 17

Marx categorizes the modes of production as Asiatic, ancient, feudal, and modern bourgeois modes of production.

Question 18

Who was Friedrich Engels, and what role did he play in Marx’s intellectual pursuits?

Answer 18

Friedrich Engels was a collaborator of Marx who contributed to their shared ideology. They worked together on various projects and Engels played a significant role in shaping their ideas.

Question 19

What happened to the manuscript titled “The German Ideology,” and why was it abandoned?

Answer 19

The manuscript was abandoned and never published due to changed circumstances. It was abandoned willingly as Marx and Engels had achieved their main purpose, which was self-clarification.

Question 20

Why did Marx resume his study of political economy in London in 1850, and what factors influenced this decision?

Answer 20

Marx resumed his study of political economy in London in 1850 due to the extensive material available in the British Museum, the opportunity to observe bourgeois society in London, and the need to earn a living through his collaboration with the New York Tribune.

Question 21

According to Marx and Engels, what is the primary goal of Communists in relation to the working-class?

Answer 21

The primary goal of Communists in relation to the working-class is to raise the proletariat to the position of the ruling class, overthrow the bourgeois (capitalist) system, and establish the political power of the proletariat.

Question 22

How do Marx and Engels distinguish Communists from other working-class parties?

Answer 22

Communists are distinguished from other working-class parties by their advanced and resolute commitment to the proletarian movement. They also emphasize the importance of representing the common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of nationality.

Question 23

What does Communism seek to abolish regarding property, and what distinguishes bourgeois property from other forms of property?

Answer 23

Communism seeks to abolish bourgeois private property. Bourgeois property is distinguished by its exploitation of wage labor, where wealth is generated through the labor of others and results in class antagonisms.

Question 24

How do Marx and Engels respond to the accusation that communism intends to abolish personal freedom?

Answer 24

Marx and Engels argue that communism does not seek to abolish personal freedom but aims to transform the character of property relations. They assert that individual freedom will be enhanced in a society without the exploitation of labor.

Question 25

What is the relationship between the development of material conditions and the evolution of ideas, according to Marx and Engels?

Answer 25

Marx and Engels argue that changes in material conditions and class struggles shape the development of ideas and consciousness. New ideas emerge as material conditions change, and old ideas are replaced with the transformation of society.

Question 26

How do Marx and Engels respond to objections regarding the abolition of the family?

Answer 26

Marx and Engels argue that the bourgeois family, based on capital and private gain, will naturally disappear as a society transitions away from class-based structures. They aim to abolish the exploitation of children and transform education while emphasizing that they do not seek to eliminate personal appropriation for personal use.

Question 27

What is the view of Marx and Engels regarding countries and nationality in the context of communism?

Answer 27

Marx and Engels assert that the working class has no country in the bourgeois sense. They believe that as class distinctions disappear and the proletariat gains political supremacy, national differences and hostilities between nations will diminish.

Question 28

How do Marx and Engels respond to objections from a religious and philosophical standpoint against communism?

Answer 28

They argue that objections to communism from religious, philosophical, and ideological standpoints do not hold because ideas change with evolving material conditions, and the ruling ideas of each age are shaped by the ruling class.

Question 29

According to Marx and Engels, what is the ultimate goal of communism regarding the social structure?

Answer 29

The ultimate goal of communism is to create an association where the free development of each individual is the condition for the free development of all, with the abolition of class antagonisms and the transformation of property relations.

Question 30

What measures do Marx and Engels suggest that the proletariat may take to achieve communism?

Answer 30

They suggest measures such as centralizing production, implementing progressive income taxation, abolishing inheritance, and establishing national control over credit, means of communication, and transport to rapidly transform the mode of production.

Question 31

In what order does Marx examine the system of bourgeois economy in his work?

Answer 31

Marx examines the system of bourgeois economy in the following order: capital, landed property, wage-labour; the State, foreign trade, world market.

Question 32

How does Marx describe the economic conditions of existence of the three great classes in modern bourgeois society?

Answer 32

Marx describes that the economic conditions of existence of the three great classes in modern bourgeois society are analyzed under the first three headings: capital, landed property, and wage-labour.

Question 33

What prompted Marx to turn his attention to economic questions in the early 1840s?

Answer 33

Marx turned his attention to economic questions in the early 1840s due to his role as editor of the Rheinische Zeitung, where he had to discuss material interests related to forest thefts, the division of landed property, debates on free trade, and protective tariffs.

Question 34

According to Marx, what is the origin of legal relations and political forms?

Answer 34

Marx contends that legal relations and political forms originate in the material conditions of life, particularly in the relations of production, which he finds in the domain of political economy.

Question 35

What does Marx mean when he says, “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence”?

Answer 35

Marx means that individuals’ consciousness is shaped by their social existence and the material conditions in which they live, rather than the other way around.

Question 36

How does Marx describe the conflict that leads to social revolution in a society?

Answer 36

Marx explains that the conflict leading to social revolution arises when the material productive forces of society come into conflict with the existing relations of production, or, in legal terms, with the property relations within which they have operated.

Question 37

What is the significance of the productive forces within bourgeois society according to Marx?

Answer 37

The productive forces developing within bourgeois society not only create wealth but also lay the material conditions for resolving the antagonism within that society.

Question 38

In Marx’s view, what marks the closure of the prehistory of human society?

Answer 38

Marx identifies the bourgeois mode of production as the last antagonistic form of the social process of production and marks it as the closure of the prehistory of human society.