An investigation on Marx and Engel’s Communist Manifesto.

Throughout the Communist Manifesto, Marx goes into great lengths explaining the evolution of the proletariat and bourgeoisie classes and its effects, as well as what ought be done regarding the existence of a working class that looks after itself. It states the discovery of the Americas, and the exploitation of the colonies as a step in the establishment of the world market. These things all helped the bourgeoisie pull away from the old feudal ways. Every advance made by the bourgeoisie was also an advance in the political schema for itself. Every revolution in each country helped establish the modern form of government which is but a rubber stamp for the bourgeoisie.

Marx continues to attribute the bourgeoisie to having reduced everything to numbers-money. However, these people wont stop there; much like the virus on the human body, the bourgeoisie need an ever expanding set of materials and markets. So they expand their exploitation to every part of the globe, reducing nation’s self sufficiency. Thins means that they need to get raw materials even from the most remote areas of the world, such that not one place on Earth is left without contact with the `civilised’ world. In so doing, they introduce capitalism to these remote areas and teaches them how to become capitalists themselves. He also touched on the dependency theory of developing nations on industrialised nations (analogous to the rural and urban life.)

Marx then describes the economic cycle in vivid detail. He shows the irony of “too much civilisation, too much means of subsistence, too much industry, too much commerce.” As a result, the bourgeoisie must diminish, or destroy the current supply of goods, or find other markets to peddle their goods, which leaves them open for an even greater fall.

Marx turning his attention to the proletariat, states that they should focus their energies together. He states that as the bourgeoisie gathers more and more capital, the same is true about the number of proletariat, and the exploited workers. However, the only reason why the bourgeoisie has been able to win is because they have been able to maintain their own as a class (in effect, a class for itself.)

Marx also stresses the use of technology, which aids the bourgeoisie to conquer more capital, to be used by the proletariat. Fighting fire with fire, as it were. The bourgeoisie supplies the proletariat with the necessary tools for fighting the ever increasing exploitation. And that the bourgeoisie, by their very nature, are fostering a system that will eventually lead to their own demise.

Marx’s main point throughout the document is to demonstrate the importance and influence of various other social, historical factors set the stage for this current course of events (capitalism). And that in order to overcome the bourgeoisie that the proletariat must unite together as a class and identify with themselves together.

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