Karl Marx

The only unifying "trait" between these men is the ideological philosophy, rooted in socialist doctrine explored and much advanced by Marx and later further developed by Lenin, who have created a new theory of his own of socialist revolution as a method of transforming society from capitalism to more responsible social welfare of the nation and society. Trotsky has also created a theory of his own by taking Marx work called "Capital" - writing on capitalist economy and society with futuristic outlook on the possible way of development and progress of capitalistic economy and society which under his view will inevitably come to realization of the social approach as a better way to manage economy in general, natural resources as the ground for the economy of production and social evolution of the working class, that will come to realization of the necessity for "CHANGE" and will lead to more democratic governance of the working place and social live of the nation, in the nation state. Trotsky is radical adept of the Marx teaching, who advocated the need for push towards the CHANGE, that it will not come by itself, that capitalist and owners of the big business will never allow for the CHANGE to take place since it will put their ownership of assets at risk and their businesses at heavy tax burden, that will make their ownership rather a responsibility then a means for self enrichment. Therefore Trotsky theory was called a military communism. In comparison Lenin theory was also advocating a revolution as means for CHANGE, that will not come by itself, but rather through the violent clash of massive people resistance to the present authorities and governing powers, but once achieved revolution will evolve into construction mode of the new society, and other people who did not support them at the time of the revolution will join their efforts to build a new social format of society he called communism. Trotsky's approach to successful establishment of communist was much different he advocated that acceptance of the new form of social organization called communism would rather be possible if all the oposition and those who did not support them in the establishment of the new social form of comunism would rather be killed, to secure proper development of communism.

Karl Marx thinks "after the Industrial Revolution, the economic situation has created two groups of people--- the group that owns the means of producing the products and the group that works to produce them." He wrote that this is unfair and should be overthrown.

Marx and Engels stated that communism can be summed up in the abolition of private ownership of property. Once the means of production are owned by the community as a whole, they can be used to benefit the community as a whole rather than just the individual owners of those means.

Other guiding principles are creation of a state where there are no separate classes like capitalism's bourgeoisie and proletariat and that

members of the society contribute according to their ability and take according to their need.

on the basis of various works of social scientists ,Dhruv Tanwani understands following matte-.

Marx, Karl (1818-1883), was a Jew German philosopher, social scientist, and professional revolutionary. Few writers have had such a great and lasting influence on the world. Marx was the chief founder of two of the most powerful mass movements in history--democratic socialism and revolutionary communism.

Marx today

Today, Marx is studied as both a revolutionary and an economist. His importance as a pioneer in the social sciences is being recognized increasingly. Marx has often been attacked because he rebelled against all established societies, because he was an arrogant writer who scorned his critics, and because of his radical views.

In sociology, Marx's work is also regarded with increasing respect. Without his contributions, sociology would not have developed into what it is today. Marx wrote on social classes, on the relationship between the economy and the state, and on the principles that underlie a political or economic system.

Many people still turn to Marx for an explanation of current social, economic, and political evils. But most of them are unlikely to agree with his view of the ease and speed with which the working class will overthrow the class system and set up a Communist classless society.

Other writings. Marx and Engels also wrote about all sorts of events in and influences on national and international affairs--personalities, overthrowing of governments, cabinet changes, parliamentary debates, wars, and workers' uprisings.

Marx also wrote about the practical problems of leading an international revolutionary movement. The major source of these comments is his correspondence with Engels and other friends.

Theory of class Struggle-

Class struggle is the active expression of class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, leading ideologists of communism, wrote "The [written][1] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle".[2]

• Marx's notion of class has nothing to do with social class in the sociological sense of upper, middle and lower classes (which are often defined in terms of quantitative income or wealth). Instead, in an age of capitalism, Marx describes an economicclass. Membership of a class is defined by one's relationship to the means of production, i.e., one's position in the social structure that characterizes capitalism. Marx talks mainly about two classes that include the vast majority of the population, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Other classes such as the petty bourgeoisie share characteristics of both of these main classesLabour (the proletariat or workers) includes anyone who earns their livelihood by selling their labor power and being paid a wage or salary for their labor time. They have little choice but to work for capital, since they typically have no independent way to survive.
• Capital (the bourgeoisie or capitalists) includes anyone who gets their income not from labor as much as from the surplus value they appropriate from the workers who create wealth. The income of the capitalists, therefore, is based on their exploitation of the workers (proletariat).

What Marx points out is that members of each of the two main classes have interests in common. These class or collective interests are in conflict with those of the other class as a whole. This in turn leads to conflict between individual members of different classes

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_struggle)

According to Marx, all history is a struggle between the ruling and working classes, and all societies have been torn by this conflict. Past societies tried to keep the exploited class under control by using elaborate political organizations, laws, customs, traditions, ideologies, religions, and rituals. Marx argued that personality, beliefs, and activities are shaped by these institutions. By recognizing these forces, he reasoned, people will be able to overcome them through revolutionary action.

Marx believed that private ownership of the main means of production was the heart of the class system. For people to be truly free, he declared, the means of production must be publicly owned--by the community as a whole. With the resulting general economic and social equality, all people would have an opportunity to follow their own desires and to use their leisure time creatively. Unfair institutions and customs would disappear. All these events, said Marx, will take place when the proletariat (working class) revolts against the bourgeoisie (owners of the means of production).

In shot there are two main classes in society, one 'have not' and other 'have' one. Due to clashing interests of both classes, struggle starts. This is universal phenomenon .Any change occurred in means of production , brings change in economic classes. Social change takes place due to this economic factor.

Concept of class

Max Weber held that classes are aggregate of individuals, "Who have the same opportunities of acquiring goods, the same exhibited standards of livings".

Each particular class have its own particular social behaviour,its standared and occupations. According to Ogbern and Nimkoff,"Bysocial class ,we mean one or two or morebroad groups of individuals ,who are ranked,by members of community in socially superior and inferior positions

In words of Karl marx,"A social class is aggregate of persons who perform the same function in the organization of production."

Generally a class means any group of persons ,which have equal status and similar way of life in all regards ,called class. When people have almost same economic ,social and educational level of standard of living ,they come in same category of class. The determination of class is not limited to particular type of profession or particular type of income range. For example if two persons are doing same work in any shop,they do not form particular class ,because one is owner of the shop and other one is just employee over there.

The other thing Karl Marx cleared about class ,that there should be facility of reciprocal relations of give and take in classes .By this way they develop economic un- satisfaction, which creates class consciousness. All farmers cannot form same class as there are some ,who are conscious about their pathetic conditions while other ignore it. According to Karl Marx there are five basis, which are responsible for making separate class. Bendix and Lipset, describe it in following simple way.

1-There should be struggle among various classes on basis of distribution of means of economic resources.

2-People in same class can easily exchange their views, so that its program and views be can properly propagated .

3-A Class consciousness is very important among classes. This feeling make them unite and they think over at their historical roles.

4-There is one more basis that the lower class should have maximum un-satisfaction over their status, as being exploited by owners. As they are unable to control economic structure so their dissatisfaction increased day by day.

5-Class should have a political organization, which is consequence of economic structure and Class consciousness.

Not all class struggle is violent (as with strikes and lockouts). Class agony may instead be expressed as low worker morale, minor damaging and stealing, and individual workers' abuse of lower authority and hoarding of information. It may also be expressed on a larger scale by support for socialist or populist parties. On the employers' side, the use of union-busting legal firms and the lobbying for anti-union laws are forms of class struggle.

Class Formation is a universal Phenomenon-

Marx noted that many other classes existed, but said that as time moved forward, these other classes would disappear, and things would become stratified until only two classes remained, which would become more and more polarized as time went on.

Man is not only social being but he is class animal. From olden days to modern present society, due to his economic needs ,he is divided in to various classes. In his book Communist Manifesto ,Marx writes, ,"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle. Free man and slave ,patrician and plebian, lord and serfs, guild master and journeyman ,in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one- another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden ,now open fight, a fight that each time ended either in a reconstitution of society at large or in the common ruin of the contending classes."

It is clear from above statement that all the time there are two classes, who fight for their benefits. every where labor is compelled to sell his efforts to earn his bread. Due to unbalance in distribution of means of production, this class struggle prevails .In short every social change is occurred due to change in economic relation and change in means of production.

Not only hunting stage had proof of exploitation but agricultural stage also called age of slavery. The rich and prosperous of the society hold ownership of animals ,land agricultural tools etc. this class of people formed separate class of owners, while the other class who don't have such property of animals and tools called slaves. The slaves were badly treated by their owners. The condition of slaves was so pathetic that they do not have any freedom to raise the voice against their owners. Inhuman behavior of owners had crossed all limits of barbarous .

After this agriculture stage the history repeats itself in form of monarchs. They were not only land lords but they had political power also. The poor land lesser were survive at the mercy of these high class people. The maximum exploitation was always intension of these landlords. They had to involve themselves in domestic things as well as war related things of monarchs. This was age when tried to raise their voice against exploitations, but up till they were in unorganized form.

With the inventions of machines ,big industrial age had incepted. The industrialization was based on capital, as big machines need money to buy. The land and capital was main sources of prestige.The class who have all the means of production called capitalist and the class who had not any thing except their labor, called labor class. To gain maximum profit from labor of poor class , they exploit them badly. Now they had come forward to organize themselves against the capitalist.

Causes of Conflict and Class struggle-

1-Importance of Property-Property is main root of all evils. The division of classes is not based on occupation but it is based on property. In every society there is clear cut division of classes called "have one" and "have not". The class which have property ,have great influence in society as well as in political field. Due to property, one observe class consciousness and class quarrels.

2-Development of Proletariat- class struggle starts with development of Proletariats .Due to large scale production all labor saturated at one place, though separate and unknown to each other with the feeling of competition, but they are one on demand of more wages. By this way they unite on the issue to fight with capitalists. This unity of mind lead them to make strong organization ,and they develop particular consciousness in them.

3-Emergence of Political Powers from Economic Power- Economic determinism is a theory for interpreting history which states that a society's economic system shapes its social, political, and religious institutions. German social philosopher Karl Marx first fully developed the theory in the mid-1800's, though other thinkers had introduced the idea earlier. It became one of the essential principles of his political philosophy, Marx rejected the idea that individuals, religion, or other factors cause political changes in society. Instead, he attempted to show that political changes result only from alterations in how a society produces and distributes goods and services. For example, he believed the political systems of capitalistic countries resulted from the growth of factories and other economic developments. .

Therefore, classes with little political strength can gain power only by changing the economic system.

4-Polerization of classes- In capitalist system of society, not only existence of capitalist and labor classes is there but this system allows other classes to take birth in society. For example to supplement the needs of labors ,new small capitalist open their shops and business sectors. They also employ labor and ultimately once again all labor jointly fight against all capitalist class. In a way there is always two classes capitalist and labor calss, and they develop particular consciousness of we feeling in them.The members of whole society's are member of either of labor class or of capitalist class.

5-Accumulation of Surplus value by the capitalists- Surplus value and Profit is the amount of money a company has left over from the sale of its products after it has paid for all the expenses of production. These expenses include costs of such things as raw materials, workers' salaries, and machinery. They also include a reasonable return on the owner's investment, a salary for the labour the owner supplies to the firm, and other costs that are hard to calculate.

Surplus value and Profits are vital to the economic system of countries where private enterprise is encouraged. In such countries, profits belong to the owners which is actually earned by labors. One of the chief reasons for operating a business is to make a profit, for it they exploit more and more by paying less wages and providing less facilities.

6- Increasing Poverty- To exploit more and more by paying less wages and providing less facilities to labors have increased the poverty in the system. Poverty is the state or fact of being in want. People are poor if they lack enough income and resources to live adequately by the accepted living standards of their community.

Poverty causes suffering among millions of people. People who live in poverty are less likely to eat the foods they need to stay healthy or to receive good medical care when they are ill. Their children may not have enough to eat. The very poor have more diseases and die at younger ages than other people do. Many low-income families live in city slums or rural areas that do not provide the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. The only work available may offer low, uncertain income and little security. Many poor people work in dangerous or unhealthy conditions.

Poverty brings despair, anger, or lack of interest in anything except one's own worries. Financial, emotional, and medical problems strain family ties.Studies show that large numbers of children born into low-income families remain poor all their lives. Many come to feel as helpless as their parents.

In some parts of the world, poor people value large families as a source of family security--to help work the land or to take care of elderly parents. Underprivileged children may suffer from lack of nourishment for healthy growth during their important early years. They can seldom expect to attend good schools that will educate them for a full life.

7-Alienation by Poverty-

Alienation is the feeling of being isolated from certain aspects of one's environment. Alienation may occur when a person's emotional ties with another person, group, institution, or belief are disrupted. Sometimes, entire groups become alienated.

Alienation takes different forms and may have various consequences. Alienated persons may become disoriented or hostile, feel helpless, withdraw within themselves, or reject established values. Many social scientists see a relationship between alienation and such behavior as crime, mental illness, and voter apathy. In the beginning this Alienation make them weak and helpless but later on they stand for resentful class consciousness.

8-Increase in class consciousness. This unity of mind lead them to make strong and recognized organization ,and they develop particular deprived class consciousness in them. Sometimes they attempt to create working-class unity through terror. The lack of clean water, sewerage, and adequate housing meant that diseases, which make them violent and insist for strikes and lock outs. When there is strike among labor ,their class consciousness works great.

9-Revolution- It is a term that generally refers to a fundamental change in the character of a nation's government. Such a change may or may not be violent. Revolutions may also occur in other areas, including cultural, economic, and social activities. People who work to replace an old system with a new one are called revolutionaries.

Some of history's most widespread revolutions did not have political beginnings. The Industrial Revolution of the 1700's and early 1800's changed the basic nature of Western society from rural to urban The invention of the telephone, and other advances in technology and communications during the late 1800's and the 1900's, have also caused revolutions in industry and everyday life.

10-Dictatorship of Proletariat/ Labor- Most dictatorships are established through violence, force, and sometimes political trickery. Dictatorship is a form of society in which an individual, a committee, or a group holds absolute power. The deprived class when holds this type of power they however, call themselves "people's republics" or "people's democracies." The main aim of this type of revolution is to eliminate the capitalist class to make joint ownership of means of productions. by this way they will form' classless' system in society. In that system ,there is no place for exploitation of either class.Marx says in such dictatorships there is no place for violence so there is no need to fear from this.Let the capitalist, restlessly think over this….For labors there is nothing to loose while they can get victory over the world.

In the end it is important to mention the Communist Manifesto . It was a pamphlet written jointly with Engel on the eve of the German revolution of 1848. Its full title is the Manifesto of the Communist Party. The manifesto is a brief but forceful presentation of the authors' political and historical theories. It is the only work they produced that can be considered a systematic statement of the theories that became known as Marxism. The Communist Manifesto considers history to be a series of conflicts between classes. It predicts that the ruling middle class will be overthrown by the working class. The result of this revolution, according to Marx and Engel's, will be a classless society in which the chief means of production are publicly owned.

Criticism of class struggle theory-Although it is very important and fundamental theory but due to some unaccepted things ,he is being criticized by some thinkers.their point of criticism are as below-

1-Not appropriate for modern societies -According to Mills he has given views on Polerization of classes, Alienation by Poverty, Revolution and Dictatorship of Proletariat is necessary in capitalist system of society .But when one thoroughly does the study of capitalism, we do not see all such consequence and conditions in this system. Some have quoted the examples of USA ,England, Germany and Japan ,where we do not see any symptom of such poverty or class Polarization. Rather such system has attracted many people to work in it. Now every where we can see maximum workers participation in factories and they play active role in schemes of social security, life and health insurance, medical plans, leave and cash plans etc, implemented by department of personnel management.

2-Existence of middle is overlooked-In evry society - Middle class is a group of people between the upper class and the lower class in a society. Sociologists use the term social stratification to describe the process of dividing societies into classes. This process is based on many factors, chiefly a person's occupation. Other factors include income, power, reputation, and wealth. The majority of middle-class people work for a living and do not inherit great wealth. Most middle-class occupations do not involve manual labour. They include those of business owners and managers, clerks, lawyers, doctors, and teachers.

Many values held by middle-class people became the principal values of society. These values included acting according to the moral standards of the community, achieving financial success, advancing in a job, and owning property. During the 1950's and early 1960's, many middle-class people were more concerned with achieving their goals than with changing conditions in society. But from the mid-1960's on, more members of this group, particularly the younger and better educated, became active in society. They objected to certain conditions, rather than simply accepting them. For example, many middle-class people supported peace movements and protested against racial discrimination.

Therefore history also have proof of this class, but Marx has fail to notice this class ,so this overlooking is big drawback of this theory.

3- Existence of cooperation is overlooked- The members cooperate in many areas, including politics and economics. They have achieved the most success in creating a single economic market. The various areas of cooperation are sometimes referred to as the union's various "pillars." Without cooperation even society can not be constituted. Actually one can understand the meaning of quarrel when there is absent of cooperation. This is overlooked by a thinker like KarlMarx?

4-Against the historical evidence. The theory of Marx is not supported by history. There are evidence in history that with the development of industrialization, one can observe improving working condition and new and useful implementation of laws. Now a days workmen compensation act, Maternity leave, law of social security and medical facility, provident fund, Gratuity etc are some examples of better status of workers. Now they are called workers or personnel or human resource instead of calling them labor or poorer. In these circumstance concept of exploitation is appropriate.

5-Overlooking of Socio -Cultural and other factors. Karl Marx's theory is in fact a theory of Economic determinism . It is a theory for interpreting history which states that a society's economic system shapes its social, political, and religious institutions. In every society there are many other factors also. There is great importance of social , cultural and other activities. There are many proofs in history that many scientists and artists have worked very hard not for sake of money.

6-Pridiction of elimination of capitalism not true- Marx believed that the triumph of Communism was inevitable. He taught that history follows certain unchangeable laws as it advances from one stage to the next. Each stage is marked by struggles that lead to a higher stage of development. Communism, Marx declared, is the highest and final stage of development. Marx called for the abolition of capitalism, but now there is mixed economy at global level. we can see socialism and capitalism are working together.

In the end we can say the Karl Marx views that," The workers would first establish a socialist state. Its government would be a dictatorship of the proletariat, a government controlled by workers, that would work to establish a classless Communist society. After classes had been eliminated, everyone would live in peace, prosperity, and freedom. There would be no more need for governments, police, or armies, and all these institutions would gradually disappear". are not seen in any society.

Considering all his contribution there is great name of Karl Marx in social sciences.In sociology, Marx's work is also regarded with increasing respect. Without his contributions, sociology would not have developed into what it is today. His importance as a pioneer in the social sciences is being recognized increasingly.