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Example research essay topic: 20 Th Century Marx And Engels - 1,641 words

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The purpose of this research is to investigate the meaning of communism while exploring the ideology in depth and to give a plausible critique of communism. Throughout the history of the modern world, man has sought out the perfect government. An invincible system of order. And in our search for this ideal system, the idea of holding property in common has been a reoccurring thought. From early Christian communities to modern Marxist states, socialism and more specifically, communism has had an important role in the development of this ideal system. The original goals of communism, a perfect proletariat society, transformed over time; from the revolutionary thinking of Karl Marx to the murderous communist dictatorships of V.

I. Lenin and Joseph Stalin. In the original Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles, the original idea of communism and socialism was to form a perfect proletariat society, where there were no classes and all people lived as equals together. (Marx, Engels, 42) Over the years, the original idea of peace and equality for all was transformed and molded to fit a certain person or groups personal interests. The peaceful society idea never worked out at all in a country like Russia.

Rulers like Stalin and Lenin not only did not carry out the original goal of peace and living in harmony, they carried out bloody purges of people who did not fit their plan for a perfect communist society. They carried out the liquidation of the Kulak class. Instead of having a gradual change from a society with classes to a classless one. In the mid- 1830 s, the term Communism was introduced to the world of French politics. First used to describe Saint-Simon and Fourier's egalitarian slant on socialist ideas, Louis Blanc built on the ideals of Fourier to establish an important point of modern-day communism.

He stated the principle, ... from each according to his capacities, to each according to his needs, where as the old principle stated, ... from each according to his capacities, to each according to his works. (Blanc, Loubere, 194) This would prove necessary to later philosophers such as Marx and Engels whose fundamental ideas were largely based on such principles. Even more influential, though, was German thinker George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Hegel introduced radical ideas to European politics in the early 1800 s, but they would not be fully realized by others until after his death in 1831. He was convinced that all life evolves from total unconsciousness to full self-consciousness.

By this he meant that we as a race of people are gradually becoming more aware of our existence. At his intellectual peak, Hegel said, The real is the rational. (Hagel, 367) And although this may not have been Hegel's intent, many 19 th and 20 th century followers interpreted this as a outward rejection of religion which in itself is centered on faith. But to fully understand the evolution of modern-day Communism, we must first understand its beginnings as a communal system. It wasnt until about the 6 th century B.

C. that the Buddhist monks who made up the Sangha tried to abolish the caste system. During this time in Greece, Pythagoras and his disciples believed that friendship was the basis for a good society, and to them is attributed the phrase, friends should have all things in common. But for obvious reasons, this system could never work on a larger scale. The idea gained momentum in late 5 th century Greece when Plato recorded his predecessors dialogue in The Republic.

Socrates outlines two types of communism in his dialogue. The first was a utopian communism which basically describes a peasant society not complicated by luxuries. He goes on to say that such a society would work for pigs but not a civilized 4 th century Athenian. (Plato, 140) For this he explained a sophisticated communism, one that would do away with the hardships caused by a wealthy ruling class. Plato then goes on to lay out a community in which wealth and power is separated, factoring social class out of the ruling equation. But Socrates argues the impracticality of Plato's system being introduced to an Aristocratic Greece. Over a thousand years later and over a thousand of miles away, Sir Thomas Moore wrote Utopia.

An assessment of modern political ideals, Moores book started an uprising in 16 th century Europe. The Great Peasants War of 1524 - 1525 threw a radical Protestant, Thomas Mnzer, into the public eye. He preached of Heaven on earth; a world without private property or power. Mnzer's realization was short lived though.

Anabaptist communities in Germany drew attention away from Mnzer. By the mid- 1600 s, communism resurfaced in England, spawning the creation of The Law of Freedom in a Platform by Gerrand Winstanley, a pre-industrial communist. He said, True freedom lies where a man receives his nourishment and preservation, that is in the use of the earth. (Winstanley) To Winstanley, this meant that common ownership must be established and the sale of human labor abolished. Following the many peasant uprisings in Europe and more specifically, the French Revolution, Karl Marx entered the world of European politics.

Collectively, Marx, Ludwig Feuerbach, and Friedrich Engels left an impressive mark on this world. Marx and Engels are commonly recognized for their book, The Communist Manifesto, but Feuerbach is often forgotten. Although Feuerbach didnt participate in communal experiments or political action, he was very active in the advocating education for the working class. Feuerbach did disagree with Marx on a few points, and most notably, religion. (Capital, 586 - 617). Feuerbach was for atheist education where as Marx saw religion as a necessary component to the proletarian lifestyle. He viewed it as an assisting force in mans self-consciousness.

Both Marx and Feuerbach were powerful spokesmen of the proletariat. They both knew that labor was an indispensable factor of production as Robert Owen did in the early 19 th century. (Marxism, 11) Throughout the class struggles of the late 20 th century, Marx stood by the proletariat. He argued that the providers of a nation, the working class, should be treated fairly, democratically. This lead to the development of the Paris Commune in 1871. It was said by Marxian Communists to be the first attempt to establish a democratic workers state.

Unfortunately, the commune ended with tens of thousands of men and women being executed or deported. In the years that followed the failed Paris Commune, a rivalry grew between Marx and his followers and those of Mikhail Bakunin, a founder of modern anarchism. A wave of anti-communist thought swept over Europe. The Communist Party adopted the name of the Social-Democratic Party to escape the stigma that went along with communism. When attention shifted from Marx to the development of a Communist state in Russia, leaders like Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and later, Joseph Stalin lead the Soviet Union into the 20 th century and through two world wars. And as the economic situation worsened in China, the Soviet Union came to their aid and soon, a Communist party was established with Mao Tse-tung at the helm.

The process continued. Next, Cambodia, under the power of the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge, experimented with Communism until they were invaded by Vietnam in 1978 which resulted in a short war between Vietnam and China. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union went through more changes and by the 1980 s, a new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was in control. He introduced many new reforms which attempted to modernize and liberalize the system rather than destroy it.

But by 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved, and communism had failed. Today, Communism is hardly anything but a footnote in history. It is no longer a threat to the United States as it once was during the Cold War. China is one of the last countries of any significance to be under the reign of Communism, and yet several reforms have modernized the country even further. The future of Communism is an uncertain one.

And a comeback in the 21 st century is unlikely, according to most. So no one is sure what will come of Communism. The spread of Communism was one that passed through time as well as boundaries. Through thousands of years and thousands of miles, Communism has survived. It was a journey traveled by many, but only a few have survived. The survivors: Plato, Socrates, Babeuf, Fourier, Owen, Blanc, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, and all of the others that line the pages of history books.

They are those who were able to advance a system that was destined to fail. So were their efforts done in vain? Of course not. It was all done with the intent of finding the perfect system. Is it likely that we will find that system?

Of course not. Works Cited Salisbury, Harrison E. The Soviet Union: The Fifty Years. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. , 1967. River, Alfred J. A Study of the U.

S. S. R. and Communism: An Historical Approach. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1962. Kaiser, Robert G.

Russia: The People and the Power. New York: Atheneum, 1976. "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. " Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Vers. 7. 0. Boston: Grolier, 1995. Marx, Karl. Capital.

New York: The Modern Library, 1906. Sowell, Thomas. Marxism. New York: William, Morrow and Company Inc. , 1985. Marx, Karl, Engels, Friedrich. The Communist Manifesto.

Signet Classic: New York New American Library, 1998. Blanc, Louis, Loubere, Leo. Louis Blanc: His Life and His Contribution to the Rise of French Jacobin-Socialism. Greenwood Press Reprint: Chicago 1992. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. The Philosophy of History.

Prometheus Books: Reprint edition: New York 1990. Plato. The Republic. Dover Publications: London 1996. Winstanley, Gerrand. Gerrand Winstanley. < web month 3.

fr / ra forum / en /people / winstanley g/> Montana 2003.


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Research essay sample on 20 Th Century Marx And Engels

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