Karl Marx is a name that tops the list of the most influential philosophers of the nineteenth century. He, along with Friedrich Engels, propagated Marxism. Marx is often said to have revived materialism with a new interpretation, connecting it with human history and the human past in an eccentric way. Further, social class served as a key historical factor and actor in the Marxist interpretation.
The Communist Manifesto (Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei) was written by Marx and Engels in 1848 and served as the platform for communism in the 19th and 20th centuries. Communism rose from the socialist movement in 19th-century Europe.
The ideas of the German philosopher, Karl Marx, contrive Marxism. However, it must be noted that Marxism is much more than just the ideas of Karl Marx; it includes significant contributions from the writings of Friedrich Engels and supporters.
Marxism is best defined as an economic, political, and social philosophy that analyses the direct and indirect relationship between the bourgeoisie, or capitalist class, and the proletariat, or worker’s class. It is classified as a left-wing method of socioeconomic analysis which makes use of historical materialist interpretation to view class relations, and social conflicts, and present a dialectical perspective to justify social transformation.
Postal Stamps
Description- Postage stamps depicting Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the founders of Marxism.
The first great contribution of the Marxist theory is the implementation of the framework of the materialist conception of history.
Marxism profoundly contributed to consolidating, inspiring, influencing, and radicalising the elements of labour and socialist movements in parts of Western Europe.
The theories promulgated by Marxists proved to be greatly influential in the development of socialism.
It sees Capitalism as an unfair system of production where the means of production lies in the hands of the capitalists at the expense of the class interests of the workers who shall be the real owners of the means of production.
The best-known test of the Marxist theory has been the case of the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1911.
Scholars define communism as an economic and political ideology that opposes liberal democracy and capitalism, and instead advocates a system where communal ownership of the means of production prevails. The Soviet Union and China are two great examples of communism. The umbrella term ‘communism’ simply encompasses a range of ideologies.
Victor d’Hupay is accredited for originating the modern usage of the term. He advocates that the idea of ‘communes’ where all property is shared, would evolve into a system where ‘all may benefit from everybody’s work’. The seminal tract of 1848, the ‘Communist Manifesto’ greatly developed the modern communist ideology.
Communism advocates for the dictation of economic structure in the hands of the government, and hence it paves way for an internally stable economic system.
The community is the epicentre. The community produces, the community consumes, and the community enjoys the benefits.
Social equality is the basis of the communist ideology. Communists root for an egalitarian society where the room for discrimination and class distinction gets eliminated.
It promulgates the idea of a central plan economy which is based on the principle- ‘to each according to his need, from each according to his ability’.
Communist Posters
Description-Communism propaganda posters
Communism and Marxism have certain prominent differences in terms of definition, focus, basis, origin, and beliefs. The key difference between the two is that communists resort to violence to achieve their goals and agendas, while Marxists do not.
| Communism | Marxism |
|---|---|
| Communism is a system of government which is based on the Marxist principle. | Marxism is a philosophy or a theory that may be understood as the father of the communist ideology. |
| Communism saw its beginning with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. | Scholars suggest that Marxism was created in the 1840s. |
| The main focus of communism is a 'classless society'. | The main focus of Marxism is the class struggle. |
| Believes that the means of production must be owned collectively. | Believes in the public ownership of the economical means of production. |
| Communism can either be atheistic or theistic. | Marxism is atheist. |
| Communism promotes a stateless management system where all are equal. | Marxism laid the foundation for this system. |
| Communism is dependent as it was derived from Marxism. | Marxism developed independently. |
People often confuse the two terms-communism and Marxism. However, as demarcated above, there are relevant distinctions between the two. Marxism, developed by Karl Marx, focuses on class struggle and the social change which follows it. On the other side, Communism, for which Vladimir Lenin is credited, is based on Marxist theory.
Scholars sometimes classify communism and Marxism as inherently evil philosophies which have been used to justify terrible atrocities, however, that is not true. It is important to note that these ideologies form a crucial understanding of historical development and political theory.
Q1. Is Communism the same as socialism?
Ans. Socialism may be understood as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism. Communism enters the last stage of socialism.
Q2. Which countries are communist?
Ans. China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos, and Vietnam are the existing communist states in the world. There was a time when about one-third of the world’s population lived under communist governments. But it shall be noted that none of these meets the true definition of communism.
Q3. Why is Marxism criticised?
Ans. Marxists are criticised for their analysis of capitalism. Scholars consider capitalism to be less exploitative in the present times. Some critics also argue that the Marxist economic system is unworkable and vague.
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