Marx on Communism 1 Paradox of alienation

Transcript:Marx on Communism 1 Paradox of alienation:
Marx on Communism 1 Paradox of alienation Individuals are essentially free and socially connected But existentially (forms of existence of the human essence) they feel/are enslaved and isolated Nevertheless they continue to create the forms of alienation/oppression that enslave them 2 Productive forces and Relations of Production The productive forces of society are normally in harmony with the social relations of production Productive forces: physical and spiritual powers of individuals expressed in technologies of consciousness and material transformation of nature Relations of production: social dimension: master-slave, lord-serf, capitalist-worker 3 Revolution The productive forces continue to develop within the social system (relations of production) and can come into contradiction with the relations of production, bringing about a revolutionary period. E.g., capitalist industry and commerce develops within feudalism > English revolution =dialectical contradiction leads to new social order, allowing freer development of the productive forces 4 Nature of capitalism 1) Private ownership and control of the means of production Peasants owned their tools, but not the land in feudalism Workers do not own their tools (=alienation of means of labor) 2) Social nature of production Individual labor of peasant societies and crafts Workers together in manufactories and eventual factories 3) Goods are produced for the market (commodities) The ability to work becomes a commodity: workers must sell their labor power for a wage (alienation of labor power) 5 Development of capitalism 1) Mercantilism: the state plays an important role in the development of large capitalist industries (i.e., the East India company which dominated India late 18th century) Other limitations: guild system continues restricting competition 2) Laissez-faire capitalism Adam smith argued against Mercantilism in 1776, but for the continuation of the four-day work-week In early 1800’s men women and children worked in factories for six days a week, up to 16 hours a day 6 First triumph of communism: The Ten Hours Bill Bill of 1847: part of “Factory Acts” Marx: “it was the first time that in broad daylight the political economy of the middle class succumbed to the political economy of the working class.” = Laws passed to limit the working day for children and women to 10 hours! The state imposes limits on the market for the well-being of society = communism emerging within capitalism 7 Internal critique of capitalism Laissez-faire (pure) capitalism tends to self-destruct It destroys the basis of its existence: the worker Kills the goose that lays