Political Philosophies - Theory of Socialism

"While Realists focus on the power of a state and political leaders and consider security and power to be the first foals of international relations and Liberals focus on representation, the individual, and his or her rights, Socialists focus on class and the material interests those classes embody" (Doyle, 1999:316). Socialism is an ideal society where with the destruction of the class, the family and the state both disappear. Then communism and the profits of labor would be shared among the working-class. Karl Marx and Friedrick Engels were the great philosophers of this theory.

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Germany. Greatly influenced by Hegel, Marx studied philosophy at universities in Bonn and Berlin and later entered journalism. He traveled to Paris to publish a radical journal and met life-long friend and associate Friederick Engels. Marx and Engels were both active in various revolutionary groups and co-authored the Communist Manifesto, which outlined the theory of the class struggle and of the revolutionary role of the proletariat. Due to his revolutionary activities, Marx was expelled from Germany, France and Belgium and ended up on London, where he died in 1849.

"Assume particular stages of development in production, commerce, and consumption and you will have a corresponding social order, a corresponding organization of the family and of the ranks and classes, in a word a corresponding civil society" (Marx, On Society, 1973: 3). This statement lays the foundation for Marist thought; he then proceeds to build upon the empirical evidence to assume that. "

Marx sees the bourgeoisie as the repressor and exploiter of the proletariat. The former holds all capital in the mode of production, reaps all of the benefits, but does not perform any labor. The latter is responsible for the actual production of the resultant item but receives no comparable compensation for their role. Having both the time and money to devote to politics, the bourgeoisie is manipulating the government for capital gain. The laborers wear a "veil of ignorance" regarding this exploitation.

Marx's alienation deals directly with the laborers ability to produce a product; the division of labor drastically alters the motives and opportunities of the laborer during production. Imagine once again the master craftsman; he is able to produce an entire product in his own shop or at home. While working on this project, he is not only devoting his time, but part of himself. He feels pride for his accomplishment and it is evident in the work that he does. His efforts are then rewarded when he sells his product, whatever it may be, and reaps the reward; a gracious buyer who is willing to pay the craftsman a tidy price for their labor.

When he is forced out of his shop, for financial or other reasons, his situation is altered. Hypothetically, he will be placed on a manufacturing line, where he is maybe only punching holes into a piece of metal. In this instance, he is potentially doing one one-thousandth of the work that is needed to generate one finished product. Unfortunately when he produces in such a way, the end product is not his, but is the property of bourgeois shop owner; this is alienation. However, as he takes part in more finished products he alienates himself further.

This alienation not only takes place between the person and his product, but within himself. The laborer, as you will recall, also puts himself into his product during creation; so when he is no longer the owner of his product, he is also no longer the owner of his actions, and for that matter his actions. To support this, his life is also dictated by the schedule he is set to; the work schedule provided for him by his new employer.

It is also pertinent to mention, now that the laborer has entered the workforce, he is no longer working for his own enjoyment. His motives have changed; he is working towards a means to gratification, not for the mere satisfaction of his creative desires. In this, his labor is also no longer voluntary; he can not feel pride for that which he did not fully create. Because of this, he can not hold appreciation for an object on which he has worked so hard. Under all of these conditions, Marx states that the craftsman's labor is "coerced...forced labor" (74).

Private property is now brought into the issue, as the owner of the capital is the one is directing the whole scenario. It is this labor produced by the worker that is enhancing the ability of the shop owner to purchase more capital, or private property. This parallel between the division of labor and the acquisition of private property "implies the contradiction of interest between the interest of the separate individual ... and the communal interest of all individuals" (160). To explain, acquiring private property is an individual interest, and the more one acquires the more one wants. A shop owner, for example, is trying to satisfy their own private greed through the exploitation of the labor of a worker. By exploiting the worker, the shop owner is putting the laborer in a subservient position.

The communal interest is hypothetically all of the interests that are shared among individuals. Say, if an individual were told that they would have to live with others, and they would have to be dependent upon one another. If they were to choose certain values and goals for themselves to interact with one another without knowing the education level or other attributes of the other individuals then they would choose values centered around various equalities; of wages, of discrimination, etc., that would allow them to have the same advantages of those around them.

In any case, capitalism is the exploitation of the worker, and the goal of the bourgeoisie is to continue to hold the "veil of ignorance" over the eyes of the laborer. They are able to do this through the state because they are the ones who are actually holding office or are contributing to the campaigns of those who are in office. Their initiatives are to control the proletariat through some form of "bribe"; the creation of the welfare state is a prime example. By supporting labor laws, a minimum wage, and asserting certain controls on the actions corporations the state is able to assuage some of the grievances held by the proletariat. The state is basically promising some personal gain for the continued efforts under truly unfair labor practices by the bourgeois shop owners.

Marx believes that the coming of a communist society will transform relationships. As the revolution draws near and communism takes hold, he asserts "that the real intellectual wealth of the individual depends entirely on the wealth of his real connections" (163). This means that in a communist society, it is the interpersonal relationships that will benefit a person more, maybe not monetarily, but opportunity-wise. More importantly these formerly antagonistic are now connected; forced to be dependent upon one another for the creation of products and for the improvement of well-being will mean. Grudges for former grievances will have to be eliminated; the bourgeoisie will be forced to apologize for their selfish actions.

These interconnected individuals, through their endeavor towards a common goal, can now be thought of as a single, unitary individual (164). They are no longer unique persons, striving towards a self-serving ambition. They can not be defined any longer for their ability to master another person for their own personal gain. These individuals need to continue to work together or there will be consequences; consequences, meaning that the general ability of a state to produce goods and services for its members would soon diminish.

It is in the general interest that the state to continue to be productive. The now communistic individuals would see a need for a continued capacity for production. Their needs and wants would rest with each other's ability to produce; it is in their own self-interest, as well as that of the general population for this reason. The way that these individuals participate in the society has now changed as well. They are participating on a voluntary basis, and it thus makes it more gratifying if they are able to work on a project they enjoy. It seems, in Marx's view that communism can fix the problems of the proletariat found in capitalist society.

Robert C. Tucker, ed. The Marx-Engels Reader. 2^nd Ed. New York, N.Y., W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1978.