The Communist Manifesto Flashcards

The Communist Manifesto

• Written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, advocating for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of communism.
• Claims capitalism oppresses the majority (proletarians) under a class system dominated by the minority (bourgeoisie).
• Calls for the proletariat to unite and revolt against the bourgeoisie to achieve political power and abolish private property.
• Advocates for the elimination of the traditional family structure based on capital gain, alongside nationalism and countries.
• Proposes free education for all and the liberation of the working class from economic and social oppression.

Terms for Communism

• Abolition of land property and rent systems.
• Implementation of a heavy progressive income tax.
• Elimination of inheritance rights.
• Confiscation of property belonging to emigrants and dissidents.
• Centralization of financial systems, communications, and transportation under state control.
• State ownership and extension of production facilities and agricultural industries.
• Equal work responsibilities for all and integration of agriculture and manufacturing.
• Advocacy for free education and prohibition of child labor in its existing form.

Bourgeois

• Represents the capitalist class that owns and manages production while being the minority in society.
• Engages in the oppression of the proletariat by exploiting their labor for profit while offering minimal wages.
• Seeks global expansion to increase profits and further exploit the working class.

Proletarians

• The working class solely dependent on labor for survival, forming the majority yet facing significant oppression.
• Operate under conditions akin to slavery, generating immense profits for capitalists while receiving low pay.
• Despite forming unions, often end up aiding bourgeois interests instead of pursuing revolutionary goals.
• Marx argues for the necessity of a proletarian revolt to achieve a classless society.

Reactionary Socialism

• Divided into three types, each opposing the rise of bourgeois and industrial society without understanding historical progress.
• Feudal Socialism: Advocated by aristocrats who feared the revolutionary potential of the proletariat and sought to maintain their societal status.
• Petty-Bourgeois Socialism: Aims to restore former production methods and social relations, ultimately leading to failure due to its reactionary and utopian nature.
• German (True) Socialism: Philosophical assimilation of French socialism into German contexts, lacking practical application and seen as reactionary against the bourgeoisie.

Conservative or Bourgeois Socialism

• Desires modern social advantages without facing associated struggles, aiming for bourgeois dominance without a proletariat.
• Advocates for a stable society maintaining bourgeois power while keeping the working class weak and compliant.
• Critiques revolutionary movements as ineffectual, failing to comprehend the necessity for abolishing bourgeois production relations.

Explore key concepts of The Communist Manifesto through these flashcards. This political pamphlet, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, outlines the theory of communism and calls for the workers' revolution against capitalism. Use this quiz to solidify your understanding of its main ideas and historical context.