Why Was There a Struggle Between the Bourgeoisie and the...

Why, according to Marx and Engels in The Manifesto of the Communist Party, was there inevitably struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, which would create the preconditions for socialism? ___________________ The theories of Karl Marx have influenced some of the world’s greatest thinkers. Marx’s idea of the inevitable class struggle within capitalism and consequent place for a socialist society is professed within ‘The Manifesto of the Communist Party.’ It is necessary to explore why Marx and Engels believed class conflict to be unavoidable in order to understand why the preconditions for socialism could be established. It is clear that economics is at the heart of Marxist thought and it can be arguably suggested that†¦show more content†¦The nature of capitalism meant the bourgeoisie needed to exploit their workers in order to make a surplus. If they didn’t do this they would fall themselves into the proletariat and their employees would work for someone who would. This made the situation of the proletariat all the more dire. Marx expressed this view when he defined the proletariat as â€Å"a class of labourers, who live only so long as they fi nd work, and who find work only so long as their labour increases capital† (page 8). This meant that the chances of a proletariat had to advance into a higher economic class were reduced and a further polarisation of classes would develop. This meant that a class struggle was inevitable if one views Marx’s theory as one of ‘group-formation’ as is explored by Reinhard Bendix in his study of Marx. Bendix suggests that in Marx’s view â€Å"ruling classes are aware of their common interests and have the organizational means to promote them, while oppressed classes still seek to achieve class consciousness and organizational cohesion.† Hence due to a lack of class consciousness the proletariat continue to struggle. This was inevitable, according to Bendix view of Marx, due to the nature of the oppressed classes. A similar idea that causes inevitable class conflict mentioned again by Bendix is that a â€Å"lack of acquaintance and competing interes ts divided the workers amongst them-selves. Although all of them lived a starkly deprived life, theirShow MoreRelatedOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pageswith a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from the practical world of organizations. The authors’ sound scholarship and transparent style of writing set the book apart, making it an ingenious read which invites reflexivity, criticalness and plurality of opinion from the audience. This is a book that will become a classic in organization studies. Mihaela L. Kelemen, Professor of Management Studies, Keele University, UK An unusually rich and deep philosophical