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Karl Marx WHO IS KARL MARXKarl Marx was a German ‘philosopher’ and economist who lived in the 1800s. He wrote two books and developed an economic theory that today continues to influence political and economic thinking. A clue to Marx’s character was revealed when, as a young man, he was exiled from his home country of Germany for subversive activity directed toward his government The Germans recognized his revolutionary, radical tendencies and wanted no part this ‘trouble maker’. After banishment from his homeland, Marx and family moved to London where he would spend most of his adult life. It was while in England that his writings gave birth to an ‘ideology’ that would change history for millions of people. Karl MarxAlthough he was well educated in economics, Marx detested capitalism because, in his mind, workers labored in poverty for those in the ruling class while they were getting rich. He envisioned a time when workers would grow so tired of being dominated by the wealthy that they would rise up in rebellion, overthrow government, and establish a society where everyone was equal. To Marx total elimination of class differences and economic disparity would be the ultimate achievement for mankind. Marx’s socialist dream he labeled communism. Marx believed that the rewards for a classless society were so great that any means necessary to achieve equality was acceptable—including brute force. In his thinking it was inevitable that the poor would rise up against the rich, so he had no qualms about advising workers to rebel, encouraging them to fight for their ‘socio-economic emancipation’. Marx introduced to the world his radical new way of thinking by publishing 2 books, ‘The Communist Manifesto’ and ‘Das Kapital. In addition to expounding on his radical economic and political ideas, he also shared his strategies for how aggressive leaders could implement his communist ideology. Few regular citizens read Marx’s work, but they were widely and eagerly read by professors of philosophy and government and by politicians who were looking for ways to seize power.Because no attempt had been made to implement communism, Marx died in the late 1800s not knowing to what extent his thinking and writing would change the world. But that would change in 1917 when a revolutionary by the name of VLADIMIR LENIN seized control of the Russian revolution. For the next 70 years Marx’s ideas would be on full display in the Soviet Union. For those who accepted Marx’s ideas, the expectation was that the Russian people were about to achieve total equality. ALL would be well. Everyone would have what they needed. Class distinctions would be erased. There would be no future conflict and no need for future rebellion against government. According to theory Russians were about to experience utopia. How did this foray into Communist turn out for the Russian people? What was life really like under Marxist Communism? It would NOT be pretty! NOW WATCH THE POSTED VIDEO ‘WHO IS KARL MARX’.The video is packed with information, so you watch carefully. You may need to see it a second time. Once you have read the article above and watched the video, answer the following questions.QUESTIONS1. What is a Marxist and about how many people were killed and enslaved by Marxist governments? 2. According to the video, what had to change when implementing a Marxist communist government?3. The video stated that TERROR and FAMINE have followed communist wherever it has been implemented. Explain why.4. Name an example where communism has succeeded in bettering the lives of citizens.5. Why do Americans today, especially younger people, sympathetic or even supportive of communism?6. Has Marxist arguments regarding ‘capitalism’ proven to be accurate? 7. The speaker in the video, and Marx himself, said that guns and/or brute force would always be needed under communism. Why?Read the famous quotes from Karl Marx on the next page.“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs”“The history of all previous societies has been the history of class struggles”.“The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope”.Karl Marx8. The top quote above sounds wonderful, but is it in opposition to human nature?9. The 3rd quote about hanging the capitalist is clever. What 2 suppositions does this statement imply?JUST FOR THOUGHTThe middle quote regarding class struggles is the most accurate of all his quotes. We have had our class struggles in America—remember studying the Civil War—but are response has been considerably different from the Marxist response. See the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. If we were to honestly live by the precepts contained in the Declaration, anyone would have the opportunity to overcome class by hard work. . ................
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