Please Answer The Following Based On The Reading Below

Please Answer The Following Based On The Reading Belowmichael Kortss

Please answer the following based on the reading below: Michael Kort’s Soviet Union, pp. 80-86 (see uploaded document) 1. What do Marx and Engels mean by the phrase, “A specter is haunting Europe – the specter of communism”? 2. Define the terms: Communism, Capitalism, Bourgeoisie, Proletariat 3. Explain Marx’s idea of dialectical materialism in your own words. Draw a diagram of this concept. 4. How did “surplus value” adversely affect the workers? 5. According to Marx, what is profit? How does it relate to the actions of the ruling class? 6. What is the difference between socialism and communism? 7. How does Marx use the study of history to describe the impending revolution?

Paper For Above instruction

The opening statement by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “A specter is haunting Europe – the specter of communism,” encapsulates their view that communist ideas and movements were rapidly spreading across Europe, threatening the existing social and political order. This phrase suggests that the ideas of communism represented a revolutionary threat that unsettled ruling classes and capitalist societies, prompting fears of upheaval and change. Marx and Engels believed that the spirit of communism was inevitable due to the growing inequalities and contradictions inherent in capitalist societies, and this impending revolution was a consequence of longstanding class struggles.

Definitions of key terms:

- Communism: An ideological and economic system advocating for collective ownership of resources and means of production, aiming for a classless society where goods and services are distributed based on need.

- Capitalism: An economic system characterized by private ownership of property and means of production, with market-driven supply and demand determining the distribution of wealth.

- Bourgeoisie: The capitalist class who own the means of production and derive profit from the labor of others.

- Proletariat: The working class who sell their labor power to the bourgeoisie in exchange for wages.

Dialectical materialism is a philosophical framework developed by Marx that sees social and historical development as the result of material forces and contradictions. In essence, it views history as a dynamic process driven by conflicts between opposing classes. These conflicts propel societal change through a dialectical process—thesis, antithesis, and synthesis—leading toward the eventual establishment of a classless society. Diagrammatically, this can be represented as:

• Thesis (existing social order) → Conflict with Antithesis (opposing class/forces) → Synthesis (new social order)

In my words, dialectical materialism emphasizes that material conditions, particularly economic relations, shape social institutions, ideas, and consciousness, rather than ideals alone. The tension between classes, especially in capitalism, creates contradictions that eventually lead to revolutionary change.

Surplus value is the value produced by workers beyond what they are paid in wages. This excess value is appropriated by capitalists as profit. The adverse effect of surplus value on workers is profound: it leads to exploitation, where workers do not receive the full value of their labor, resulting in economic inequality and social discontent. The more surplus value accumulated by capitalists, the greater the exploitation and impoverishment of the working class.

According to Marx, profit is the surplus value extracted from workers’ labor. It is the difference between the value of goods produced and the wages paid to workers. Profit relates directly to the actions of the ruling class, as it is their means of accumulating wealth and maintaining their power. This process reinforces the exploitative relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletariat, perpetuating social inequality.

The key difference between socialism and communism lies in their stages of societal development. Socialism is seen as a transitional stage where the means of production are owned collectively, and the state often plays a role in managing resources. Communism, on the other hand, represents a fully classless and stateless society where resources are shared equitably, and there is no need for a state or government. In Marxist theory, socialism is a necessary phase on the way to achieving true communism.

Marx uses the study of history, especially through dialectical materialism, to illustrate that societal change occurs through class struggles and contradictions within economic systems. History is viewed as a series of conflicts between oppressor and oppressed classes, leading to revolutions and transformations. Marx argued that the capitalist mode of production contains inherent contradictions—such as the exploitation of workers—that will inevitably lead to a proletarian revolution, overthrowing capitalism and establishing socialism, ultimately progressing toward communism.

References

• Cohen, G. A. (1978). Karl Marx's Theory of History. Princeton University Press.
• McLellan, D. (1995). Karl Marx: A Biography. HarperCollins.
• Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1960). The Communist Manifesto. International Publishers.
• Collins, R. (2009). Marx’s Theory of History: A Defense. Routledge.
• Bottomore, T. (1991). A Dictionary of Marxist Thought. Blackwell.
• Wood, A. (2003). The Communist Manifesto: A Revolutionary Document. Oxford University Press.
• Fine, B., & Harris, J. (2017). Marx’s Capital and the Crisis of Capitalism. Palgrave Macmillan.
• McLellan, D. (1994). Marx before Marxism. Harper & Row.
• Harvey, D. (2014). Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism. Profile Books.
• Hobsbawm, E. (1994). The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century. Vintage.