(An Analysis of Karl Marx’ “The Communist Manifesto”) “Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Proletarians of all countries, unite!” Karl Marx “The Communist Manifesto” was a radical piece of literature that had little effect on Marx’ lifetime however, it sparked enormous change in the future. Within the piece Marx outlines the two major classes, the proletariat or working class and the bourgeoisie or ruling class. He makes a bold claim that all previous history is the history of the proletariat and bourgeoisie class struggle, listing a number of historical examples. Marx believes that the conditions for the proletariat has worsened after the industrial …show more content…
“The Communist Manifesto” is a remarkably intriguing piece of literature, it presents a dissident view of human history, inspired bloody revolutions and prophesies the collapse of the class system. Marx’ begins the first section of “The Communist Manifesto” with a bold claim that all of history hitherto is the history of the class struggles. According to Marx’ in the earliest pieces of human history from all over the world we find complicated arrangements of society of varying ranks. In Rome there were the patricians, knights, plebeians and slaves. In the middle ages feudal lords, vassals, guild-masters, journeymen, apprentices and serfs. In Marx’ view the end of feudal society didn’t end the class struggle it only simplified it. Marx believed that there were two emerging classes forming within society that were opposed and moving farther and farther apart they were the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. He believed the first elements of the bourgeoisie spawned from burgesses of the Middle Ages then expanded with the discovery of America. The increased commerce that spawned lead to a new impulse. The feudal system of industry was replaced, guilds vanished.