Analysis Of Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto

Who’s in Control?

(A discussion on capitalism and communism in your personal life)

Clean your room! Do the dishes! Finish your homework! All these commands have been barked at kids since they were little. At a young age, there was no question where the authority lay in the household; the parent obviously had the say so on what went on. However, as the adolescents in the home began to grow up, the line between authority holder and the individual respecting that authority begins to blur. For example, if you’re eighteen and technically an adult, but still live in your parents’ house, do you have a say in what goes on? This is where the question of authority comes in. Karl Marx discusses authority and force on a greater level in his work

The question over whether capitalism was a personal or social issue was raised during the reading. Within his work, Marx discusses how it is much more social opposed to personal. It’s a collective product, and will only work with the combined action of many members. Marx states in his work that, “Only by the united action of all members of society, can it be set in motion. Capital is therefore not a personal, it is a social power,” (para 77-78). We can conclude from this statement that Marx believes that it requires the entire community for Capitalism work. Marx wasn’t the only one who thought this. David Bromwich reiterates what Marx stated in a short excerpt from his work, “The ethics of capitalism are attached to a social function,” (Bromwich). We can determine that David B. agrees with the ideas that Marx discussed. Looking a little deeper at the explanation that Marx gave, Craig A. Lockard follows up with what he thinks about Capitalism in his article. From Lockard’s article, “Marx offered a conception of capitalism as a mode of production that exploited workers,” (Lockard). It is understood from Lockard that this isn’t something that could be accomplished through a couple of workers, but through the masses. From the evidence provided, the conclusion can be drawn that capitalism is largely a social

As stated earlier in the essay, capitalism is much more of a social issue, therefore much more of the responsibilities that are put upon me, as an adult, will deal with the community. Karl Marx indicated in The Communist Manifesto what happens to all the money that we work to gain. Once we get paid, a majority of the money we earned goes to rent, food, bills, etc. (para. 40). He shows his understanding, and attempts sharing it with the reader, that everything we do is socially based; our money goes back to different parts of the community. This may sound exaggerated, but David Harsanyi expresses the how the world is run in a simple quote from his article, “We live in a world shaped by capitalism…these ethics are ones that rule our society,” (Harsanyi). Everything we do is connected to the community in one way or another. We pay taxes, which go back to society; there are bills we have to pay, which are linked to the community. Craig A. Lockard, heard from previously on his thoughts about capitalism, speaks about how it is related to society and the individual, “Capitalism as not just an economic practice but a cultural practice…it requires change in how people think and act,” (Lockard). The understanding is that capitalism is something that takes all the individuals of the community to make work, and is connected to the life of the