Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto

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Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels formulates the basic concepts of Communism. Faith and reason can be used to explain parts of this document. The Communist Manifesto has definite views dealing with faith, and along with this, religion. In the Manifesto, Marx states that religion is not needed in Communism because a society under Communism is classless. Marx uses reason to explain what will happen to society due to the materialism of the Industrial Revolution. Marx reasons how society will become classless under the rule of communism. The proletariat, defined as the lower working class, will take over the bourgeoisie, defined as the upper class, because of the difference in capital between the two classes. The two classes clash because both are consumed with wants of material items and power but only the bourgeoisie has an abundance of these two items. The proletariat then revolts to gain equality and thus society becomes classless. Faith and reason are themes used in the Communist Manifesto to explain the ideals and concepts of Communism.

Marx perceives religion as gratuitous in communism. Marx’s reaction toward religion is quite evident in just the second sentence: "All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this specter [communism]; Pope and Czar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies."1 Marx sees the Pope as an enemy therefore religion must be an enemy of Marx’s. In the Manifesto, Marx even sarcastically comments on the Catholic religion by calling the lives of the Saints silly.2 This reflects some of Marx’s views on religion that he displayed in the Manifesto. He has two main reasons ...

... middle of paper ...

...o to explain his ideas of religion and society.

Notes

1. Marx, Karl, The Communist Manifesto. Sources from the Humanities History and

Religious Studies, 37.

2. Marx, 56.

3. Marx, 40.

4. Mckown, Delos B, The Classical Marxist Critiques of Religion: Marx, Engels, Lenin,

Kautsky. Belgium: Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, 1975, 58.

5. Marx, 52.

6. Janz, Denis R, World Christianity and Marxism. Oxford, NY: Oxford University

Press, 1998, 11.

7. Janz, 11

8. Heimann, Eduard, Reason and Faith in Modern Society: Liberalism, Marxism, and

Democracy. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, 1961, 154.

9. Miller, Alexander, The Christian Significance of Karl Marx. London: Northumberland

Press, 1946, 21.

10. Marx, 40.

11. Miller, 26.

12. Miller, 27.

13. Marx, 22-23.

14. Marx, 28-29.

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