Karl Marx's Theory of Class

Karl Marx is known as an extreme social theorist and has many influences on the current population today. Throughout his studies, his main interests included: politics, economics and struggles that existed between classes in society. In his famous book the Communist Manifesto, he explains how although society was mainly built upon capitalism, it will soon be replaced by communism. This drastic change will occur when the proletariat (the workers) will realize that they have been victims of capitalism and want to change their society to a classless society where communism is present. Capitalism is the idea of a company or corporation owning and controlling all the means of society. In Marx’s terms these owners would be known as the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie control the socioeconomic system and have the proletariat work under them, essentially keeping themselves wealthy and in control. The system was so harsh that even if the proletariat wanted change, it was not possible because of how the system was designed. In order to gain a capitalist society, the bourgeoisie must first take complete control of the situation and become distinguised owners in a society.
After they own a big and successful corporation they then have workers in which they train and make their workers believe that in order to survive they must work and brainwashing the workers to believe that working is the only option they have. Once this idea is engrained into the workers mind, this is all they will know how to do and will teach their children to do the same, therfore letting the main owners continue to remain the main owners of society. Marx understood this struggle between these two classes, he knew this soon would become unacceptable to the workers and they would come to a realization of the inequity in their society. In the first line of the Communist Manifesto, Marx brings out the concernment of his book, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles (Marx, 1848). Marx believed that the struggles between the burgeosie and the proletariat is what caused the strain between them and society. He understood that the process of communism will one day replace capitalism. Communism is social equalization occuring in a society. No one person or corporation owns the means of production rather it is shared among the community. The idea of communism is what Marx believes was the answer to an equitable and just society. “One of his (Marx) main justifications for writing the Communist Manifesto was toeducate the working class to understand the ways the economic structure oppressed them (Goodwin & Scimecca, 2006).” He was eager to let the working class understand that although the owners made it seem like there was no way out of the working class, there truly was a way out and this idea was communism. People who were anti-Marxist included mostly members of the bourgeiosie because they did not want any type of change. They did not see society as a struggle between classes, but a ‘better’ and more easier way for them to live. This way of thinking was a form of ‘invisible privilege’; in which they had privlege but were not aware of how the workers were unfairly treated. The idea of modern capitalism is what society is experiencing today. In societies today there is a combination of traditional capitalism and communism. More workers have become aware of how the means of production is distributed and have worked to try and make a change in society; in which everyone can experience equality, not only economics, but in politics as well.
Marx knew and understood this evolving of society which the workers would not always continue to stay on the bottom. Marx was a firm believer in equality in society and wanted workers to realize this dominant occurization in society. Throughout his life Marx’s main goal was to study the struggles between society and study why they occurred. He wanted workers to become more consciously aware of what was occurring in society and I believe his legend had extreme value in leading to modern capitalism.