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The life and workings of Marx and Engels 1820s-90s - Coggle Diagram
The life and workings of Marx and Engels 1820s-90s
People on Marx
Peter Singer - "He is as important as Jesus or Mohammed"
“the Marx constructed in the 20th century bore only an incidental resemblance to the Marx that lived in the 19th” Gareth Stedman Jones (biographer)
“He was a messy bitch” Ian Dunn
Historical development
“The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles” - kicking off the communist manifesto
Historical Development: Primitive communism, Slavery, Feudalism, Socialism, Communism
The move to Paris
1843 - He moves to Paris which he calls “the nerve centre of European history”. It is in Paris where we meets Engels.
Engles brings a background of capitalist knowledge to the relationship, he has spent much time in industrialising Manchester.
Paris 1848
The revolution fails across Europe, Marx begins to react to this with new theories. These new theories manifest themselves as Marx moves to London.
Background and early life
Prussia 1818, he was born into a liberal middle class family who were previously Jewish, he has an interesting relationship with his faith. He was rebellious at university and was a renowned laddish drinker, he studied both law and philosophy.
Marx became a journalist after university. He was a liberal at this time, did not feel that communist idea yet had a logical basis.
Capital Volume one
1867 - first volume of Capital released
This book attempts to show how historical materialism will eventually lead to the collapse of capitalism.
Value
Surpluses value (profit) in the capitalist process is created by labour, workers exchange their labour.
two types of capital
Constant Capital - physical goods and objects
Variable Capital - wages and labour
Capital and Consciousness
It is not the consciousness of men that determines their social position it is their social position which determines their consciousness. At this point Marx becomes less philosophical and more economical.
False and Class consciousness
Capitalism installs a false consciousness in the working classes, this needs to be replaced with a class consciousness.
He sees labour as the definer of our relationship with the world, under capitalism this is alienated. For Marx communism is the ‘riddle of history solved’ this is the end of history. This end state was never truly described however, he was not a utopian.
Hegel and History
Marx becomes obsessed with Hegel when at university. Hegel says that “The history of the world is none other than the progress of the consciousness of freedom”. He believes that ‘world spirit’ drives history, and brings forth the idea of dialectics.
Dialectical Materialism - Combines ideas of Hegel with more economic ideas of modes of production.
Marx and religion
At this time he writes articles which are taken as very antisemitic, he associates jews with capitalist greed. Marx calls religion ‘The Opium of the people”. He doesn’t see religion as the reason the world is backwards he sees it as a response to that.
The communist manifesto
This sees itself as an explanation of the ‘spectre of communism’ and creates an answer to it all. The only thing the proletariat has to loose is their chains. This book is truly the manifesto of the communist league and is a trashing of its criticisms. This book is short and forceful.
For Marx the failure of capitalism is inevitable, the proletariat will be the ‘grave diggers’ of capitalism. He is so certain in this he sees this as scientific.
The move to London
1849 - Marx moves to London (he is exiled from pretty much everywhere else) where he stays for the rest of his life, he is in Soho at first.
London Life
He moved to Kentish town. Marx had very little money at the time, he spent his money on bourgeois luxuries. Ironic. He also had six children mainly girls. Engles brought in lots of the money at the time here, working at his father’s textile firm in Manchester. The two of them have many more political falling outs at the time!
Thoughts on Britain
He feels that economic tensions are rising in London, the revolution is near! This did not happen and Marx grew furious with the growth of the liberal movement and saw it was the submission of the Proletariat (1859).
Marx compared the daily Telegraph’s contribution to society to the sewage pumped out into the Thames.
The Paris Commune
Paris Commune - 1871
Prussia crushes France, Marx intends to make a speech to the people of Paris. He finishes his speech too late, the people are slaughtered.
Late work
Marx works to prove the inevitability of the collapse of capitalism, he fails to do this. This drives him mad right up until his death.
Marx claimed that workers conditions would grow worse and worse under capitalism, however they improved. This was due to the rising power of trade unions. Marx became trapped by his dogma here.
1870s Marx becomes obsessed with Russia as he sees the revolution happening there.
Dictatorship of the proletariat - Marx sees the importance of the defence of the revolution after the events of the Paris commune he is however unclear about how this will unfold.
Historical materialism
A Marxist theory that holds that material or economic conditions ultimately secure law, politics, culture and other aspects of social existence.
Economic base and social and political superstructure
