Recapping this week's readings has been a bigger picture of the differences within the working class and the capitalists. The globalization of Europe to the United States is proven to make the capitalistic society even stronger than before. The resources of the United States, and the refinement of iron is how the transportation system of the railroad made it possible to transport goods across the United States to be shipped to other parts of the world. Germany has come into play a bigger part as well, with socialistic ideas on the rise and the fate of the working class is a common concern.
The steel industry started blooming when scientists found a way to make iron stronger and lighter by the Bessemer process. This is how the railroad in the United States grew to become the Transcontinental Railroad. Along with the railroad, the steel, oil, and mining were booming but along with all this new capital were the concerns of the working class, and the wage disparity because of the monopolies on big business. Another concern with all the innovation was the pollution to the environment especially air and water, and organizations started to begin to preserve wildlife, conservationists lobbied the government, and national parks and forest reserves began. All of this new innovation brought about new inventions, ideological debating, and the recognition that the working class was being oppressed by the capitalists.
The ideology of Darwin with natural selection of the survival of the fittest was being talked about amongst philosophers. Only the fit survive!!!!! There were all the labor theories being talked about, and all of this opposition within the professional people was coming to a head. Karl Marx a socialist, was a critic of capitalistic ways. Socialism was becoming more and more popular in the European countries. Marx did not believe in the disparity between the working class and the capitalist class. He believed the wages should reflect the work put into a product, and the worker get more out of his wage than just being sustained at a minimum. The people were working but yet they were poor, and could not enjoy any of the rewards one is to get from working.
Marx started holding these revolution meeting for the working class, and organizing them to fight for their cause. This is how the unions we know today began. Everywhere Marx held one of these revolutionary meetings he stirred the crowd enough to be asked to leave the area. This is what happened in 1848 with the Revolution in Paris. Marx would move on but he did not leave the work he started. The revolutionary groups forming the atmosphere was stirring a whirlwind of ideas from all parts of society. In Germany, the government was not stable, and there were many groups forming within German society. All of these groups became political to lobby for the things they wanted in government changes. Marx was trying to get a bigger voice for the working class, and squash out the capitalist. He was trying to get all the working class of the world to unite, and a union was started called the International Workingmen Association This was the first international union for the working class.
"The emancipation of the workers must be the task of the working class itself." "Working men of all countries, unite." (Marx) Then the division of the socialist movement began to show up around the working class. In the Manifesto, Socialism is a middle class movement, which is respectable. Communism is a movement for the working class and it is unacceptable. The manifesto covers the ground of how capitalism came about, and the class struggles have never been dealt with in terms of workers being oppressed by the capitalist oppressors. "The Manifesto reflects the history of modern working class movement since 1848." (Engel) There are three things the Communists want to do: Form the proletariat into a class; Overthrow capitalist's supremacy; Conquest of political power by the workers. ABOLISH THE BOURGEOIS CLASS!!!!!! I will end with a quote from the Manifesto to get some conversation going. "Capital is not only personal it is social." "Labor increases capital but yet capital does not benefit them by their wage." What do you think about the wages of the working class? Do you think capitalist should have the right to overpower all of society?
To answer your first question, in my personal opinion I believe that the wages of the working class are/were too low. Business is based on the model of creating as much profit as possible and this more often than not came at the expense of the employees of large corporations. Maximizing profit is an obviously smart goal of business but just because it's efficient it doesn't mean it is ethical. Like we discussed this week, Social Darwinism allowed the wealthy and corrupt to justify their means/actions in capitalism. It is the loophole for the rich and society has internalized this idea, or at least the powerful people that run the country have. To answer your second question, no. Anytime anyone or anything has the right to overpower all of society there will be issues. The selfishness and love of money and power of man is inevitable in this world and this is the main reason capitalists shouldn't be all powerful. Corruption will ensue. But as I said, in all situations and circumstances, no one person, entity, or idea should be all powerful over society. That leads to many, many problems.
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