Karl Marx & Communism

Reminder:

Unit 2 Exam is

Tues. 11/1

notes (We Do) - 1/4

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Karl Marx (1818-1883)
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German philosopher, economist,
journalist, & revolutionary

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Father of Communism

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Wrote The Communist Manifesto
(1848) - outlines how he society
can transition to communism from
capitalism

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First worked with Frederick Engels
to develop Marxism

notes (We Do) 2/4

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Marx’s terminology

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Marxism - political and economic theories of Marx and
Engels - later developed to form the basis for communism
by their followers

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Class Consciousness - being aware of one’s place in the
social hierarchy

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Class Struggle - conflict of interests between the workers
and the ruling class in a capitalist society

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Bourgeoisie - the class in a capitalist society that owns
most of the wealth and means of production

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Proletariat - the working class

notes (We Do) - 3/4

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Theories
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Conflict Theory - theory that society is always in conflict
over limited resources

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Socialism - transitional state between the overthrow of
capitalism and the start of communism

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Communism - political theory advocating class war that
leads to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs

notes (We Do) - 4/4

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Beliefs
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believed that class consciousness among the proletariat
would lead to class struggle and would inspire revolutions
against the bourgeoisie
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birth of his conflict theory, which he believed would only
be solved if capitalism gave way to socialism and,
ultimately, communism as the ideal social and economic
state

Questions (You Do)

​Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (1848)

You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine tenths. You reproach us, therefore, with intending to do away with a form of property, the necessary condition of whose existence is the nonexistence of any property for the immense majority of society.

In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend.

From the moment when labour can no longer be converted into capital, money, or rent, into a social power capable of being monopolized, i.e., from the moment when individual property can no longer be transformed into bourgeois property, into capital, from that moment, you say, individuality vanishes.

You must, therefore, confess that by "individual" you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property. This person must, indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible.

Communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of society; all that it does is to deprive him of the power.

​1. Why did people not want to get rid of private property according to Marx?

​2. What is Marx’s argument for getting rid of private property?

Quizizz

Assessment of Mastery

Multiple Choice

Karl Marx wrote which of the following:

• The Wealth of Nations

• The Communist Manifesto

• Mein Kampf

• Peace of Paris

Reorder

Reorder the following in the order that Marx believed society would reach it's ideal state.

• Capitalism

• Socialism

• Communism

1

2

3

• 1
• 2
• 3

Multiple Choice

According to Marx, which of the following groups of people is considered to be the "ruling class?"

• Bourgeoisie

• Proletariat

• Communists

• Socialists

Multiple Choice

Being aware of one's place in society is known as

• Class Struggle

• Class Consciousness

• Conflict Theory

• Marxism

Multiple Choice

Political and economic theory that developed to form the base of communism.

• Communism

• Socialism

• Capitalism

• Marxism