Essay about Marx (The Communist Manifesto) and Rousseau

The political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Karl Marx examined the role that the state played and its relationship to its citizen’s participation and access to the political economy during different struggles and tumultuous times. Rousseau was a believer of the concept of social contract with limits established by the good will and community participation of citizens while government receives its powers given to it. Karl Marx believed that power was to be taken by the people through the elimination of the upper class bourgeois’ personal property and capital. While both philosophers created a different approach to establishing the governing principles of their beliefs they do share a similar concept of eliminating ownership of†¦show more content†¦Rousseau establishes the Social Contract (Compact) that will provide the solution for a protective community of free individuals, who submit their freedoms or duties to the betterment of the whole collecti ve body. While the individual is still free to conduct his life in freedom, the same citizen has a requirement to conduct business and make decisions that will be what’s best for the body. If everyone in the body commits to the arrangements of the contract, then the general members will have no problems with compelling to the political structure (Rousseau pg. 11). When it comes to property (or capital), Rousseau concludes that the citizen has the right to take everything that is needed. He also has the right to work his labor and cultivate enough for a profit. He calls the State as the â€Å"in relation to its members, is master of all their goods by the social contract, which, within the State, is the basis of all rights; but, in relation to other powers, it is so only by the right of the first occupier, which it holds from its members† (Rousseau pg 13). He warns against not occupying land that is claimed by the citizen. This a basic call that entering into the social contract is giving up the right to personal possessions. It is a general will for the common good. You give up everything to get back what you require from the state. The state makes decisions for its members. ItShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx View On Capitalism1084 Words   |  5 PagesKarl Marx was a philosopher who was engaged in economic politics, sociology, and radical politics. Marx saw the world as two different entities. He saw it as a scuffle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. This is what divided the capitalist society. Marx believed everyone works in some shape, form, and fashion. The bourgeoisie were the individuals that held the capital and the proletariats were the wage-laborers. The social aspect would then come in to play. Marx would then try toRead MoreProperty Creates Human Greed By Rousseau s State Of Nature1239 Words   |  5 Pagesto note here that Rousseau does not legitimize codifying natural inequality; he explains that this inequali ty begins to become perceived as legitimate because the system of laws is meant to keep the inequality in place. With social acceptance of property, labor becomes necessary. Nevertheless, Rousseau explains the logistical difficulties of property - one can legitimately acquire property through neither labor nor through collective agreement. To exemplify this dilemma, Rousseau explains: They couldRead MoreComparison Between Marx And Rousseau1138 Words   |  5 Pagesstate laws and policies, Marx and Rousseau both agree men are not living in a free society. In western democracies today, both philosophers’ ideas are clear and visible. Rousseau and Marx both argue in their works that men seek to control property, as a way to control others. Rousseau argues in his work, discourse on the origin of inequality, that man is not equal due to the greed and selfishness of individuals who control the government. Charles Bertram argues that, â€Å" Rousseau believes that a systemRead MoreA Brief Look at Niccolo Machiavelli1698 Words   |  7 Pagesvengeance need not be feared† The Prince has been headed many times by recent governments in the Western World. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in1712 and died in Ermenonville, France in 1778. He was a musical composer, writer and philosopher. He was and remains a very important person in terms of political philosophy and moral psychology. It is necessary here to compare Rousseau to Machiavelli in terms of conception of Sovereignty, the Social Contract and the people. Rousseau’s most famous workRead MoreHobbes And Rousseau s Theory Of Ownership1136 Words   |  5 PagesHobbes and Rousseau believe that ownership should be individual, whereas Marx wants ownership to be communal. This paper will first analyze using textual evidence how Hobbes understands the idea of ownership in his book â€Å"Leviathan†; what Rousseau interprets of ownership in â€Å"Discourse on the Origins of Inequality†; Marx’s views on the idea of ownership; and then answer whether or not a political society needs to protect the right to ownership. Thomas Hobbes was raised and trained to be a humanistRead MoreKarl Marx And Friedrich Engels974 Words   |  4 Pagesdocument has had such far reaching effect as Karl Marx’s, Communist Manifesto. The Communist Manifesto, hereafter referred to as the CM, was published in London, 1848 and served as the culmination of the collaboration between Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The CM was to serve as the basis for the communist platform, a political system which, in Marx’s and Engel’s view, served as the final destination in the natural progression of society. Marx attributed this progression to the idea that â€Å"class struggle†Read MoreJohn Locke s Theory Of Theory And Social Discourse1253 Words   |  6 Pagessocietal sovereign that protected property. A half century later, Jean Jacques Rousseau published Discourse on Inequality, a piece that explored the proprietary origin and distribution of equality while subtly critiquing John Locke’s theories. By the time Karl Marx began to explore bourgeois society and its shortcomings, Rousseau was an established Locke critique who Marx’s On the Jewish Question and Communist Manifesto could contend with. The largest point of contention between the three would beRead MoreMarx Vs. Locke1476 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Marx vs. Locke Work is something we do on a regular basis, it’s what gets us through our day and makes us who we are. In class, we discussed two authors who had a viewpoint on the idea of work. Rousseau and Marx express their opinions of the theory of work in their own writings. In Karl Marx’s reading called The Communist Manifesto he explains the differences and similarities between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat people. In Rousseau’s reading called Discourse on the Origins of InequalityRead MoreKarl Marx And The German Political System1427 Words   |  6 PagesKarl Marx was born on May 5th 1818 in Trier, Germany, which was then known as the Kingdom of Prussia. Karl was a philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His work in economics laid the basis for much of the current understanding of labor and it’s relation to capital, and subsequent economic thought. He was born into a wealthy upper middle-class family. He attended school at the University of Bonn and later he studied law and philosophy at the University of BerlinRead MoreKarl Marx And The Industrial Revolution846 Words   |  4 PagesKarl Marx, in the 19th century was the first to discuss capitalistic societies. He was known for his discussions on communism. Marx believed that capitalism was a product of the industrial revelation. This labor class and class division, he felt crippled individuals which made them have little or no self worth. Harriet Jacobs, Life of a Slave Girl, John Locke, Second Treatise of Government and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract all have similar beliefs and discussions on the equality