Marxism : The Root of Comunism, HISTORY SUBJECT FOR DJUWITA SENIOR HIGHSCHOOL Tanjungpinang - Petra Wahyu Utama

Marxism : The  Root of Comunism

A. The Ideas of Karl Marx

As a rebellious student at the University of Berlin, Karl Marx (1818-1883) assosiated with radical students and professors and came under the spell of the religious moderenist of Germany who denied the deity of Christ and questioned the authority of the Bible. although born into Jewish Family that later converted to Lutheranism, Marx came to despise both Judaism and Christianity and throughout his life exhibited a violent hatred for God and humanity. History as class struggle. Marx took special interest in the philosophy of G.W.F Hegel whose dialectical reasoning (thesis+ antithesis= Synthesis). he applied to History. Marx viewed history as a record of class struggle between the "Haves" (wealthy) and the "Have Nots" (poor) and "he blamed ownership of private property as the source of the conflict."

Marx's adaptation of Hegel's dialectical reasoning is often called dialectical materialism- that nothing but the material world exists and thet material conditions alone (i.e- the environment and economics) determine how a person thinks, acts, feels, and believes. To Marx, everything was physical, leaving no room for the metaphysical or supranatural, including God. Marx Claimed that economics, not religion, was the greatest driving force in history. He violently opposed capitalism, the economic system based on private ownership and control of business and industry. He believed that the profits of all production should be distributed by the principle: "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his need". Marx taught that the change from capitalism to socialism would occur when the proletariat overthrew the bourgeoisie who controlled the goverment. He referred to representative goverment in capitalist countries as just a "committee of the bourgeoisie"

In The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels Advocated that drastic measures be put in force immediatly following a successful Communist Revolution, including :

1. the abolition of private property and inheritance rights;

2. the redistribution of wealth through heavy, progressive income taxes;

3. a central state bank to control all credit and to manipulate the nation's currency;

4. goverment control of all means of communication and transparation.

5. goverment ownership of all means of production and akk natural resources;

6. the abolition of unemployment through social welfare programs;

7. the redistribution of the population;

8. mandatory state-sponsored and state supported education.

The Manifesto closed with a stirring call to battle: "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. working men of all countries, Unite!!"

B. Socialism and Communism

As previously stated, socialism is an economic system in which the goverment, rather than individuals, controls a nation's businesses and industries. Socialists believe that the individul is unimportant when compared to the welfare of the group. they insist that the goverment must strictly regulate and control a nation's resources in order to ensure that everyone receives an equal share of the wealth. Communism is a form of socialism which requires a violent, bloody revolution in order to set up totalitarian dictatorship that controls every aspect of its people's lives through force and terror. The main difference between socialism and communism lies in their methods: what socialists (i.e-the fabian society, "democratic socialist," etc) seek through legislation, regulation and taxation Communist seek through violent revolution. Both philosophies enslave people in a system that deprives them of their freedoms and property.

C. The Communist Impact

For Example :

Two Korea's

Toward the end of World War II, Rusian troops marched into Manchuria and northern Korea, while American forces occupied southern Korea. At the Postdam Conference, The United States and The Soviet Union agreed to allow the Koreans to form a unified, independent country after election. But after War, the soviets refused to permit free elections in North Korea and instead set up a Communist puppet regime under Kim Il Sung in south Korea, the Americans allowed the people to hold free elections and choose representative to national assembly, which drafted a constitution and elected Syngman Rhee as first president of the Republic of Korea in 1948. Two separate goverment now existed on the Korean Peninsula and the country was devided along 38th Parrarel.

From

George Thompson and Jerry Combee "World History and Cultures": A Beka Book-High School and Geography Series