Is a Cold War between the East and the West on the verge of repeating itself?

Yes

10 of 14

by goldchamber

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

Throughout the course of history, colonies, city-states, and countries alike have attempted different forms of government. From monarchies to anarchies, it has remained clear what manner of government works best, both for the economy and the people- a capitalist society. Capitalism breeds competition and individual accomplishments. Unfortunately Karl Marx did not feel this way when he published his short piece, The Communist Manifesto, a cry for all those in favor of a communist world to stand up and unite.

According to Marx, the capitalist form of government "has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation". He goes on to describe more of these crimes the government, notably the bourgeoisie, has inflicted upon the populace, the proletariat. Yet Marx proves to over-generalize himself on a majority of issues. Although communism is itself almost infallible theoretically, it simply cannot exist in the overwhelmingly competitive, capitalist world that exists today. People strive to do their best, for when they do they are most often rewarded.
Communism does no such thing, and provides for one of the main flaws that attributes to its failure. In Marx's ideal communist world, the entire populace is equal, and shares everything. There is no competition, and no one is rewarded more or less based on his or her individual achievement. Yet with this newfound sense of a worldwide sharing, there, in theory, is no poverty or hunger. Marx advocated free public education and tax rights for the common people, and believed communism should occur in more economically advanced countries.
He discusses in his manifesto how the proletarian factory worker is exploited by his bourgeoisie, and then later by "the lower strata of the middle class-the small trades people, shopkeepers, and retired tradesmen" as they go about their daily lives. Marx encourages all levels of the middle and lower classes to bring to a halt these relentless attacks on each other the very same people with whom they should be fighting the bourgeoisie. This situation draws parallels to the Los Angeles Riots of the early 1990's. The destruction and violence ruined neighborhoods, while not even addressing the real problems at hand.

Accordingly, as Marx proclaims, the proletarians must stop their constant attacks on one another, and concentrate on the bourgeoisie. With this must come a massive uprising, calling for "working men of all countries, unite!" However, Marx did not foresee his ideal society revolutionizing itself into the totalitarian regime for which it is now known. He did not take into account that calling for a massive bloody revolution would lead to so many problems. This is where human nature takes its course. It is simply human nature that causes certain individuals to rise to power, even in situations where one is not anticipated. It is human nature to want those possessions that one cannot have. It is also human nature to want to be powerful, wealthy and successful. Human nature drives the populace to do their best in life, for hard work almost always has its rewards.
Simply speaking, there is human nature in all of us. It cannot be referred to as a negative characteristic, for many times it has been responsible for outright goodness in life. In conclusion, it is human nature that creates the separation between the exploited and the exploiter, not the social structure in which one lives. If this were the case, Karl Marx's communism would be a raging success in the world, instead of the economical and social failure for which it is now known.
Human nature has caused this failure. A person's need for power can sometimes be far too great, thus affecting the final outcome for his or her entire people. It is the social structure in which one lives, however, that can keep this from becoming a problem. Marx's flaw was that he did not provide for this situation, thus causing his theory's downfall.

Learn more about this author, goldchamber.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.