4d ago

Happy Birthday, Karl Marx!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/29626672

On May 5th, 1818, Karl Marx, hero of the international proletatiat, was born. His revolution of Socialist theory reverberates throughout the world carries on to this day, in increasing magnitude. Every passing day, he is vindicated. His analysis of Capitalism, development of the theory of Scientific Socialism, and advancements on dialectics to become Dialectical Materialism, have all played a key role in the past century, and have remained ever-more relevant throughout.
He didn't always rock his famous beard, when he was younger he was clean shaven!
Some significant works:
Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
The Civil War in France
Wage Labor & Capital
Wages, Price, and Profit
Critique of the Gotha Programme
Manifesto of the Communist Party (along with Engels)
The Poverty of Philosophy
And, of course, Capital Vol I-III
Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don't know where to start? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!

Memes @lemmy.ml

Cowbee [he/they] @lemmy.ml

4d ago

Happy Birthday, Karl Marx!

111 comments

inb4 "capitalism is just markets and those existed for 5 billions years. Checkmate"
- Wrong, capitalism when government doesn't do stuff. Naturally socialism is when government does stuff, and when government does a lot of stuff its communism.
  /s
  
  The Richard Wolff Clip you're referencing, in case anyone wandering in hasn't seen it yet
- Ha! frontrun that tried argument by 1 minute
- There are quite a few of those over on the Lemmy.ml version of this post.
- How is it not?
  
  Because capitalism is not just markets?
  
  Expand on that please
  
  Not without a dinner and a movie first!
  
  Why are you guys so hostile to simple questions?
  
  I don't feel I was particularly hostile.
  
  Did you answer my questions, or just reply with snark?
  
  My peep, why do you think you're entitled to my time? Especially with statements like "Expand on that please". Who do you think I am, your intern?
  
  Sorry i forgot we're in a no-discussuon zone
  
  I forgive you.
  
  It was a joke. I for one got it and thought it was very funny.
  
  Because https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Just_asking_questions
  
  So you don't want anyone being curious about socialism. Ooook then.
  
  Ok, this should answer your question: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/41709845/17895604
  
  I should have known to look up a month old post. My bad.
  
  You're welcome.
  
  Capitalism is private ownership of the means of production, i.e. machines, land, factories, companies, capital. Capitalism doesn’t even need a free market. In practice it always tries to control the market in the form of regulatory capture, cartels, oligopolies, and monopolies, because they are more profitable.
  
  One example: Capitalism requires private property of the means of production. Markets don't. You can have usufruct markets.
  
  Based on this definition, private property and means of production have existed far more than 400 years.
  
  Private property of the mop.
  
  Private property of the mop.
  ???
  
  Private property of the means of production.
  Private property existed beforehand, Means of productions obviously did. But explicit private property of the means of production is a relatively new invention.
  
  I fail to see a distinction between a Lord owning a farm with a mill that produced flour and a capitalist owning a factory that produces flour.
  Feudalism isn't exactly capitalism but it's splitting hairs. Nor do I agree with Engels that serfs had it better because it was in their Lord's interests. If that was the case then a Capitalist would treat it's workers better as well.
  
  I fail to see a distinction between a Lord owning a farm with a mill that produced flour and a capitalist owning a factory that produces flour.
  The difference is that a feudal lord didn't sell the flour for profit which he invested to buy more farmland (that's the M -> C -> M' process Marx explains in "das Kapital"). You couldn't buy land in feudal times.
  Nor do I agree with Engels that serfs had it better because it was in their Lord's interests. If that was the case then a Capitalist would treat it's workers better as well.
  You don't need to agree with Engels. The industrial revolution lead to a stark, tangible decrease in living conditions for the proletariat/former serfs. That's just a historical fact.
  
  You couldn't buy land in feudal times.
  In the medieval book, The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300 (2007), Theodore Evergates dedicates an entire section to 'The Market in Fiefs'
  Land was bought and sold all the time by lords.
  The industrial revolution lead to a stark, tangible decrease in living conditions for the proletariat/former serfs. That's just a historical fact.
  The serfs left the farm because for all its hardships, it was better. They could have gone back but didn't. The bigger factor reducing quality of life was population growth.
  
  In the medieval book, The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300 (2007), Theodore Evergates dedicates an entire section to 'The Market in Fiefs'
  So... where were the medieval capitalists? O.o
  The serfs left the farm because for all its hardships, it was better. They could have gone back but didn't.
  Nope, the enclosure of the commons prohibited the serfs to come back. If living conditions were so much better in the proletariat, the conditions wouldn't have led to several revolutions.
  
  Feudalism isn’t exactly capitalism but it’s splitting hairs.
  You are literally arguing about definitions, it's all splitting hairs.
  
  Butthurt much?
  
  Someone needs to get the cliffs notes of Marxist theory huh.
  
  Huh or you could explain a little
  
  If you're genuinely curious, you'll look up the information yourself.
  I'm not going to go through the effort to baby-bird you Marxist theory when you obviously don't care to verify for yourself.

111 comments