Influence+of+Marx+and+Engels

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After the French Revolution, many members of society, mainly the lower classes, were unhappy and disappointed with the revolution. Moreover, if the revolution had succeeded, why did they not have any say in their country, especially when they were one of the major components that helped the French Revolution become a success? This led many of them to call for a change in the government so that they had suffrage, and later, a call to further revolution. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were the original idealists in the creation of social democracy. Marx believed that social democracy was an important step towards the creation of his utopian idea of a society run by the working class. Socialism being his main goal, Marx saw that a lower class revolution would be difficult in the countries of France and Germany due to the lower percentage of members in the population. In England, where the working class was a majority, social democracy was not necessary.[1 ] The main idea, according to Marx, for social democracy, was to avoid more violence of the French Revolution by gaining power through legal, government procedures and positions. Marx realized that the proletariat would have to form an alliance with the petty bourgeoisie in order to create a larger body for voting. This brought up another important issue for the proletariat, suffrage. In France, the lower classes did not have the power to vote, and without this power, they would not be able to work their way into government in order to create the social changes that they wanted.[2 ] Marx’s plan was for the proletariat to gain positions in government in order to have agency to change or create laws that allowed them to exist at a higher standard of living. With the correct system, the proletariat would be able to form a socialist government through a democratic system. This plan turned out not to be so simple for two main reasons. First, the proletariat would have to ally with the petty bourgeoisie and be able to trust them, which was difficult. The bourgeois class was not as willing to give up their safe environments in order to fight against the government if it came to a revolution. Second, the elite aristocracy had the power in the French government because they held the majority.[3 ] Also, they had the forces of the army and police on their side. These two issues would both come into play during the social democratic movement. In June of 1848, there was an uprising in Paris, France. The proletariat rioted because of institutions that employed the poor by the French government. During this confrontation over 1,000 people were killed and even more were taken as political prisoners and deported.[4 ] The French military forces easily crushed the rebellion, and few troops were injured.[5 ]  The French government, after the confrontation, criticized the French social democrats for being too idealistic and clinging onto old and unrealistic ideas that were left over from the French Revolution. Also, during the skirmish in Paris, the petty bourgeoisie was not involved in the battle and did not support the proletariat in fear of the French powers. This fear was due to the fact that the petty bourgeoisie still had a stake in society through business and trade, where the proletariat did not have much to lose by rising up against the government. Besides Marx and Engels, there were other social democratic leaders that would come to the forefront, especially in France, in order to push forward their ideas of a better nation. One of these men was Louis Blanc. During the Revolution of 1848 and after the June Days massacre, Blanc joined the fight for social democracy. He wrote that social democracy, “...would consist of fighting competition and of finally overcoming it.”[6 ] Blanc was a leader of the middle class and was not as concerned with the proletariat. He wanted many institutions, such as education and medicine, to be controlled by the government. This was against what was the current state of capitalism. Though most social democrats were against capitalism, they were not for totally abolishing it, which may have been the idea of communism or socialism.

Another man, Alexandre Ledru-Rollin, was another important social democratic leader in France who was running for office and had a large following. He pushed for the suffrage of the proletariat and was very concerned with the overtaxation of the lower classes. He was raised a member of the proletariat and believed that the French Revolution of 1789 had failed: Our aim is to relieve its poverty and sorrows. What distinguishes the democratic party from all others, I repeat, is that it will always turn from political questions to social advancement. And the first, the most capital reform, gentlemen, is the revision of taxation. The Revolution of 1789 in this, too, proclaimed equality, but practice here gives the lie to theory most cruelly.Taxation, direct or indirect, always weighs heaviest on the poor classes; their assessment and the proportion they bear must be changed. . .[7 ] A third man was Louis Blanqui, who was another leader of the petty bourgeoisie in France. Blanqui had a large following, but he did not support the riot in Paris during the June Days massacre. He also had slightly differing ideas from Marx and Engels. Wherein Marx was using social democracy as a transition from capitalism to socialism, Blanqui wanted to use social democracy to form an oligarchy. This oligarchy would control the government and set a socialist paradigm. He wanted this government run by a small group of educated individuals because he believed the proletariat was not well educated enough to have control of an entire nation. After the June Days massacre, Marx and Engels decided to change their ideas about social democracy. The realized that though the proletariat decided to ally with the petty bourgeoisie, they would not support the substantial change that was needed in order for there to be a progression toward socialism or communism. Also, Marx was not allowed in France at this time and was exiled to London. During this time, he rewrote his new social democratic ideals and met with other social democratic leaders at The First International in order to discuss how they wanted to move forward with their plan. Marx and Engels realized that the petty bourgeoisie could not be trusted and there would now be a separation within the social democratic movement. The proletariat may have to make a violent move in order to be heard. Also, at this time Britain was suffering a lull in their economy, and Marx hoped this was the time for a new, proletariat revolution. There were many riots during this time period, but the armies or police in France all easily destroyed them. Moreover, the economy in Britain improved. With the violent uprisings, the proletariat scared the petty bourgeoisie and lost all support from the middle classes. In addition the power of the elite aristocracy was heightened by peoples’ fear of violence. This led to, in Marx’s opinion, the failure of social democracy.[8 ] After the influence of Marx and Engels, social democracy hibernated until years later. During this time period, the upper classes held the power in government, the middle class and business owners controlled the wages and lives or workers, and the gap between the rich and poor grew. Also, the population of the working class increased as well.

After they called a split from the social democratic movement, Marx and Engels were alienated from politics for the first time in their careers. But, about a decade later, they would make a return with new ideas for the future of Europe, and their philosophies would continue to influence others for years to come.

[1] Bernard H. Moss, “Marx and Engels on French Social Democracy: Historians or Revolutionaries?” //Journal of the History of Ideas// 46.4 (Oct.-Dec., 1985), 541. [2] Moss, 542. [3] Moss, 542. [4] Friedrich Engels, “The 23rd of June,” //Marx and Engels Collected Works// 7, 130. [5] Friedrich Engels, “Details about the 23rd of June,” //Marx and Engels Collected Works// 7, 124. [6] Louis Blanc, “The Organisation of Labour, 1840,” found in Louis T. Moore, J. M. Burnam, and H. G. Hartmann, //University of Cincinnati Studies// 2.7 (Cincinnati, 1911), 15­16, 51­56. [7] Alexandre Ledru-Rollin, “Speech to the Electors of Sarthe, 1841,” found in R. W. Postgate, //Revolution from 1789 to 1906//, (London: 1920), 187-189. [8] Moss, 546.

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