- Joined
- Mar 12, 2021
Yeah, my understanding is that Marx thought communism could only take place after capitalism because each system is a successive link in a chain toward a utopia with plentiful resources.The Communist Manifesto was written to be an easily digestible synopsis of marxism to rally the workers of the world. It's a pretty quick and easy read, though one that may leave the reader with more questions than answers. When I read it in history (along with so. much. Hobsbawm), it surprised me that this form of communism was built on and not exclusive of capitalism, like a parasite. It also assumed without supporting evidence that once the workers took over the means of production and overthrew the bourgeoisie through nonspecified but undoubtedly bloody means, crime would cease and peace would reign. Once again, no how was given so the plan presented was pretty much 1. Workers take over 2. ???? 3. Peace and prosperity. It's a rather immature and naive ideology as laid out in the Manifesto, though of course Marx, Engels et al go far more in depth in the theory.
The issue was he thought greedy factory owners would artificially keep capitalism going too long, thus oppressing the worker. And the workers being too dumb to realize they were being oppressed, the work of pushing for communism fell to nerds who had read Marx and didn't have to work for a living. The way Marx pitches it as an inevitability that can still be "pushed along" is why there are so many communist revolts. The short , memetic version of the literature sanctions violent accelerationism, even if Marx in most of his writing is more tactful.
Marx was even very pessimistic of the chance of communism taking root in Russia. They had a totally different caste system that he felt was incompatible with the development of communism (little industry, LOTS of landed serfs). Maybe this is the seed that makes people think it wasn't "real" communism, according to Marx's specifications.
Marx was even very pessimistic of the chance of communism taking root in Russia. They had a totally different caste system that he felt was incompatible with the development of communism (little industry, LOTS of landed serfs). Maybe this is the seed that makes people think it wasn't "real" communism, according to Marx's specifications.
Space communism is basically people filling in some of the gaps Marx left in his utopian future idea, but it's hopelessly naive about technology. You will never create a static, perfect system that will just keep those resources coming indefinitely. No communist society is going to supply Kev with his toys.