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KARL MARX: AN ASSESSMENT

Freedom was Marxs central concern. He explained his idea of freedom using the twin concepts of

labour and control over society. Marx believed that freedom begins where labour which is

determined by necessity and mundane considerations ceases. But man gave up his own freedom by

creating a market system (capitalism) that commodified him and human relations. In Marxs view,

capitalism promotes a dog-eat-dog society and a rat race. Marx proposed Communism to eliminate

the conflict between individual interests and common interests. He said that under Communism,

there would be an egalitarian society over which no one person yet every single person would have

control.

Where Marx believed that man is not free because he does not control his own society, liberalists

believe that man is free because he is not subject to deliberate interference by other humans. (Peter

Singer)

The tenet of the liberal notion of freedom is that liberty is a balance of oppression and freedom,designed so that no one is so free that he can oppress others, and no one is unnecessarily

oppressed. This idea of freedom promotes Capitalism as being an economic and political structure

that grants every person the freedom to do as he wishes without being subject to anything more

than basic state control a laissez-faire approach.

Under Communism, however, the liberalists worst nightmare came true. Man didnt find his own

interests converge fully with the interests of the society. In trying to obtain the co-operation of each

individual in the joint endeavour of controlling the society, there was a fair deal of government

interference. Communism turned into Authoritarianism, an event this paper will seek to explain in

the following section with the example of erstwhile communist USSR (and in a later section, under

human nature, with that of North Korea).

The two characteristic features of authoritarianism are 1. The use of internal security force which

relies on the use of aggressive methods to bend the will of the population, and 2. Keeping a close

watch on the people to prevent the opposition from organising.

USSR leader Stalin turned the Marxist idea offree development of each is the condition for the free

development ofall on its head by imposing collectivisation upon the farmers. He consolidated

individual land and labour into collective farms to increase grain production. The farmers who did

not enter into this voluntarily were coerced into doing so by shock brigades (internal security force)

deployed by Stalin.

Under Marxs communism, there was no place for religion; atheism was preferred since it was seen

as being more successful in treating all men equally. In USSR, Russian was the only language allowed

spoken to help create equality among all the people. Those failing to follow the above conditions,

and all detractors of communism in the USSR, were got rid of by Stalin in the Great Purge under

which more than 800,000 people were executed between 1936 and 1939. Stalin monitored public

activity by resorting to communication-tapping and creating a huge network of spies. He also saw

social education as a means to promote Communist propaganda.

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The fall of communism, or at least the fall in the idea of communism, can be attributed to Marxs

misjudgement of the tractability of human nature. He wrote that once relieved from oppressive

conditions that bring their interests into conflict, people would voluntarily cooperate with each

other. In saying so, he underestimated mans ego, greed, ambition, and pliability. (Peter Singer)

Ego:

There is perhaps no better example of imperiousness than that of the Communist leader of North

Korea. Based on their perceived loyalty to the Dear Leader, citizens of North Korea are divided into

three groups:

Core (most loyal and also possessing most of the wealth),

Wavering, and

Hostile (perceived enemies of the state; denied employment and subject to starvation).

The North Korean government enforces loyalty and obedience to the Dear Leader through its

Ministry of Peoples Security. Any insurgent is subject to a reduced loyalty group rating, torture,

execution, or imprisonment in one of North Korea's ten brutal concentration camps.

All radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines, and church sermons are government-

controlled and focus on praise of the Dear Leader.

Status and power needs:

Marx was wrong in thinking that a revolution by the proletariats would create a classless society. The

proletariat that overthrows the bourgeoisie is not the enemy of the government; it is merely the

enemy of the present government because it excludes the possibility of their own dictatorship. This

is what Bakunin points to when he asks: Has it ever been witnessed in history that a political

body

committed suicide, or sacrificed the least of its interests and so-called rights for the love ofjustice and liberty? The communist ideal of equality for all will remain just that an ideal, because

it miscalculates the extent of peoples desire for status and power. Peter Singer illustrates this

through his example of privileged bureaucrats in communist USSR and China. Communist

governments have been accused and in most cases rightly so of creating a new ruling class with

powers and privileges greater than those previously enjoyed by the upper classes in the pre-

revolutionary regimes.

Greed:

Another problem with the socialist/communist system is that it requires more administrators and so

is more likely to stray into corrupt systems of management. This is exemplified in communistVietnam which is listed by Transparency International as one of the most corrupt countries.

Embezzlement and bribery by officials, abuse of power, illegal land seizures, and inefficiency are

some of the few charges levelled against communism in Vietnam, China, and Cuba.

And what of the greed of the ruled? This question can be answered by looking at another question:

Why did the rationing system in Cuba fail? The Cuban government establishes the rations each

person is allowed to buy and the frequency of the supplies. But one of the main problems this

system is facing is the black market for rations, meat, and milk, which has emerged because the

people want more than what has been given to them. The communist motto of from each

according to his ability to each according to his need failed to encompass the extent of peoplesextraneous needs and their materialism.

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If Marx had been familiar with the works of psychologists David McClellands theory of need for

achievement or Abraham Maslows esteem needs, he wouldnt have misconceived the theory of

human nature and would have perhaps understood that men are not going to settle for being equal

when they can be more.