Karl Heinrich Marx was born on 5 May 1818 in Germany, when Europe was going through rapid social changes after the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution. His interest in philosophy was greatly influenced by a German philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, when he read about his works at University. Subsequently, he gained understanding from the materialistic ideas of Ludwig Feuerbach and further developed them into his own sociological theories.
Marx discovered that the society was split into two main classes, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. According to Marx’s understanding, the Bourgeoisie refers to the owners of capital and they are the minority. On the other hand, the Proletariat represents the working class and they …show more content…
As competition increases, small companies face pressure in being bought over by the big ones. This situation will then bring about an increase in the number of working class and high unemployment rate. As a result, the working class will have to accept lower wages in order to keep their job. As for the capitalist, giving low wage for working class equals to an increase of profit.
Working class is also forced to work for long hours. In Das Kapital, Marx collected evidences of how workers were being exploited by the capitalists to work long hours for them. Some examples are of children working in mines, engine drivers working 21 hour shifts and milliners forced to work in overcrowded sweatshops Marx also pointed out in the Victorian era, the average age for death among the working class was 19 years old. One of the main reasons for their death was due to the long working hours that caused an adverse effect on their health. (Marx, 1867)
Exploitation does not only exist in their workplaces but it is also present in their living conditions. The low wages that they received after they contributed for long hours will subsequently end up in another capitalist’s pocket such as the landlord due to the high rental fee. Exploitation therefore caused the working class to suffer in a degraded living …show more content…
Therefore, there might not be any laws to protect the welfare of the working class during that point of time. Although exploitation continues to take place in the society, the current situation is not as bad as Marx’s era anymore. There are proper channels for the working class to fight for their welfare if they are given unfair treatment such as Ministry of Manpower in Singapore. We can also observe as the society progresses till today, capitalism remains as a strong economic system as countries such as Singapore and United States of America were proven successful over the years when exercising capitalism. In contrast, countries such as Soviet Union and China had experienced failures when practiced
Marx discovered that the society was split into two main classes, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. According to Marx’s understanding, the Bourgeoisie refers to the owners of capital and they are the minority. On the other hand, the Proletariat represents the working class and they …show more content…
As competition increases, small companies face pressure in being bought over by the big ones. This situation will then bring about an increase in the number of working class and high unemployment rate. As a result, the working class will have to accept lower wages in order to keep their job. As for the capitalist, giving low wage for working class equals to an increase of profit.
Working class is also forced to work for long hours. In Das Kapital, Marx collected evidences of how workers were being exploited by the capitalists to work long hours for them. Some examples are of children working in mines, engine drivers working 21 hour shifts and milliners forced to work in overcrowded sweatshops Marx also pointed out in the Victorian era, the average age for death among the working class was 19 years old. One of the main reasons for their death was due to the long working hours that caused an adverse effect on their health. (Marx, 1867)
Exploitation does not only exist in their workplaces but it is also present in their living conditions. The low wages that they received after they contributed for long hours will subsequently end up in another capitalist’s pocket such as the landlord due to the high rental fee. Exploitation therefore caused the working class to suffer in a degraded living …show more content…
Therefore, there might not be any laws to protect the welfare of the working class during that point of time. Although exploitation continues to take place in the society, the current situation is not as bad as Marx’s era anymore. There are proper channels for the working class to fight for their welfare if they are given unfair treatment such as Ministry of Manpower in Singapore. We can also observe as the society progresses till today, capitalism remains as a strong economic system as countries such as Singapore and United States of America were proven successful over the years when exercising capitalism. In contrast, countries such as Soviet Union and China had experienced failures when practiced