Private Property: An Excerpt From The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx

The first source is an excerpt from the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, which demonstrates support for the left-wing ideas of collectivism over the elitist system of individualism. Private property is one of the principles of classical and modern liberalism that is present in most democracies around the world; it is the idea of property, both physical and mental, that is owned by the individual only. Although individualism is intended to bring wealth and rewards for those that are hard working and ambitious, it also limits resources to a select few while draining the majority. This is demonstrated in the lines: “private property is already done away for nine-tenths of the population: its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence …show more content…
In the source, Rousseau uses a “plot of land” as his example of private property and uses this seemingly harmless and simplistic piece of property to argue that it is the source of “crimes, wars, murders...miseries and horrors.” It suggests how the idea of having wealth resulted in individuals desiring to gain wealth and losing their belief in collective values. The ‘horrors’ described by Rousseau are due to the mindlessly selfish and harmful perspectives of individualism which valued and prioritized the wellbeing of the individual over everything else, even if it ended up harming others. Rousseau further demonstrates his support for a collectivist society by reminding his “fellow men” : “You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one!” The values and principles of collectivism are evident in Rousseau’s perspective which emphasizes equal qualities of living between people and a rejection of the ideas of private property and individualism. The source further demonstrates the view that once one forgets the collective foundation of humanity, it is imminent for humanity to fall to “miseries and