Marx and Marcuse had similar, but somewhat different, ideas on how society should function, and how the troubles of their society are hurting humanity as a whole. In this essay I will explain what each of their point of views are and analyze how their opinions of the past relate to our society today. On pages 474 and 475 of the Communist Manifesto, Marx explains how the bourgeois came into power. The bourgeois rose into power as the feudal system began failing. The falling of the feudal system fell in line with the rise of industrialization and colonialization. When the people mass moved into the cities, the bourgeois gain more and more power over the proletariats, whom were middle class citizens until their jobs in trade and handy work were
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He was writing during the industrial revolution and because of this, many people were falling classes in society while a small group was rising in wealth. Marx believed this was wrong and unhealthy not only for the people themselves but the society as a whole. He believed that this evil was being inherently caused by capitalism. While capitalism was not helping the situation, I believe the industrial revolution and the rapid rise of the machines, along with unprepared governments with zero regulations, is a larger contributor to the formation of the proletariat and the bourgeoise. The lack of regulations let the owners of the companies force the workers to work beyond what was fair for little pay, and this caused them to not live fulfilling lives as they lived paycheck to paycheck. The stress this created linked them together in a common struggle, and this is what Marx was trying to monopolize on. If he could get the lower classes to realize they all had one common enemy they could join forces to rise against the rich and powerful. Many of the things Marx argued for in his time are now simple realities today that people would be aghast if the government did not provide them, such as public high school and progressive income tax. While many of his ideas were a bit farfetched or unachievable in the current society today with how far into capitalism America sinks its …show more content…
The idea of a difference between true and false needs is extremely prevalent in today’s society. So many people simply buy things because they are the “in” thing and everyone else has one. Everyone is subject to this mentality, and it is a hard concept to just let go. Humans today shape much of their self-worth on how others view them. Instead of treating to their own individual true needs, they throw them aside so they can fit in and be more like the popular kids at school. We see ourselves through the eyes of others instead of focusing on how to better ourselves from within. The majority of this ideology starts as a child as children are exposed to mass media either from television, movies, books, advertisements, peers, or even adults. The children grow up with a sense of who they should be before they can even determine it for themselves, and with the advent of social media such as Instagram and Facebook, this is even more true. Marcuse could not be more right with his criticism of the mass media and subsequently consumerism turning people into objects and limiting their freedom to find out who they really
He was writing during the industrial revolution and because of this, many people were falling classes in society while a small group was rising in wealth. Marx believed this was wrong and unhealthy not only for the people themselves but the society as a whole. He believed that this evil was being inherently caused by capitalism. While capitalism was not helping the situation, I believe the industrial revolution and the rapid rise of the machines, along with unprepared governments with zero regulations, is a larger contributor to the formation of the proletariat and the bourgeoise. The lack of regulations let the owners of the companies force the workers to work beyond what was fair for little pay, and this caused them to not live fulfilling lives as they lived paycheck to paycheck. The stress this created linked them together in a common struggle, and this is what Marx was trying to monopolize on. If he could get the lower classes to realize they all had one common enemy they could join forces to rise against the rich and powerful. Many of the things Marx argued for in his time are now simple realities today that people would be aghast if the government did not provide them, such as public high school and progressive income tax. While many of his ideas were a bit farfetched or unachievable in the current society today with how far into capitalism America sinks its …show more content…
The idea of a difference between true and false needs is extremely prevalent in today’s society. So many people simply buy things because they are the “in” thing and everyone else has one. Everyone is subject to this mentality, and it is a hard concept to just let go. Humans today shape much of their self-worth on how others view them. Instead of treating to their own individual true needs, they throw them aside so they can fit in and be more like the popular kids at school. We see ourselves through the eyes of others instead of focusing on how to better ourselves from within. The majority of this ideology starts as a child as children are exposed to mass media either from television, movies, books, advertisements, peers, or even adults. The children grow up with a sense of who they should be before they can even determine it for themselves, and with the advent of social media such as Instagram and Facebook, this is even more true. Marcuse could not be more right with his criticism of the mass media and subsequently consumerism turning people into objects and limiting their freedom to find out who they really