ANALYSIS REPORT
Major thesis and position of author: The two argue that, to leave people to be driven in their self-interest without control and some following their luck and inheritance to own means of production will eventually reduce everyone who is not advantaged, into virtual slavery. This way, only a few will be happy but the majority will live in misery.
1. Briefly state in your own words three facts presented:
Capitalism has been proven by many analysts to be the sole reason that has led to the crumbling down of many economies in the world. Secondly, it has also been very evident that society has been faced by the continuous exploitation of the less privileged by the wealthy because they depend almost entirely on the cheap labor that they provide as a means of livelihood. Finally, it is very likely that the debate in support of both Capitalism and Communist will never come to an end that easily.
2. Briefly state in your own words three opinions given: .The authors view the working class as people who would be violated by all means and therefore they do cause a big problem to the entire economy of any given nation.
- Communism works only for the good of the people and forms a reliable economy for all the citizens with very minimal gains and exploitations of any of the social classes in the country.
- The constitution is supposed to give the limited rights and some freedoms, therefore, all can make or own decisions and have our lives transformed to whatever better they ought to be in but not at the expense of the other citizens.
3. Identify in your own words the propaganda techniques used, if any.
- The claim that mass media is used as a tool by the elite social classes to control society. This notion is evident when he explains that it is the mass media who determined what information the public can access, and limit such access and in turn, shape public opinion. This is a technique that is aimed to further the authors’ support of their communist theory.
- The other technique is trying to explain and exploit the class struggles that existed in society. Through this book, it is clear that the authors are willing to exploit the social stratification to further their communist agenda. Marx, especially is known to be an orthodox advocate who tried to expose the struggle of the working class, their alienation from their work, and their need to rebel against the elite in order to take ownership for their actions and gain power and call for a socialist society. This is true because Marxism explained the way that economic forces create changes in society, and the need for the creation of a communist system to restore equality to that system (Rogers, 1994).
- In their socialist theories; the authors avoid to give the ultimate solution to the fact that in putting an end to private ownership and developing collective property, people still may not know how to properly distribute resources without exploitation.
4. What cause/effect relationships were stated or implied by the author?
a) Workers are alienated from their productive activity, in that they no longer labor to satisfy their own needs.
b) Workers are alienated from the product of their labor, which instead is controlled by the capitalists. Instead of finding expression in producing, workers turn to consuming to express themselves.
c) The cooperative nature of work is destroyed through the organization of the labor process, alienating workers from their fellow workers. Additionally, workers often must compete against one another for work and pay.
d) Workers are alienated from their human potential, as the transformative potential of labor is lost under capitalism.
5. Were any of these cause/effect statements faulty? Why?
This is simply because under capitalism, the relationship between labor and human expression changes: rather than laboring to fulfill their needs or express ideas, workers do so at the demands of capitalists. Workers are alienated from their labor because it no longer belongs to the worker, but rather to the capitalist.
6 Did you find evidence of other logical errors on the part of the author?
Explain where and how for each of the topics listed below.
a. Distortion of Information: The information given by the authors of The Communist Manifesto is very clear and not even a slight evidence of distortion is sited. The sources are all outline for the readers and the sources are authentic.
b. Faulty Analogy : very few instances of this are seen.
c. Oversimplification: there is a certain level of this but it is probably to fit into a layman’s way of thinking.
d. Stereotyping: Capitalist way of thinking is heavily stereotyped.
e. Faulty Generalization: There is no evidence of generalization apart from when using the reference of ‘capitalists’.
7. How credible is the author? What are the author’s credentials for writing this presentation?
Karl Heinrich Marx was a 19th-century philosopher, political economist, sociologist, humanist, political theorist and revolutionary. Often called the father of communism, Marx was both a scholar and a political activist. He addressed a wide range of political as well as social issues, and is known for, amongst other things, his analysis of history.
Friedrich Engels was a German social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research. In 1848 he co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx, and later he supported Marx financially to do research and write Das Kapital.
8. How does this material fit in with material in your text or material presented in class?
It is very important because Marx has some valid points, and some of his ideas are actually in use in the world today. It is important to make this kind of presentations because he was not very good with his prose but his ideas need to be spread far and wide.
DECISION MATRIX
ISSUE:
Side of Argument: Capitalism Is Not the Best Route to Human Happiness
My position is Position I
Position I: Capitalism Is Not the Best Route to Human Happiness
Position II: Capitalism Is the Best Route to Human Happiness
Images:
Image 1: In this photo, capitalism is indicated as not being equal or not efficient.
Image 2: In this image, capitalism is defined as being eroded and not a free enterprise
Image 3: In this image, the principles of capitalism are thought to have been overweight by Marxism theories.
Image 4: In this analysis, it is indicated that capitalism is evil that seeks to enslave workers.
References
Harman, C. (2010). "The Manifesto and the World of 1848". The Communist Manifesto (Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich). Bloomsbury, London
Jamie, L. (29 Dec 2010). "Communist Manifesto to get Comic Books Treatment" Toronto
