The Rise of Socialism and Marxism
Marxism and socialism are part of the consequences of the Industrial Revolution.
Despite the deep suspicion toward socialism and especially Marxism in this country,
Marxism was very much the product of mainstream Western intellectual tradition,
combining classical German philosophy with an optimism toward the benefits of science
and technology brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The radical aspects of
Marxism, e.g. his championing of class struggles and violent revolutions, were Marx’s
interpretation of history and his prediction of what was to come based on the often
violent confrontations between workers and management. Finally, precisely because
Marxism provided so much threat to European countries, their governments eventually
conceded to workers’ demands at least partially to avoid further violent confrontations
and the prospect of losing out to the socialists/Marxists.
1. Background: The Industrial Revolution
The new work schedule that many people found too restraining on their lives in
comparison with the freer lifestyle under cottage industry.
The industrial assembly line that proved to be monotonous, with each worker only
performing a very small part of the work, without seeing the end result. No longer able
to invest personal identity or pride in work as, say, a cobbler did in the past, who was
able to sell a pair of shoes he made from top to sole to a smiling patron, hence deriving
a great deal of satisfaction from his work.
The heavy work load, the meager pay, the total absence of any laws regulating factories,
which, like laws regulating the internet, were something quite new and before they
appeared, the factories, legally, were “no man’s land,” hence it was completely up to
the factory owners to decide everything, from the wage to the age of the workers.
2. Workers’ strikes and uprisings
In the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, there were many workers’ strikes aimed
at the destruction of machines, as workers viewed machines as the root of their misery.
Meanwhile, many workers also requested greater political representation, which was
often denied them. Revolutions ensued in many parts of Europe, often crushed with
great bloodshed. This led Marx to believe that socialist takeover required violence, and
workers’ and management’s interests were irreconcilable.
3. Influence of science and the Enlightenment
