Q. How will the revolution against capitalism come?
Ans. Regarding the coming of Revolution for pulling down the capitalist system, Marx believes that the first step in such a programme. of action would be to "win the battle of democracy." For this, the workers will have to organize themselves as the oppressed class and raise themselves to the position of the ruling class. It means that to start with, Marx wants the working class to organize themselves into a political party and tries to bring the required change through the democratic processes like electioneering, but these evolutionary methods would not work because the class, which will be controlling the reigns of the government, would put obstacles in the way of the workers and would not easily let them part with power. Therefore resort will have to be made to the use of organized force. It will be with the help of force that the workers will be able to destroy, capitalism.
Revolution involving the use of Force as the means for liquidating Capitalism : In nut-shell the Marxists openly advocate the use of violence. They declare that their ends can be achieved only by the forcible overthrow of trie existing social order. They further state, "Let the ruling class tremble at the communist revolution. The proletariat have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win, Working men of all countries, unite." Marx further said, "Force is the mid-wife of every old society. The dictatorship of the proletariat is required to stabilise the results of the revolution. The red terror is a weapon to be utilised against a class doomed to destruction which does not like to perish."
After having accomplished the goal throwing off the capitalists through revolution, there would be established a Dictatorship of the Proletariate, a transitorial stage for eliminating all the remaining features of capitalism and for securing the creation of a classless and stateless society-the Communist Society. Under the Dictatorship of Proletariate the workers would control the means of production as well as the state power for achieving this objective. The workers would abolish the instruments of private property. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels point out tie series of steps which indicate which should be undertaken by the proletariate. These are - -(1) Property in land should be abolished and rents used for public purposes. (2) A progressive income tax should be established. (3) Rights of inheritance should be abolished. (4) The property of emigrants and rebels should be confiscated. (5) There would be state control, centralization and monopoly of credit. (6) There should be expansion of state control of production and state improvement of agriculture. (7) There should be enforcement of obligation of all persons to work and the formation of industrial armies, to be used especially in agriculture. (8) Agricultural and manufacturing Industries ought to be combined, together with a population resettlement, with a view to the elimination of the urban rural division. (9) Child labour must be abolished, and a system of free public education established. After having acted on the guidelines given above the proletariat class will establish its dictatorship during the transitional period so that the anti-proletarian elements could be dealt with an iron hand.
Through these steps the society would become classless and hence stateless. The instrument of exploitation used by the capitalists, i.e. the state then would wither away as a result of the liquidation of its creators the capitalists. Finally the society shall come to be a classless and stateless society - The Communist Society- the final state of social evolution. "The pre-historic would end and the history would begin".
Criticism: Marxian analysis of the capitalist development and its eventual decay, as explained above, has been criticised by various schools of thought on different lines. Some of the lines of criticism are given below:
1. Marxian prophecy has failed: The caitalyst system has not developed along lines anticipated by Marx. While there has been a trend towards larger enterprises and concentration of wealth, Marx's prophecy about the increasing misery and degradation of the working class and not proved true. The workers of the affluent societies in the West have shared in the growing prosperity of the bourgeoisie and now enjoy more amenities than their predecessors a hundred years back.
2. The Marxist analysis of the laws of capitalist development is not valid: Marx has predicted that in the capitalist society, the rich get richer and the poor increasingly poorer. This has not turned out to be correct in all cases. In many capitalist states there has ben a progressive improvement in the economic conditions of the working class, and today the economic disparity is not greater than what it was during the days of Marx. Everywhere laws are being made to help the poor.
3. Non-Existence of International Class consciousness : Some critics are of the view that the Marxian analysis and view of International class consciousness has not found favour with the prosperity in the world wars between different states. It is an established fact of history that the proletariat of one country fought against the proletariat of the other country. Thus the Marxian analysis of common brotherhood among the working class of the world did not come out to be true.
4. Existence of more than two classes: Marxian prophecy7 of destruction of capitalism and the advent of revolution is based on a superficial view of the society that there are ony wo classes in industrial soiety. In fact ther is another class which can be called the middle class. Marx completely ignores the existence of this class.
5. Marx's belief in the victory of proletariat is an mere fantasy : Another line of attach on the Marxian prophecy about the revolution and the destruction of capitalism is based on the belief in the ultimate victory of the proletariat. It is considered as a more pious wich on the part of Marx. It has no scientific base. If and when capitalism perishes, there is no guarantee that socialism or communismm will take its place.
6. The revolutionary methods of destruction do not appeal to peaceful minds : It is further pointed out that the marxian philosophy is a philosophy of revolution. He advocates inevitable use of the force. The use of force and methods of revolution cause revulsion in the minds of some people as it throws society into a state of uncertainty.
7. Based on wrong principles: It is further pointed out that the basis of destruction of capitalism by Marx is based on wrong principles of Dialectical Materialism, Historical Materialism, Economic Determinism, Surplus Value and the theory of Class War. These principles are not accepted by the economist and have not proved to be valid even where the working classes have been allowed to share the gains of Industrial capialism.
8. Non-establishment of classless and stateless society: Marx pointed out that the revolution, which will bring about the complete desruction of capitalism, will be followed by he dictatorship of the proleteriat. This dictatorship of the proletariat will lead to a classless and casteless society, ha snot proved true. Rather it stands belid. Instead of merging as a classless and stateless society, the former Soviet Union, the first socialist state of the world, suffered a collapse and disintegration.
