An essay on The Communist Manifesto

Marx. The name goes off like a firecracker around the table. Devoured like a personal offense to each and every hearer. And why? Whatever could one do to become so delightfully infamous? To be known from across nations down to the very individual. “You’re reading the Communist Manifesto?!” Bullets start flying. Words like “individualism,” lack of motivation,” “unfair.”
But I see his side. History is constantly being shaped by the conflict between social classes. Marx seeks to end this conflict. Is a vision of equality and prevention of conflict not beautiful? This man writes passionately about the freedom of the oppressed and the hope of a new society. “All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life and his relations with his kind.” He points at the prejudice of the ruling class or bourgeoisie as well as their dominance over production. “The modern laborer…instead of rising with the progress of industry, sinks deeper and deeper below the conditions of existence of his own class.” “…the proleteriat alone is a really revolutionary class…the bourgeoisi therefore produces its own gravediggers.” He sees a society where land and factories are owned and allotted by the state, and there is peace.
However, there are innate problems, with Marx’s ideas. He fails to look behind class conflict and see the human nature. As a Christian I believe we live in a fallen world and have a sin nature. It is because of this nature that Marx’s solution fails. People cannot work just to work. We are, at times, motivated by selfish ambition: reward. The American dream implies that if you work hard, you move up; however true or false this may be we do need motivation outside of ourselves. There is also the idea of a community of women. In their defense, the communists state that the family already is corrupted. They examine how men cheat on their wives and go on to say that it “…is in reality a system of wives in common.” Although the family is corrupted, it is a hasty and bold generalization to think that all men cheat on their wives. A community of women would in fact create the dehumanization that Marx writes against.
In this way Marx vision fell short. It is impossible to make a beautiful society with imperfect people. In dashing rhetoric and passionate expression, Marx proclaims his vision of a peaceful society. And the yearning within the human heart for peace is a beautiful thing…a vision which in no way should be banned, but rather supplement with material that points out flaws in the solution. As a piece of literature pertaining to society it is beautiful, albeit misguided. Our hearts yearn for peace on earth, our natures make hell on earth, and because of that conflict we cannot create heaven on earth.