Chapter 14 · Topic 14.2 · Prelims + Mains2 of 3
Political Philosophies: Communism, Capitalism, Socialism: Communism and Marx
Key points
- Marx and Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto (1848); Das Kapital (1867) explained surplus value.
- Marx used dialectical materialism to explain class struggle; the goal was a classless, stateless society.
- Gandhi and Marx shared the final goal of a stateless society, but Gandhi rejected class war and violence.
Prelims box: facts and traps
- Dialectical materialism: Prelims 2011, answer (d).
- Gandhism–Marxism common goal: stateless society, Prelims 2020, answer (a).
- Lenin: vanguard party; Mao: peasant revolution.
Communism
Marx (1818–1883) was a German thinker who watched workers in Europe’s factories labour long hours for low pay. He asked a simple question: why do those who do the work stay poor while the owners grow rich? Communism was his answer and his plan.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Communist Manifesto (1848) | Marx and Engels: ‘Workers of the world, unite!’ |
| Das Kapital (1867) | Surplus value: profit comes from unpaid labour |
| Goal | Classless, stateless society, after a transitional dictatorship of the proletariat |
| Leninism | Vanguard party; revolution in a backward country (1917) |
| Maoism | Peasant-based revolution (1949) |
| Practice | One-party states, central planning, collectivisation |
Surplus value is easy to picture. Say a worker makes shirts worth ₹1,000 in a day but is paid ₹300. Marx called the extra ₹700 kept by the owner “surplus value”, and said this is where profit comes from.
The proletariat means the working class who own nothing but their labour. The “dictatorship of the proletariat” was a short stage when workers would hold power before the state faded away. In his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Programme, Marx summed up the final goal: “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”.
Lenin added the vanguard party: a small, disciplined group of revolutionaries who lead the workers. Mao changed the plan for China, where most people were peasants, so farmers rather than factory workers led the revolution. In practice, communist states became one-party states with central planning, where the government decides what to produce, and collectivisation, where private farms were merged into big state farms.
Marx’s theory, and Gandhi compared
| Concept | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Historical materialism | Economic base shapes politics and ideas |
| Class struggle | History moves through conflict of classes |
| Stages | Primitive communism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism |
| Gandhi | Trusteeship, non-violence, decentralised village economy, no class war |
Historical materialism says that how people earn a living shapes everything else: laws, religion and politics. Marx explained class struggle through dialectical materialism, the idea that change comes from the clash of opposites in material life (Prelims 2011, answer d).
Karl Marx explained the process of class struggle with the help of which one of the following theories ?
- Empirical liberalism
- Existentialism
- Darwin’s theory of evolution
- Dialectical materialism
Show answer
Answer: (d) · UPSC official key
Gandhi’s trusteeship asked the rich to hold their wealth like trustees, using it for the good of society. Both Gandhi and Marx imagined coercive power fading away. Their common agreement is the final goal of a stateless society (Prelims 2020, answer a), though Gandhi rejected class war and violence.
One common agreement between Gandhism and Marxism is
- the final goal of a stateless society
- class struggle
- abolition of private property
- economic determinism
Show answer
Answer: (a) · UPSC official key
Common doubts
Is communism the same as socialism? For Marx, socialism was the stage before communism. Socialism still has a state and pays people by work; communism has no classes and no state.
Did any country reach full communism? No. The USSR, China and others called themselves communist-led, but none became classless or stateless.
What UPSC asks
Prelims: Manifesto 1848, Das Kapital 1867, dialectical materialism, Gandhi–Marx common ground. Mains: how Lenin and Mao adapted Marx.
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- Adapting Marx: Lenin's vanguard party and Mao's peasant revolution.
- Gandhi vs Marx: trusteeship and non-violence versus class war.
Practice
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Political Philosophies with one recent example.
Flashcards (8)
Communist Manifesto?
1848, Marx and Engels.
Das Kapital volume I?
1867.
Lenin's addition?
Vanguard party.
Final stage in Marx?
Classless, stateless society.
Marx's theory of class struggle?
Dialectical materialism.
Gandhism and Marxism agree on?
Final goal of a stateless society.
Gandhi's alternative to class war?
Trusteeship.
Economic base shapes ideas?
Historical materialism.
Next topic · 14.3 →Political Philosophies: Communism, Capitalism, Socialism: Forms and effects on societySyllabus: GS-I · History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial re…