Marx Continues to Influence 125 Years After His Death

[DeclinetoState]

Why March 14 was a great day in history:

http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,1608766_1,00.jpg
Many of Karl Marx's theories on politics, society and economics still ring true today (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,3190306,00.html)

Friday, March 14, marks the 125th anniversary of the death of German philosopher and political economist Karl Marx. Marx is still regarded as hugely influential to the development of 20th century thought.


Both a scholar and a political activist, Marx addressed a wide range of political as well as social issues, and is known for, among other things, his analysis of history. The interpretations of his theories, particularly those on political economy, have in the course of history generated decades of debate, inspired revolutions and cast him as both devil and deity in political and academic circles.

Maligned by some, misunderstood by others and celebrated as one of the world's great thinkers by many more, Marx continues to be a divisive and much discussed individual. While there has been a substantial revival of interest in his theories since the end of the Cold War, mainly those which deal with the volatility and shape of capitalism, the question remains as to whether a man who died 125 years ago still has any relevance today.
More (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3190306,00.html)

Marx is still regarded as hugely influential to the development of 20th century thought.

I would value the opinions of Groucho Marx more than those of Karl.

Name a Marxist state that has ever had the level of freedom and well-being for the common man of a comparable capitalist state (same or similar demographics, resources, etc.).

[The_Sonarman]

There is a huge hole it at least one of his "theories"..... that being property ownership.

Employers "own" their businesses, and pay their employees. Employees are in turn free to purchase whatever legal property they desire, given they can pay for it. In other words, both Employers and employees have the freedom to own property. In a communist country, they do not.

I could go on and on.

This article is hugely biased. I wouldn't be surprised to find out a socialist, or communist, wrote it.

Communism oppresses and kills people. That's the only way it works.

[edgeworth]

The Soviet Union was supposedly Marxist-Leninist. The Soviet Union killed millions of it's own citizens over the decades.

Marx didn't kill millions, but people supposedly operating a government under his principles did so. Those millions who weren't killed lived poorly.

It appears to me Marxism needs to be wiped off the face of the planet, just due to the misery and death toll it causes.

There are some who believe that Russia didn't follow Karl Marx's exact plan to establish Marxist government; that they got too power- hungry and THAT is why they killed so many people. However, Marx's form of government can't help but to create a power hungry person, in my opinon, as it doesn't take into account the basic nature of humans whose inward desire will ALWAYS be to control more and have more power. It also puts an unrealistic economic strain on the government that it just can't bear and will inevitably buckle under.

[The_Sonarman]

There are some who believe that Russia didn't follow Karl Marx's exact plan to establish Marxist government; that they got too power- hungry and THAT is why they killed so many people.

However, Marx's form of government can't help but to create a power hungry person, in my opinon, as it doesn't take into account the basic nature of humans whose inward desire will ALWAYS be to control more and have more power.

We've had a visitor to this site who purported himself to be an "actual" modern day communist. He said over and over the Soviet Union "was not Marxist". We finally got to the root of the matter, in that he claimed the Soviet Union wasn't "Pure" Marxist. I am certain the distinction, if any, didn't matter to the millions that were murdered by The Soviet Union. Pure Marxist, or mostly Marxist government, millions were butchered and murdered for "The State". That I do not forgive.

We've seen power hungry people in the USA, too. Hilliary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, Barack Obama..... Republicans too. That is why our system, devised by the Founding Fathers, is so great. It does indeed limit what these scoundrels can do to us. The problem is, we have little recourse against them other than voting them from power. I wish the Founders had included the power where "We The People" could bring stiff criminal charges against them, for violation of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, etcetera.

That's one of the things I admired about the Hong Kong government during the British administration. There was a group that was charged to route out and prosecute corrupt Hong Kong government elected and appointed officials. That was their only task, and they had no limit how high up they could pursue corrupt officials. It made for a pretty squeeky clean system.

[DeclinetoState]

I wish the Founders had included the power where "We The People" could bring stiff criminal charges against them, for violation of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, etcetera.
It would be nice if we had the power of recall.

[DesertFox]

There is a huge hole it at least one of his "theories"..... that being property ownership.Marx got his ideas on property from John Locke, believe it or not. Locke came up with the labor theory of value, meaning that something was only worth whatever labor went into it.

Which is nonsense. Something is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. Which explains why pro athletes make millions and brilliant, handsome thinkers such as I ain't got nuthin'.

[Wolfcounsel]

"It would be nice if we had the power of recall." --DeclinetoState

I give you a trillion to one it will come about--soon.

[DeclinetoState]

Has anything any Marxist has ever done made the world (or even his or her little corner of it) a better place?

[The_Sonarman]

Has anything any Marxist has ever done made the world (or even his or her little corner of it) a better place?

All I've seen is millions of dead bodies and millions of miserable people in the wake of this "great thinker", Karl Marx.

My janitorial people accomplish more "good" in a weekend cleaning my building then Marx ever accomplished.

[Wyatt_Junker]

http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,1608766_1,00.jpg

He is a stronghold.

In The Exorcist, the demon was a lightweight, only able to control one little girl. In The USSR, the demon was able to control an entire nation for years, possessing its people, enslaving them and finally killing them in chunks at a time. A simple spirit, an idea that becomes a principality that grows, takes on momentum, builds and reaches into the sublayer of a culture where God himself is mocked, challenged and outlawed. A beautiful atheism where man helps man through collectivization. And its taking root here, too, in America, as if we didn't learn the lesson the first time. History is to be stupidly repeated by morons who don't think, but are lured by vacant rhetoric. And the root of communism? That mankind is essentially good and will surely want to collectivize his efforts. Why wouldn't he? Fair is fun. Everyone gets hard, black bread. That way no one is able to eat donuts. No one drives a sports car. They are only allowed the 3 cyliner Yugo. The mania of such a system of making sure what's fair is fair is a rare kind of unequaled social hyperactivism. Only thuggery can manipulate man's drive for more in the world of FAIR.

Unlike the Constitution, that man is at his core, helplessly evil. Thus, the checks on supposedly co-equal power into three separate jurisdictions. That man suffers from innate sin, and will always lust for more power, that man loves nothing more than subjugating each other to the dirty forefinger of mutual dirty sanchezes. So, don't regulate it. Fair? How about who gives a shit. Mankind, unregulated mankind, raw & obnoxious as he is will out. Capitalism isn't kind. Its unfair. That girl who sews Nikes her whole life, who hates her boss, can easily complain. Or she can start her own custom shoe company. She won't be as fast as Nike, but she could be better. Won't make as much money as Nike(at first), but the potential is always there. Little did we know that Mrs. Reebok would keep trying until one day investors decided it was time to take a shot at the big dog.

The democrats are merely Marx's latest possessed girls. They are under the stronghold of fair by force. It feeds the lust for power, certainly. Beat up Nike. Pretty soon, beat up Reebok too. Beat up anybody and everybody with bright ideas and big plans. Make everybody even steven. Fair. No rich people. No poor people. Just hard black bread.

Hey, at least its fair.

[Riverboat]

Marx is still regarded as hugely influential to the development of 20th century thought.Outside of university faculty lounges across this fruity plain, meanwhile, . . .

[DesertFox]

Actually, if you understand Europe at the time Marx lived in it, you can see why he thought as he did about social classes. They were destructive and hateful. What Marx missed is that, while people hated those at higher social levels than themselves, they also coveted those levels for themselves. Human beings need hierarchy even when they hate it; it's one of the social glues that hold things together.

Marx understood nothing at all about people and not very much about economics. Economics is driven by human desires and wants, so if you miss the people part of the equation, you got no chance of getting the economics part right. Marx was a derivative of Rousseau, who saw "the little people" as simpletons easily satisfied with glut and creature comforts. It's prolly instructive that Rousseau was a quarrelsome prick and Marx a gloomy misanthropist.

With such caricaturistic views of humanity as they entertained, it's no wonder their social prescriptions caused rampant misery.

[Kathy30]

Influence! Are you listening to the obamination's speech! It is PURE marx, right out of the book.

Oh yes, including vote for me I'm black. A vote for McCain is a vote for racism.