Communist Manifesto on Religion, Law and Morality - Essay Example

Communist Manifesto on Religion, Law and Morality Karl Marx introduced his Communist Manifesto by generalizing that the history of the current society is characterised by struggles between classes. He further argues that there are two major classes: one class represents the oppressors and the other class represents the oppressed (Engels & Marx, 2014). The famous French revolution that led to the demise of feudalism saw the society split into two classes, that is, Bourgeoisie and proletariat. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie class represents the capitalists who are oppressing the proletariat class that represents the labour force. Marx’s theory of dialectical materialism asserts that conflicts between the social classes are triggered by material needs. The bourgeoisie class desires to maintain the status quo through controlling production whereas the proletariat class seeks to overthrow them and in turn control production. This paper is going to argue in favour of Marx’s claim that law, morality and religion are tools used by the rich to keep the poor in line. The bourgeoisie class is the class or the rich because it controls production in the economy hence the ruling class. According to the Marxist philosophy, the law is a means by which the ruling class disadvantages the other classes (Engels & Marx, 2014). It is a fact that some legislations are meant to submerge the minds of the poor so that they can feel relevant within the economy. For instance, the laws on free trade work to the advantage of the rich within the economy since they can produce goods in large numbers and release them to the market at cheaper prices. This is evident when we consider the case of developed and third world economies having equal access to markets. Since the competition in the market will be unfavorable, weaker economies will be over powered by stronger economies that will in turn control the markets. According to Marx, bourgeois education policy perpetuates subordination of the proletariats, ensuring that they do not own property (Engels & Marx, 2014). As such, the rich ensure that they continue to control the economy whereas the poor continues to be poor. According to Marx, bourgeois moralities allow private property ownership and personal freedom and independence. It is therefore moral for one to own property just as it is moral for the property owner to employ the poor to work for them. He argues that wage labor creates no property for the employee, but only creates capital, which is a property that works to escalate abuse of workers. Freedom allows the capitalists to constantly revolutionize production in order to expand and exploit their markets. This leads to globalization which in turn leads to economic imperialism which dictates that other countries acculturate to the bourgeois practice or be sent to the economic outback. By forcing other nations to acculturate to the bourgeois practice, the bourgeoisie create the world that is a replica of their own values. As a matter of fact, globalization forces countries to sign trade pacts that benefit the powerful economy at the expense of the weaker economy. Marx believed that religion is used to hide the truth from the people hence misguide them by blinding them from the realities of life (Engels & Marx, 2014). Religion was a source of comfort and false hope for the oppressed class in the society. By so doing, religion alienates the poor from the realities of life like the immediate poverty they are suffering from. The bourgeois capitalized on the dogmatic nature of religion to calm down any efforts of the poor to revolt by promising them a better tomorrow. In other words, the poor got some sense of security and salvation for better things to come in the millennia despite the little wages they were paid. Therefore, it is clear that the poor, the oppressed and the deprived need hope for them to calm down. If for instance a local leader attends the same church with his suffering subjects the subjects get some sense of comfort in the company of their leader. Religion threatens the subjects to be obedient and respectful to the ruling class who in this case are the rich who control the economy. What the oppressed need during difficult time is material things; all they need is hope, which is provided by religion. Capitalists can use the law to hide from the ethical issues that arise from production and marketing of their goods and services. Most of these ethical issues relate to environmental degradation that benefits the rich and screws over the poor. The Koch brothers’ materialism has seen them run their businesses unethically in order to make profits. Their political influence has enabled them corner the market on Republican politics and openly attempt to buy the Congress and the White House (Schulma, 2014). They are trying to fund these constitutional institutions so that they can in turn be protected whenever they violate the environmental laws. The Koch industries make huge profits but they also heavily contribute to pollution of America’s air water and climate pollution. In fact, Koch industries dump more pollutants in the United States’ waterways compared to the combination of Electric and International Paper industries. It is estimated that this company generates about twenty four million metric tons of greenhouse gases per annum. The impact of air pollution by Koch industries is felt by communities living in the cities like Texas and Port Arthur. President Obama’s financial regulatory reform appears to favour the Koch industries by enabling them escape the tough restrictions concerning environmental degradation. This has enabled the corporation to further expand its trading empire and fetch huge profits. The company also benefited from President George Bush administration’s anti-regulatory agenda that enabled it buy Frac-Chem, which provides hydraulic fracturing chemicals to drillers. Frac-Chem released chemicals into the underground water resources rendering this water unfit for consumption. The government also helped pair down Koch’s indictment in the year 2000 when it was alleged that the company had violated the Clean Air Act by releasing large quantities of benzene into the atmosphere at a refinery in Corpus Christi (Schulma, 2014). The case of Koch industries show how capitalists can benefit from the law illegally at the expense of the poor. Even if they were charged and even fined, they paid the fines and still continue doing environmentally unfriendly business. Heavy penalties imposed concerning environmental pollution affect smaller firms more than the large businesses, implying that the political class is above the law. The ruling class will always support and propose laws that work to their benefits but oppose those that do not benefit them. The Koch industries abide by the bourgeois morals of property ownership and freedom of production. However, they are abusing this morality by harming America’s environment which In turn affects the innocent citizens. It is clear that the ruling class uses the law, morality and religion are tools used by the rich to keep the poor in line. The law restricts them from owning the means of production whereas religion provides them with comfort and hope for a better tomorrow. Moralities such as freedom and free trade are meant to mask the poor so that they can feel that their rights are recognized and respected. However, the truth is that they work to the advantage of the ruling class and the rich who control the economy. In a nutshell, the ruling class seeks to maintain the status quo by ensuring that they remain in power and control the economy whereas the poor continue to work in their industries at a relatively low pay. The law is meant to protect all citizens but the ruling class is entitled to more protection than the oppressed. References Engels, F., & Marx, K. (2014). Manifesto of the Communist Party. ebookfreedom. Schulma, D. (2014). Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became Americas Most Powerful and Private Dynasty. New York City: Grand Central Publishing. Read More