MARX – COMMUNIST TRANSFORMATION

Description

Marx argued that a communist revolution was inevitable, and that it would usher in a classless society where individuals have freedom to develop their varied talents and potentialities. If the idea of communism did become popular in many places during the 20th century, the global revolution that Marx predicted and hoped for did not occur. Today, capitalism is dominant worldwide and only appears to be growing in influence. Yet Marx’s vision of communism continues to inspire social movements and thinking about alternative futures. This vision includes the following: collective ownership of the means of production; individuals developing their varied talents and abilities through voluntary activity, and in community with others; and short working days, organized through rational collective planning, thus leaving plenty of time for self-fulfilling activity in the “realm of freedom”.

The goal of this assignment is for you to consider how a global communist transformation, of the kind that Marx envisioned, might affect your own life. Your essay should include two parts, with roughly half of the entire essay devoted to each part:

First, choose a single concrete part of your life today ( Being a student and having to pay huge amounts of money for tuition just to gain an education to be considered for a job in a competitive capitalistic economy) , and describe how a global communist transformation would reshape it. Be creative. How would the activities change? How would the relationships between individuals change? How would your own experience change?

Second, considering only this single concrete example,( Being a student and having to pay huge amounts of money for tuition just to gain an education to be considered for a job in a competitive capitalistic economy) make an argument about whether, and why, a Marx-inspired global communist transformation is either desirable or undesirable. Be sure to consider possible counter-arguments, and why they are less compelling (e.g. if you are arguing that a communist transformation is undesirable, explain why the negative effects would outweigh the positive effects).

Be sure to focus on Marx’s actual vision of communist transformation, as discussed in the readings and lectures, and as summarized above.