Difference between revisions of "Class warfare"

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In [[Marxist historiography]], '''class struggle''' is regarded as the primary motor force of history.
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'''Class warfare''' is a [[Marxist]] notion that people in different social classes must necessarily be in conflict with each other, the rich seeking to keep the poor down and the poor seeking to take away what belongs to the rich.
  
== Distinguishing characteristics ==
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"'Class warfare' first entered the political [[lexicon]] primarily as an attack by [[liberal]]s against [[conservative]]s." <ref>[http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20030115.html The art of "class warfare"], Ben Fritz, Spinsanity.org, January 15, 2003</ref>
  
Distinguishing characteristics of class struggle under [[capitalism]] include:
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==Democrats==
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The era of Obama has ushered in a new push by [[Democrat]]s to make class warfare a centerpiece of the 2012 political cycle. Obama makes the most noise when it comes to class warfare but his congressional allies and those in the media very much help facilitate the message.
  
*[[Labour]] (the [[proletariat]] or workers) includes anyone who earns their livelihood by selling their [[labour-power|labor power]] and being paid a wage or salary for their [[labour time|labor time]]. They have little choice but to work for [[capital]], since they typically have no independent way to survive.
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Weeks before America heard of the [[Buffett Rule]] (Tax the rich), Democrats in [[San Francisco]] were trying out their class warfare message.<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/video/2011/10/05/buffett-rule-inspiration-bay-area-dems-embrace-class-warfare-weeks-before-obamas-tax-the-rich-proposal/ Buffett Rule Inspiration? Bay Area Dems Embrace Class Warfare Weeks Before Obama's 'Tax The Rich' Proposal], [[Breitbart.com]]</ref>
  
*Capital (the [[bourgeoisie]] or capitalists) includes anyone who gets their income not from labor as much as from the [[surplus value]] they appropriate from the workers who create wealth. The income of the capitalists, therefore, is based on their [[exploitation]] of the workers (proletariat).
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The [[Occupy Wall Street]] movement is fundamentally a classic Marxist class warfare [[direct action]] movement.
  
*At this stage, production itself becomes a social enterprise.
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==Marxist theory==
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The apocalyptic language of Marx's class warfare argument is articulated in Volume I of ''Das Kapital''. Few modern economists believe there is any scientific basis for Marx's dark forebodings, yet some sociologists and political scientists remain dedicated to varying twists of Marx's emotional appeal.
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{{cquote|Hand in hand with this centralization, or this expropriation of many capitalists by few, develops…the entanglement of all nations in the net of the world market, and with this, the international character of the capitalist régime. Along with the constantly diminishing number of the magnates of capital, who usurp and monopolize all advantages of this process of transformation, grows the mass of misery, oppression, slavery, degradation, exploitation; but with this too grows the revolt of the working class, a class always increasing in numbers, and disciplined, united, organized by the very mechanism of the process of capitalist production itself. The monopoly of capital becomes a fetter upon the mode of production, which has sprung up and flourished along with it, and under it. Centralization of the means of production and socialization of labor at last reach a point where they become incompatible with their capitalist integument. This integument bursts. The knell of capitalist [[private property]] sounds. The expropriators are expropriated.<ref>Karl Marx, ''[[Das Kapital]],'' vol. i, ch. xxxii.</ref>}}
  
== Quotes ==
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==Why is class warfare problematic?==
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At the first glance, the idea of "taxing the rich and giving to the poor" appears "fair". However, there are many problems with this idea. Under a capitalist system, one becomes "rich" through the process of hard work, and raising taxes on this group signals that this hard work is not being appreciated. In addition, the demonized top 1% of Americans pay 22% of all revenue,<ref>[https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0415/Taxes-and-the-rich-How-much-do-they-pay-now Taxes and the rich: How much do they pay now?], [[Christian Science Monitor]]</ref> while the bottom 50% of Americans pay nothing in income tax, clearly indicating that those who are wealthy already pay a "fair" share of revenue. The richest Americans are also known to be in control of job creating industries; taking too much from this group will yield job losses, which ends up hurting the average American.
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==References==
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{{reflist|2}}
  
<blockquote>
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==See also==
"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another...." [Marx and Engels, Communist Manifesto]
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*[[Envy]]
</blockquote>
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{{communism}}
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{{Liberalism}}
  
== See also ==
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==External links==
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*[http://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/2008/03/karl-marx-and-democrats-why-i-hate.html Karl Marx and the Democrats: Why I hate Class Warfare], Mike Volpe, ''The Provocateur'', March 1, 2008.
  
{{NavPoAV1}}
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[[Category:Sociology]]
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[[Category:Marxist Terminology]]
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[[Category:Communism]]
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[[Category:Liberal Falsehoods]]
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[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

Latest revision as of 19:30, December 5, 2020

Class warfare is a Marxist notion that people in different social classes must necessarily be in conflict with each other, the rich seeking to keep the poor down and the poor seeking to take away what belongs to the rich.

"'Class warfare' first entered the political lexicon primarily as an attack by liberals against conservatives." [1]

Democrats

The era of Obama has ushered in a new push by Democrats to make class warfare a centerpiece of the 2012 political cycle. Obama makes the most noise when it comes to class warfare but his congressional allies and those in the media very much help facilitate the message.

Weeks before America heard of the Buffett Rule (Tax the rich), Democrats in San Francisco were trying out their class warfare message.[2]

The Occupy Wall Street movement is fundamentally a classic Marxist class warfare direct action movement.

Marxist theory

The apocalyptic language of Marx's class warfare argument is articulated in Volume I of Das Kapital. Few modern economists believe there is any scientific basis for Marx's dark forebodings, yet some sociologists and political scientists remain dedicated to varying twists of Marx's emotional appeal.

Hand in hand with this centralization, or this expropriation of many capitalists by few, develops…the entanglement of all nations in the net of the world market, and with this, the international character of the capitalist régime. Along with the constantly diminishing number of the magnates of capital, who usurp and monopolize all advantages of this process of transformation, grows the mass of misery, oppression, slavery, degradation, exploitation; but with this too grows the revolt of the working class, a class always increasing in numbers, and disciplined, united, organized by the very mechanism of the process of capitalist production itself. The monopoly of capital becomes a fetter upon the mode of production, which has sprung up and flourished along with it, and under it. Centralization of the means of production and socialization of labor at last reach a point where they become incompatible with their capitalist integument. This integument bursts. The knell of capitalist private property sounds. The expropriators are expropriated.[3]

Why is class warfare problematic?

At the first glance, the idea of "taxing the rich and giving to the poor" appears "fair". However, there are many problems with this idea. Under a capitalist system, one becomes "rich" through the process of hard work, and raising taxes on this group signals that this hard work is not being appreciated. In addition, the demonized top 1% of Americans pay 22% of all revenue,[4] while the bottom 50% of Americans pay nothing in income tax, clearly indicating that those who are wealthy already pay a "fair" share of revenue. The richest Americans are also known to be in control of job creating industries; taking too much from this group will yield job losses, which ends up hurting the average American.

References

See also

External links