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Ideas for 'Metaphysics', 'Reductive Theories of Modality' and 'The Communist Manifesto'

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3 ideas

24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 9. Communism
Modern governments are just bourgeois management committees [Marx/Engels]
     Full Idea: The executive of the modern State is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie.
     From: K Marx / F Engels (The Communist Manifesto [1848], §1)
     A reaction: In Britain the Labour Party and the Trade Unions have appeared since 1848, but bourgeoisie control of the media has pushed us a long way back towards Marx's time. Government will always be someone's management committee.
Communism aims to abolish not all property, but bourgeois property [Marx/Engels]
     Full Idea: The distinguishing feature of Communism is not the abolition of property generally, but the abolition of bourgeois property.
     From: K Marx / F Engels (The Communist Manifesto [1848], §2)
     A reaction: This is a sinister remark which has led to huge numbers of murders in the Soviet Union and China. People resent having their property 'abolished', especially if they have worked hard for it. But most of our wealth is owned by about 2% of our people.
Many of the bourgeois rights grievances are a form of self-defence [Marx/Engels]
     Full Idea: A part of the bourgeoisie is desirous of redressing social grievances, in order to secure the continued existence of bourgeois society.
     From: K Marx / F Engels (The Communist Manifesto [1848], §3.II)
     A reaction: …so don't try being nice to us. No TRUE bourgeois would actually want to help the proletariate… Nevertheless, he is probably largely right. Do we want the poor to suffer? No. Do we want them to be as rich as us? No!