Sep 1, 2026 · 29 min · 11 segments
Luke jumps back into section 2, and talks about the bourgeois critics of Communism around nation and religion. He follows that up with a deep dive into 10 policies outlined by Marx, which Marx…
Luke BrooksHost
The communists are further reproached with desiring to abolish countries and nationalities.
Since the proletariat must first of all acquire political supremacy, must rise to the leading class of the nation, must constitute itself the nation, it is so far itself national, though not in the bourgeois sense of the word.
National differences and antagonisms between peoples are daily more and more vanishing, owing to the development of the bourgeoisie, to freedom of commerce, to the world market, to uniformity in the mode of production and in the conditions of life corresponding thereto.
United action of the leading civilized countries, at least, is one of the first conditions for the emancipation of the proletariat.
As just kind of a side note here, Marx's focus on what he calls civilized countries is one of the more common critiques of Marx, especially from other communists.
There is a whole lecture here about how Marxism can be a colonial ideology if we are not careful.
That being said, there are many communist thinkers who have approached that question of colonialism around communism and have come up with a lot of good ideas to address that concern.
Remember, the Communist Manifesto is where we start to develop our understanding of communism, not where we end.
Now, I could go on and on about that, but I do want to get back to the text here.
I just also want to encourage you to continue to read other communists and their ideas and critiques around topics like the idea of quote-unquote civilized countries.
In proportion as the exploitation of one individual by another is put an end to, the exploitation of one nation by another will also be put an end to.
In proportion as the antagonism between classes within the nation vanishes, the hostility of one nation to another will come to an end.
The charges made against communism made from a religion, a philosophical, and generally from an ideological standpoint are not deserving of serious examination.
Does it require deep intuition to comprehend that man's ideas and views and conceptions in one word, man's consciousness, changes with every change in the conditions of his material existence, in his social relations, and in his social life? What else does the history of ideas prove than that the intellectual production changes in character in proportion as material production is changed? The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class.
When people speak of ideas that revolutionize society, they do but express the fact that within the old society the elements of the new one have been created, and that the dissolution of the old ideas keeps even pace with the dissolution of the old conditions of existence.
When the ancient world was in its last throes, the ancient religions were overcome by Christianity.
When Christian ideas succumbed in the 18th century to rational ideas, feudal society fought its death battle with the then revolutionary bourgeoisie.
The ideas of religious liberty and freedom of conscience merely gave expression to the sway of free competition within the domain of knowledge.
Undoubtedly, it will be said, religious, moral, philosophical, and judicial ideas have been modified in the course of historical development.
There are, besides eternal truths such as freedom, justice, etc., that are common to all states of society.
The communists are further reproached with desiring to abolish countries and nationalities.
Since the proletariat must first of all acquire political supremacy, must rise to the leading class of the nation, must constitute itself the nation, it is so far itself national, though not in the bourgeois sense of the word.
National differences and antagonisms between peoples are daily more and more vanishing, owing to the development of the bourgeoisie, to freedom of commerce, to the world market, to uniformity in the mode of production and in the conditions of life corresponding thereto.
United action of the leading civilized countries, at least, is one of the first conditions for the emancipation of the proletariat.
As just kind of a side note here, Marx's focus on what he calls civilized countries is one of the more common critiques of Marx, especially from other communists.
There is a whole lecture here about how Marxism can be a colonial ideology if we are not careful.
That being said, there are many communist thinkers who have approached that question of colonialism around communism and have come up with a lot of good ideas to address that concern.
Remember, the Communist Manifesto is where we start to develop our understanding of communism, not where we end.
Now, I could go on and on about that, but I do want to get back to the text here.
I just also want to encourage you to continue to read other communists and their ideas and critiques around topics like the idea of quote-unquote civilized countries.
In proportion as the exploitation of one individual by another is put an end to, the exploitation of one nation by another will also be put an end to.
In proportion as the antagonism between classes within the nation vanishes, the hostility of one nation to another will come to an end.
The charges made against communism made from a religion, a philosophical, and generally from an ideological standpoint are not deserving of serious examination.
Does it require deep intuition to comprehend that man's ideas and views and conceptions in one word, man's consciousness, changes with every change in the conditions of his material existence, in his social relations, and in his social life? What else does the history of ideas prove than that the intellectual production changes in character in proportion as material production is changed? The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class.
When people speak of ideas that revolutionize society, they do but express the fact that within the old society the elements of the new one have been created, and that the dissolution of the old ideas keeps even pace with the dissolution of the old conditions of existence.
When the ancient world was in its last throes, the ancient religions were overcome by Christianity.
When Christian ideas succumbed in the 18th century to rational ideas, feudal society fought its death battle with the then revolutionary bourgeoisie.
The ideas of religious liberty and freedom of conscience merely gave expression to the sway of free competition within the domain of knowledge.
Undoubtedly, it will be said, religious, moral, philosophical, and judicial ideas have been modified in the course of historical development.
There are, besides eternal truths such as freedom, justice, etc., that are common to all states of society.
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