Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel's have written the "Communist Manifestos" to encourage the working class to fight and stand up against the exploitation of workers by the Bourgeoisie class. Marx and Engel's also address the influence of history and predict the future and the development of economical changes which envisions the eventual destruction of the bourgeoisie, and the creation of a class-less society.
The bourgeoisie, a class that owns the means of producing wealth, rose to their position after the elimination of feudalism a time when aristocratic landowners and corporate guilds dominated the economy. The French Revolution marked a very influential time in the rising of the bourgeoisie class. The elimination of the feudal and aristocrats empowered the bourgeoisie politically and economically.
With the discovery of America and colonization of land the market expanded dramatically. The bourgeoisie's power increased even more through manufacturing, and enabled them to take control of international and domestic trade.
Cover of the Communist Manifesto’s initial publi...
Engels in 1868
Karl Marx (1818-1883)Through manufacturing the bourgeoisie could produce goods more efficiently than the closed guilds. In order to produce the bourgeoisie needed producers. A new class developed out of this need, the proletariats which were "wage laborers who had no means of production of their own. The wage laborer sold their services to the bourgeoisie which in turn paid them much less than what they produced. Wage laborers became slaves of machines and their earnings barley covered their need for existence. The bourgeoisie therefore exploited the wage laborers and received surplus out of this business and turned wage labor into capital.
Capital is described as a social power and by eliminating this power and converting capital into common property of all members of society; it loses its class character. Therefore the goal of communism is to free the proletariat from being slaves for the bourgeois and slaves...