manifesto of the communist party-第6章
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case of ancient property; what you admit in the case of feudal
property; you are of course forbidden to admit in the case of
your own bourgeois form of property。
Abolition of the family! Even the most radical flare up at this
infamous proposal of the Communists。
On what foundation is the present family; the bourgeois family;
based? On capital; on private gain。 In its completely developed
form this family exists only among the bourgeoisie。 But this
state of things finds its complement in the practical absence of
the family among the proletarians; and in public prostitution。
The bourgeois family will vanish as a matter of course when its
complement vanishes; and both will vanish with the vanishing of
capital。
Do you charge us with wanting to stop the exploitation of
children by their parents? To this crime we plead guilty。
But; you will say; we destroy the most hallowed of relations;
when we replace home education by social。
And your education! Is not that also social; and determined by
the social conditions under which you educate; by the
intervention; direct or indirect; of society; by means of
schools; etc。? The Communists have not invented the
intervention of society in education; they do but seek to alter
the character of that intervention; and to rescue education from
the influence of the ruling class。
The bourgeois clap…trap about the family and education; about
the hallowed co…relation of parent and child; becomes all the
more disgusting; the more; by the action of Modern Industry; all
family ties among the proletarians are torn asunder; and their
children transformed into simple articles of commerce and
instruments of labour。
But you Communists would introduce community of women; screams
the whole bourgeoisie in chorus。
The bourgeois sees in his wife a mere instrument of production。
He hears that the instruments of production are to be exploited
in
common; and; naturally; can come to no other conclusion than that
the lot of being common to all will likewise fall to the women。
He has not even a suspicion that the real point is to do away
with the status of women as mere instruments of production。
For the rest; nothing is more ridiculous than the
virtuous indignation of our bourgeois at the community of women
which; they pretend; is to be openly and officially established
by the Communists。 The Communists have no need to introduce
community of women; it has existed almost from time immemorial。
Our bourgeois; not content with having the wives and daughters of
their
proletarians at their disposal; not to speak of common
prostitutes;
take the greatest pleasure in seducing each other's wives。
Bourgeois marriage is in reality a system of wives in common and
thus;
at the most; what the Communists might possibly be reproached
with;
is that they desire to introduce; in substitution for a
hypocritically
concealed; an openly legalised community of women。 For the rest;
it is self…evident that the abolition of the present system of
production must bring with it the abolition of the community
of women springing from that system; i。e。; of prostitution
both public and private。
The Communists are further reproached with desiring to abolish
countries and nationality。
The working men have no country。 We cannot take from them what
they have not got。 Since the proletariat must first of all
acquire political supremacy; must rise to be 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。
The supremacy of the proletariat will cause them to vanish still
faster。
United action; of the leading civilised countries at least; is
one of
the first conditions for the emancipation of the proletariat。
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 against Communism made from a religious; 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;
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 intellectual
production changes its 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 revolutionise society; they do
but express the fact; that within the old society; the elements
of a 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 rationalist 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 juridical ideas have been modified in the course of
historical development。 But religion; morality philosophy;
political science; and law; constantly survived this change。〃
〃There are; besides; eternal truths; such as Freedom; Justice;
etc。 that are common to all states of society。 But Communism
abolishes eternal truths; it abolishes all religion; and all
morality; instead of constituting them on a new basis; it
therefore
acts in contradiction to all past historical experience。〃
What does this accusation reduce itself to? The history of all
past society has consisted in the development of class
antagonisms;
antagonisms that assumed different forms at different epochs。
But whatever form they may have taken; one fact is common to all
past ages; viz。; the exploitation of one part of society by the
other。
No wonder; then; that the social consciousness of past ages;
despite
all the multiplicity and variety it displays; moves within
certain
common forms; or general ideas; which cannot completely vanish
except
with the total disappearance of class antagonisms。
The Communist revolution is the most radical rupture with
traditional property relations; no wonder that its development
involves the most radical rupture with traditional ideas。
But let us have done with the bourgeois objections to Communism。
We have seen above; that the first step in the revolution by the
working class; is to raise the proletariat to the position of
ruling as to win the battle of democracy。
The proletariat will use its political supremacy top wrest; by
degrees; all capital from the bourgeoisie; to centralise all
instruments of production in the hands of the State; i。e。; of the
proletariat organised as the ruling class; and to increase the
total of productive forces as rapidly as possible。
Of course; in the beginning; this cannot be effected except by
means of despotic inroads on the rights of property; and on the
conditions of bourgeois production; by means of measures;
therefore;
which appear economically insufficient and untenable; but which;