Conflict Theory, Karl Marx, and The Communist Manifesto

In order to understand Marx a few terms need to be defined. The first is Bourgeoisie; these are the Capitalists and they are the employers of wage laborers, and the owners of the means of production. The means of production includes the physical instruments of production such as the machines, and tools, as well as the methods of working (skills, division of labor). The Proletariat is the class of wage-laborers, they do not have their own means of production, and therefore they must sell their own labor in order to survive. There are six elements to Marx’s view of class struggle; the first is that classes are authority relationships based on property ownership. The second is a
The third subset is Critical-Utopian Socialism and Communism. Marx argues that each of these approaches fail because they are missing a key component of the Communist theory. They all suffer from problems; which include: 1) They look to previous modes of social organization for a solution to present difficulties. 2) They deny the inherent class character of the existing conflict. 3) They do not recognize that violent revolution on the part of the proletariat is the only way to eradicate the conditions of oppression.

Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties

The Manifesto concludes with a discussion about the role of the Communists as they work with other parties and also announces the communist intention to "everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things" (Marx & Engels, 41). As Marx thunders in conclusion, "Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!" (Marx & Engels, 41). In other works by Marx the theme of bourgeoisie and the proletariat are still present. In 1850 Marx wrote The Class Struggle in France in which he states:
“with this general prosperity…there can be no talk of a real revolution. Such as revolution is only possible in the periods when both these