May 8, 2018 is the bicentennial of the birth of Karl Marx in Trier, an ancient city in modern-day Germany.
Let us celebrate the man who was fated to outdo Helen of Troy, the beauty that launched a thousand ships.
Marx LAUNCHED a MILLION KILLERS …
Let us REMIND the world that MARX was WRONG on JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING, …
The story of the last 200 years has been one that Jonah Goldberg calls “The MIRACLE” and Deirdre McCloskey calls The GREAT ENRICHMENT.
Back in 1818 when Marx was born, and in 1848 when the First Activist issued his Communist Manifesto, nobody knew that the Western world was on its way to an all-fronts upswing that would TRANSFORM the lives, most particularly, of the POOR and WEAK.
No, the bourgeoisie is NOT like the feudal LORDS.
In the Communist Manifesto Marx NAIVELY ASSUMED that the rising bourgeoisie would become a RULING CLASS JUST LIKE the feudal lords of old, exploiting and oppressing.
But Marx got it WRONG.
The capitalists are just interested in dominating the market; they want to FLOOD the world with PRODUCTS, NOT with SOLDIERS.
See, UNLIKE all ruling classes down the ages, the capitalists, and the middle class are NOT that interested in POLITICAL power.
It is the NATURAL TENDENCY of every successful business to attract competitors so that the ensuing competition drives DOWN profits and wages.
According to Marx’s analysis this would end with the capitalists getting ALL the money and the workers and the petty bourgeoisie IMPOVERISHED.
Actually, that is NOT QUITE WHAT HAPPENS.
Usually the CAPITALISTS LOSE their shirts TOO.
No, he workers don’t need a revolution.
In the 1840s rich kids like Karl Marx thought that the only way the workers could get justice was by revolution.
What ruling class had ever GIVEN UP its POWER WITHOUT being FORCED to?
AGAIN, MARX was WRONG.
The new bourgeoisie was OPEN to allowing the workers INTO the SYSTEM by giving them the VOTE.
Hey, LET’S FREE THEM.
MARX COULDN’T SEE the MIRACLE UNFOLDING BEFORE HIS VERY EYES.
