Explain how Marx's theories offer both a reason for and a solution to mass poverty in the industrialized world.
In 1818 an astonishing and vivid mind was born in to the world. In the years to come Karl Marx would develop some of the most intricate theories and ideas ever to emerge in Europe. In 1848 Marx and Frederick Engles created the Communist Manifesto, which contained their ideas on scientific socialism. The Communist Manifesto was based on three different concepts: the works of Hegel, materialism, and determinism. The works of Hegel brought about the concept of the dialectic. Materialism meant that physical matter is the only reality and within this concept there was the thesis, the antithesis, and the synthesis. Determinism meant that there was no free will. These three concepts, all pulled into one, made "dialectical materialism", Marx's theory. Marx's theories offer both a reason for and a solution to mass poverty with his thoughts on class struggle, surplus value and the function of poverty.
According to Marx, social classes cause class struggle, which in turn causes social changes over a period of time. Marx developed two different classes, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. These two classes did not in any way share a common interest. The Bourgeoisie wanted to lower salary in order to increase their profit. On the other hand the Proletariat wanted to raise wages in order to improve their living conditions. Marx realized that because capitalism could not make both classes happy that class struggle must be the active force behind history. Marx's theory on class struggle was basically a "challenge, defeat, change" system. When the aristocracy had money because they owned land, the middle class was upset with this so they challenged the aristocracy and won. Thus the middle class became the controlling class. When the Proletarians saw what the middle class had done, they too decided they wanted change because they were unhappy with being at the low end, so they challenged the middle class, and won as well.
