So this year will be the 167th year since The Communist Manifesto was masterminded by our good comrades Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. There is no doubting that communism is rather old.
Marx lived in a world where the industrial revolution had started to change the structure of society: it gave opportunities for the bourgeoisie to manipulate the proletariat, and take advantage of them, crushing them for their own selfish intentions. Marx and Engels saw this as an unsustainable and greedy system and went on to write The Communist Manifesto, which is the main fundamental starting point for all branches of communism. Different people modified The Manifesto to support their opinions, but the fundamental principle of all types of communism is the fact that the working class must rise up and overthrow the capitalists, creating a classless system in which all people are equal.
My question to you, NationStates, is this: in today's modern world, is communism still a viable ideology that makes sense?
When was the last time you heard someone complain about poor working conditions (outside China, of course - oh, the irony...)?
You see, capitalism has evolved to become a fairer, more moral system. Communists still stick to the same old beliefs.
Should the manifesto be changed?
Should communism, as described by Marx, its 'father', be changed?
Perhaps a new form of equality needs to be promoted: one that just opposes consumerism, is committed to reducing pressing issues such as climate change, stands up for equal rights for everybody. I would happily be part of a new enviro-communist society which is anti-consumerist.
What do you think?
tl;dr: The class system isn't as defined as it was. What does this mean for the existing communist ideals?
