Whither Marx?

Yesterday would have been Marx's 130th birthday. For a man whose ideas drastically changed the world as we know it, the occasion was a muted affair. Ever since popular movements toppled the so-called Marxist regimes in the late 80s and early 90s, Marxism has become a much maligned term. For neo-liberals, Marxism is the philosophy that gave rise to totalitarian dictatorships that butchered the voices of free people and tried to stamp out their conscience. Marxism, for them, is the evil that spawned murderous movements such as Stalinism and Maoism that claimed millions of lives in the name of building an equal society. For left-leaning intellectuals, Marxism is nothing less than the word of God. It showed that poor could take power and break out of the shackles of poverty and superstition that they had been confined to by the rich and the men of God.

Marx's theory was simple yet inspiring. He talked about giving power to the dispossessed, to those at the bottom of the social hierarchy and to those who toiled. He thundered that the workers of the world have nothing to lose but their chains, creating a wave of consciousness among the powerless that culminated in epoch making events such as the Bolshevik and the Chinese revolutions that shocked the old world. He questioned the hold of religion on people's life and asked people to shun a God that had deprived them so and do all it takes to rise up and take power. He inveighed against the petty national interests and was one of the first 'internationalists'. At the end of it all, Marx wanted a classless world, where all would be equal, all resources would be shared and all needs would be met… "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", such that over a period of time, a true stateless society would evolve.

So, where is Marxism today. Critics argue that the shrieks of the victims of Marxism from Soviet Union to Cambodia to Cuba to Angola amply demonstrate the ills of Marxism. Marxists claim that these were all disguised Marxist states, widely at odds with what Marx propounded. The burgeoning bureaucracy of the Communist states, for instance was diametrically opposite to what Marx had proposed. Similarly, the replacement of the old aristocratic ruling classes, with the Communist nomenklatura is not something that Marx would have appreciated. Yet, in many areas such as general economics and welfare, these states toed the Marxist line. Centralization of means of production, abolition of private property, right to education, work etc. were areas in which the so-called Communist states were pioneers.

Probably, Marxism was much too idealistic to be sustainable. Probably, as long as man exists, there will be exploitation and oppression. But the very fact is that Marx's ideas inspired millions of people across the globe to rise up, throw off the yoke of tyranny and challenge their fates to create an equal society for themselves meant that the ideals of Marxism could fire the imagination of people. Even though Marx is long gone and his ideas are being discredited today, the impact that he has had on the Capitalist world cannot be challenged. The emergence of rabidly fanatic communist cadres, hell bent on the destruction of status quo forced the ruling classes to accept the concept of equality of masses and led ultimately to the emergence of social-democratic ideologies which offered a mid way between the exploitative policies of Capitalism and the revolutionary Marxist ideology.

The spectre of Communism no longer haunts the world today, but the call that galvanized millions in the last century, continues to inspire the downtrodden even today.... "Workers of the world..... Unite!"