“ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜʟɪɴɢ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ
ᴏꜰ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴀɢᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴅᴇᴀꜱ ᴏꜰ ɪᴛꜱ ʀᴜʟɪɴɢ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱ.”
- ᴋᴀʀʟ ᴍᴀʀx & ꜰʀɪᴇᴅʀɪᴄʜ ᴇɴɢᴇʟꜱ
The above statement comes from "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels. It means that the dominant ideas, values, and beliefs in
any given society or historical period are shaped by the class that holds
economic and political power. Here’s a clear breakdown:
𝟭. 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿:
The "ruling class" refers to the group that controls the means of
production (e.g., land, factories, wealth) and, by extension, political and
social institutions. In feudal times, this was the aristocracy; in capitalist
societies, it’s the bourgeoisie (capitalists, business owners).
𝟮. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹:
The ruling class uses its influence to promote ideas that justify and maintain
its dominance. These ideas are spread through institutions like religion,
education, media, and law, shaping how society views the world.
Example 1: In feudalism, the idea of "divine right" supported the
monarchy and nobility.
Example 2: In capitalism, ideas like individualism, meritocracy, or "free
markets" often align with the interests of the wealthy.
𝟯. 𝗛𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆:
This process creates a kind of cultural hegemony, where the ruling class’s
ideas are accepted as "common sense" by the rest of society, even by
those who don’t benefit from them. This makes it harder for alternative ideas
(like those of the working class) to gain traction.
𝟰. 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁:
Marx and Engels argued that history is driven by class struggles, and each
era’s dominant ideology reflects the interests of the class in power. When a
new class rises (e.g., the bourgeoisie overthrowing feudal lords), new ideas
replace the old ones.
𝟱. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲:
In a capitalist society, the idea that "anyone can succeed with hard
work" benefits the ruling class by encouraging workers to accept
inequality as their own fault rather than a systemic issue.
Conversely, revolutionary ideas (like socialism) often come from oppressed
classes challenging the ruling ideology.
In short, the statement suggests that what society accepts as "truth"
or "normal" is often a reflection of the ruling class’s interests,
designed to maintain their power. It’s a call to question dominant ideas and
consider whose interests they serve.
#Ideas #Power #KarlMarx #FriedrichEngels #CommunistManifesto
Comments
Post a Comment