quality:corruption
Synopsis

The first section of the document, "Bourgeois and Proletarians", outlines historical materialism, and states that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles". According to the authors, all societies in history had taken the form of an oppressed majority exploited by an oppressive minority. Marx and Engels claim that in their time under capitalism, the industrial working class, or " proletariat ", is engaging in class struggle against the owners of the means of production, the " bourgeoisie ". The bourgeoisie, through the "constant revolutionising of production uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions" had emerged by 1848 as the supreme class in society, displacing all the old powers of feudalism. The bourgeoisie continuously exploits the proletariat for its labour power, creating profit for themselves and accumulating capital. In doing so, however, Marx and Engels argue that the bourgeois class is serving as "its own grave-diggers" because, in the view of the authors, proletarians will inevitably become conscious of their own potential and rise to power through revolution, overthrowing the bourgeoisie.