The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

Marx, Karl and Frederich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Modified from the Avalon Project. 1848. Yale University. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/mancont.asp(accessed September 18, 2013).

The Communist Manifesto was written by German philosopher and economic thinker, Karl Marx, in 1848, a time of revolution and change across Europe. Working conditions were terrible in factories and the working class got poorer by the second while the wealthy got richer. People were suffering and revolution was breaking out sporadically and being crushed by government. Capitalism was the economic method being used across Europe. People would work for themselves and earn money for their family. Marx saw and opportunity to call upon the working class to join together and demand a change in the economic system. He suggested communism. He wrote The Communist Manifesto to inform the public of what it was and to convince them of its worth. He latched on to how people would be afraid to lose personal belongings and countered that by saying that nine tenths of the population don't have personal belongings anyway. He talked about how communism would "even out" the economic "playing field" without harming anyone. Marx encourages the working class to unite and his words are empowering and encouraging towards the working class. This document teaches us about the different opinions on the economy of the time. Some people may not have liked being poor and having to struggle for every penny they earned. On the other hand, people like Marx wanted an equal chance at succeeding in life and being able to provide for their family. However, this document has a limited view. It was written by Marx, who was poor for his entire life. Four of his seven children died before they reached adulthood and his wife suffered nervous breakdown and illnesses. All of this was traced back to poverty. Marx was financially supported by Friedrich Engels for a portion of his life. This shows that Marx would have been biased towards a communist economy.  The Communist Manifesto was co-written by Friedrich Engels who was rich, however he was a philosopher just as Marx was. Therefore, it still lacks the point-of-view of a richer individual who was succeeding in the capitalist economy doing the labor of a higher-class individual. Despite the limitations of his writing, Marx is a trustworthy source. He was a well-known philosopher who worked closely with Friedrich Engels, another trustworthy and respected philosopher. A lot can be learned from reading The Communist Manifesto.

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The Luddites RAFT

The Luddites were skilled weavers, artisans and mechanics that worked "cottage industry" in Enlgand before the Industrial Revolution forced them to move into cities. Unhappy with the side-effects of industrialization, unfair wages and dangerous work, the Luddites found different ways to protest. Often, threatening letters would be written to factory owners from "the offices of their King Ludd." The Luddites break into factories, destroying machines and cross-dressing in order to make themselves memorable. The following is a letter written from a farmer to his cousin in America, mentioning the Luddites and showing his thoughts on the conflict in England.
*Note: Letter is not a real primary source*

Dear Cousin John,

I'm writing to you from my new home in Manchester. I'm sure you've by now heard of the controversial group over here called the Luddites. There are many rumors floating around about them so I'll try to fill you in with my side of the story.

The Luddites are a group of people who were formerly involved in the "cottage industry" much like I was. As you know, through industrialization, easier and faster ways have been discovered to make products that were made in the "cottage industry." This has taken away jobs from many people, like myself, who made such products at home. Those circumstances have forced people, such as the Luddites, out of their home and into the cities to work in factories. Wages are outrageously low and working conditions are horrid. The Luddites are a group of people who have decided to take action and protest what happens in the factories by destroying machines and factories.

Personally, I have nothing against the Liddites. While I don't agree with their more violent ways of dealing with the industrialization, I want the same things as they do. The Industrial Revolution forced me to move out of the country and into the city. I now struggle everyday in the squalid factories, earning a meager wage. I think that there are better ways of demanding change but, I think the Luddites will certainly make an impression with the people who can orchestrate change. I will neither join their movement or take action against it. The government is beginning to make examples of Luddites and executing them. However, if I hear of one of their plans, I will not warn the factory owners. Change has to come from somewhere, right?

Well I hope you're doing well over in America. I hear your Industrial Revolution is really starting to kick-in now too. Let me know how you and your family are doing. Wish me luck in the city!

Your Cousin,
Mary Beth Marcucella

"King Ludd" symbol and "leader" of the Luddites.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/What-the-Luddites-Really-Fought-Against.html

Industrial Revolution Museum Activity

In order to make our exhibit, we had to analyze five separate documents and consider how they were all connected and what main idea they conveyed. This was essential to the process of creating the exhibit because we had to organize each document in a way that made sense and explain the idea of each one. "Colonialism, Slavery and the Industrial Revolution" showed how the driving force of the revolution was slaves and cheap labor. The map of cotton trade showed how raw cotton was often shipped from the U.S. to Britain, where cotton products were made. The slavery statistics from the U.S. showed how the slave population increased a huge amount during the Industrial Revolution. The number of cotton mills in Lowell  and slave population represented the connection between the number of slaves working as the demand for cotton increased. Finally, the picture of Boott Cotton Mill represented how more and more mills and jobs were created as the Industrial Revolution. As you can see, each and everyone of the sources show a connection between demand for cotton and an increase in population and mills all over the world, hence the title: Cotton Creating Connections.

Change is Looming

This exhibit described the changes seen in cotton production during the revolution. New machines allowed for more cotton and products to be produced faster and easier, using less man-power.

All Aboard the Steam Engine, Railroads and Canals

The sources in this exhibit showed the advancements made in methods of transportation. It became much faster and therefore easier to transport both people and goods, furthering the spread of the Revolution.

Living Conditions During the Industrial Revolution

In this exhibit, it was explained how England went from having many people living in smaller towns and in the country to having most of its population based in industrial cities. The cities became crowded (as shown in the picture below) and living conditions were almost unbearable.

Work Destroys Children's Lives

The final exhibit displayed the large amount of child labor and awful conditions they endured during the Revolution. Fifty percent of children under ten worked during the Revolution. The horrid conditions, dangerous work and outrageous hours kept by the children led to The Factory Act in 1833, limiting the number of hours children of certain ages were allowed to work.

Engels PSA

Engels, Friedrich. The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1892. ( pp. 45, 48-53).

Friedrich Engels was a respected German social scientist, well-known author and philosopher who visited Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in England. He published a book about his visit to Manchester, commenting on the living conditions of the factory workers at the time. He wrote about how cramped and filthy the living quarters were. During this time, England was changing from a mostly agricultural society to an industrialized one. People moved from the country side to cities looking for jobs in factories. Towns became overcrowded and polluted. The excerpt from Engels's book shows just how terrible the conditions were. He uses words such as "uninhabitable" to describe the places where the workers had to live. He said that words couldn't do the disgusting conditions justice. He only wrote about Manchester and, there is no account of anyother city in his book. Based on Engels's book alone, there is no way of knowing if the conditions extended beyond Manchester. However, by visiting the city himself, his account of the conditions in Manchester were first-hand and dependable.

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Syrian Residents Hold a Town Meeting to Discuss the Civil War

Picture

Syrians from a town outside of Damascus met the other day to discuss their options should the violent Civil War extend to their town. Over a hundred thousand people have already died due to the struggle that started in 2011 with street protest and eventually escalated to a full blown Civil War. Chemical bombs were recently dropped in Damascus, where much of the fighting was taking place. This crisis caused the residents from this small town to realize how essential it is for them to have a plan if the violence expands to their town.

At the meeting the basics of the war were discussed: the start of the conflict, Bashar al Assad's reign and the course of the war so far. The Arab Spring had a lot to do with sparking protests in Syria. The government dealt with the protests violently, enraging the Syrian people and causing the protests to become more organized and eventually reach the level of a full blown civil war. The rebels are not as defenseless as some may think. They are headed by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces who gets them weapons and organize both attacks and the rebels' political moves. After everyone had the same grasp on the situation surrounding them, the residents discussed their options for the future.

The first option is fleeing to friendly surrounding countries such as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon like two million other Syrians. This would help them escape violence that may invade their town. Although there will be very little jobs or space in the the refugee camps, the economy in Syria has take a huge hit since the fighting began. The economic situation of any refugees won't decrease much if they leave Syria. At the very least they will escape any fighting. The main con to uprooting is; after the fighting ends, there will be very little to go back to in Syria. Their homes will, most likely not be there any longer. The refugees will have to start from scratch if and when they return to their homeland.

After thoroughly discussing the option to flee, the residents moved on to discussing whether or not they should fight. This choice wasn't very popular among the town citizens. The main point of discussion was how if they go off to fight, they will be leaving their families to fend for themselves in a very hostile environment. Many people have already died in the civil war and, if they die, their families will be defenseless and it will be difficult for them to find food without their main provider with them. The one positive they could get from fighting is, if their side does succeed, they could have a higher chance of having a say in the rebuilding of the government. Finally, the Syrians went on to discuss the possibility of protesting the recent use of chemical weapons. 

Right off the bat, a few residents voiced concern with bringing themselves into the public eye and being targeted by the government for their protestation. Another Syrian countered these concerns saying that, in order to protest you don't need to stand in the middle of a street holding a sign. They all have plenty of personal stories about the war and even pictures and videos of some of the violence occurring in their area. They can simply use the Internet to share their stories and get the attention of the world. They could get their message out to the influential people in the world and potentially get help. If they're smart about the way they go about protesting, they can avoid the downsides to protesting such as being targeted by the government and putting themselves in harm's way.

One option that wasn't discussed was to simply stay put and do nothing. I personally don like this option at all. If I was a Syrian I would want this war to stop and I would find a way to be a part of getting help or putting an end to the conflict. Whether this means fighting or protesting,at least something is being done to help your cause.

The meeting appeared to be productive. Most of the citizens agreed that they should either flee or protest. The most productive part of the discussion was when the residents considered their options as far as protesting goes. Most of them wanted to do something about what is going on in their country and, very few of them wanted to fight. So, they all seemed to like the idea of protesting. They brainstormed ideas to get help and put their message out to the rest of the world without being targeted by the violence in Syria. Te least productive topic of discussion was about taking up arms and fighting in the war. Everyone was already on the same page and didn't want to fight. They all thought by joining the fight, they would do no good and they wouldn't make a difference in the war so far. They didn't want to put their families in harms way or leave them to fend for themselves. The meeting helped me to form some opinions of my own as well.

I believe that the best option would be to stay put until absolutely necessary and protest against the war and use of chemical weapons. During the meeting it was discussed how it would be very difficult to simply uproot and leave everything they have ever known to go to a refugee camp. Someone made a point to mention, as of right now, there is no fighting in their town and they are relatively safe. It would be pointless to leave right now. However, as long as they stay put, a plan could be formulated for when they do need to evacuate and they can also discreetly and intelligently protest the war and use of chemical bombs. The ongoing tragedy deserves national attention and, the people of Syria need all the help they can get.