Marxism

• On the political side, liberalism promotes democracy;

on the economic side, it promotes capitalism.
• Liberalism arose in late 17th century as a
philosophy of human freedom.
• By 19th century it was clear, liberalism along with
the doctrine of laissez-faire and free market
economy, had failed to create conditions of human
freedom.
• It sure established capitalism tho. Feudalism was
replaced by capitalism. Merchants and the
industrialists were the first to benefit from it.
• Condition of working class deteriorated. Capitalist
were sure enjoying privileges at the expense of
working class.
• Champions of liberalism had hoped that the
elimination of govt. restrictions on business and
industry would led to improvement of material
conditions of life.
• Instead capitalism produced socially disastrous
consequences , tremendous economic inequality.
• Socialism sought a better deal for working class
• The first response to these horrible conditions came
in form of socialist movement, which opposed policy
of free market competition.
• All thinkers back then arrived at correct diagnosis
of ills of the capitalist system, but had no clear
conception of remedy.
• Then came Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, along
with solution in the form of an elaborate philosophy
which is now recognized as MARXISM
• Marx and Engels COMMUNIST MANIFESTO gave
clarion call to workers to unite for securing their
own emancipation .
• Inshort Marxism may be defined as set of political
and economic principles that would lay foundations
of socialism.

“The history of all hitherto existing ,is the history of

struggle” - manifesto

Before people can do anything else, he held, they must

first produce what they need to survive, which is to say
that they are subject to necessity. Freedom for Marx is
largely a matter of overcoming necessity. Necessity
compels people to labour so that they may survive, and
only those who are free from this compulsion will be
free to develop their talents and potential. This is why,
throughout history, freedom has usually been
restricted to members of the ruling class, who use their
control of the land and other means of production to
exploit the labour of the poor and subservient. The
masters in slaveholding societies, the landowning
aristocracy in feudal times, and the bourgeoisie who
control the wealth in capitalist societies have all
enjoyed various degrees of freedom, but they have done
so at the expense of the slaves, and industrial workers,
or proletarians, who have provided the necessary labour.

For Marx, capitalism is both a progressive force in history

and an exploitative system that alienates capitalists and
workers alike from their true humanity. It is progressive
because it has made possible the industrial transformation of
the world, thereby unleashing the productive power to free
everyone from necessity. Yet it is exploitative - in that
capitalism condemns the proletarians, who own nothing but
their labour power, to lives of grinding labour while enabling
the capitalists to reap the profits.

This is an unpredictable situation, according to Marx, and

its inevitable result will be a war that will end all class
divisions. Under the pressure of depressions, recessions, and
competition for jobs, the workers will become conscious that
they form a class, the proletariat, that is oppressed and
exploited by their class enemy, the bourgeoisie. Armed with
this awareness, they will overthrow the bourgeoisie in a series
of spontaneous uprisings, seizing control of factories,
mines, railroads, and other means of production, until they
have gained control of the government and converted it into a
revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat.

[Marx maintained that the revolution by which socialism

would be achieved was capitalism itself.]
MN Roy (1887-1954)
Philosophy attempts to give comprehensive theory of reality as a
whole. Philosophy is nothing more or less than the effort to
think rationally, critically, coherently and effectively. Roy
attempts to give a scientific exposition of philosophy.
According to him, no philosophical advancement is possible
unless we get rid of orthodox religious ideas and theological
dogmas. philosophy begins when man's spiritual needs are no
longer satisfied by primitive natural religion.
According to Roy, faith in supernatural does not permit the
search for the causes of natural phenomena in nature itself.
Roy insists that intellectual growth impels and encourages
man to seek in nature itself the causes of all natural
phenomena .

MN Roy and his obsession with Marx

Roy started as a nationalist thinker and activist but soon
gravitated towards Marxism. Even though Roy was influenced
by Marxism. He had never been an orthodox Marxist. He began
with an attempt at fundamental revision of Marxism and
finally he abandoned it in favor of his own philosophy of
radical humanism.
Roy was primarily a revolutionary thinker during his
struggle for freedom in India. Later on, he visualized that
national independence was not enough. There should be a social
revolution to emancipate nation. Therefore, mere political and
national revolutions were not enough.
Roy called Marx a prophet of revolution. Previously, philosophy
had simply tried to explain the world. But in future it must
point out the way to construct it.
It was Marx, according to Roy, who had faith in the
creativeness of man. The class struggle was the tool of social
evolution that brought about the revolutions in society.
Therefore, Roy called Marx as a humanist. And thought that
the humanist, libertarian and moralist spirit of Marxism will
go into the making of a new philosophy for our time. Roy had
an open mind towards Marxism. He took special interest to save
Marxism from a long narrow cut routine. To him, Marxism was
not a closed system of philosophy but a way of thinking. He
was prepared to refute and to go beyond Marxism if the
conditions and circumstances so required. And….he did.
Later, He found Marxism as being also a totalitarian cult like
Fascism and nationalism. [since, Marxism is based on the
national interest] Both these subordinate men before a collective
whole. Since men are creators of social world, any social
organization which denies the sovereignty of the individual
cannot be wholesome .

According to Roy, nationalism is an abstract idea, a metaphysical

concept. It necessitate interests of a country. National freedom does not
mean freedom for the entire human community. It is meant only for a
particular nation. The struggle for national liberation must be followed
by social liberation. It puts a new context in the ideal of freedom. This
new conception of freedom transcends national boundaries. It suppresses
individual freedom for the sake of an abstract ideal that is national
freedom.

Feeling disgusted with nationalism, he wrote:

It is a metaphysical concept; yet, human beings, of flesh and blood, must
sacrifice everything to make the nation great and glorious. That is the
essence of Nationalism. That is, to sacrifice a reality at the altar of a
fiction. The nation could not claim an undivided loyalty unless
Nationalism was of the order of monotheistic religion: there can be no
other God. All the human individuals inhabiting the country cannot
have any other loyalty, not even to themselves. Unless the collectivity
servilely accepts this fiction as a truth, the nation cannot exist.

According to Roy, nationalism, whether Indian or German or Japanese,

is, by its internal logic, a totalitarian cult. And totalitarianism is
against the spirit of human freedom. It negates the welfare of human
beings in so far as it is the ideology of particular race that works for its
vested interest.

In his later period, Roy began to express his heretical views

regarding communism and Marxism.

Radical Humanism
He integrated Radicalism with scientific humanism. His
political views are founded on reason and morality and not on
any dogma. Roy was critical of marxian concepts of economic
determinism, dictatorship of proletariat, dialectal materialism
and surplus value. He asserts that the task of every fighter for a
new humanistic world would be to make every individual
conscious of his innate rationality. Thus, new humanism is
the only alternative. Roy was influenced by different thinkers
like Marx, Hobbes, Hegel, and Lenin, etc. He attempted to unite
the rational ideas which were diverse, even conflicting, in one
philosophical system.
History cannot be considered merely a succession of events. It
Contains record of man struggle for freedom. In past man
submitted to supernatural agency like god for absolute
dependence and subordination. Renaissance in Europe was a
revolt of man against the authoritarianism of religion.
Liberated from the tyranny of theology and the prejudices of
supernaturalism, mankind marched towards what we call
modern civilization.

In such a situation Roy felt the need of a new philosophy to

usher in the age of man. it had to be a primarily concerned with
human life, a philosophy which would set human spirit free, a
philosophy which would explain all the phenomena of nature
and experiences of human life without any reference to
supernatural powers.

Roy's New Humanism was cosmopolitan in outlook. It could

think not in terms of the nation or a class but only in terms of
man. Such a conception could be the foundation of New
Humanism, new, because it is Humanism enriched, reinforced
and elaborated by scientific knowledge and social experience
gained during the centuries of modern civilization.
Roy's approach was individualistic, The individual must not be
subordinated either to a nation or to a class . Roy rejected both
the nationalism and the theory of class struggle of the
Communists. He said: " Radicalism thinks in terms neither of
nation nor of class; its concern is man, it conceives freedom as
freedom of the individual". The individual should not lose his
identity in the collective ego of the nation or of the class.
Communism began as a movement for the salvation of the
world tortured and tormented by capitalist exploitation but
lately is causing grave doubt even among the progressive forces
of the modern world.

According to Roy, "The abolition of private property, state

ownership of the means of production and planned economy
won’t end exploitation of labour nor lead to an equal
distribution of wealth". To Roy, dictatorship of any kind was
inconsistent with the ideal for freedom. The claim of
Communists that Proletarian dictatorship with planned
economy brings greatest good of the greatest number has been
tested and proved wrong.

Roy criticized the theories of class struggle and the

dictatorShip of the Proletariat. He wanted to emphasize the
individual more than the class, whether it be the working class
or the middle class. Roy predicted the conflict of the present age
as "between totalitarianism and democracy, between the all-
devouring-collective ego-nation or class and the individual
struggling for freedom. Roy asserted that Marxian emphasis
on revolution and on the dictatorship of the Proletariat would
lead to totalitarianism.

As a Radical Humanist, Roy came to believe that a revolution

should be brought about not through class struggle or armed
violence but through education. not in the conventional sense of
reading and writing, but in the cultural sense, of a high degree of
general human development.
As a Radical Humanist Roy did not agree with the economic
interpretation of history, believing that the need to survive
biologically comes before the need to earn a living
economically. He believed that man was driven by biological
reasons before becoming a homo-economicus.

Roy also rejected the Marxian principle of surplus value.

according to Marx, surplus value was the cause of social
injustice and decline,
Roy, did not consider surplus value as odd characteristic of
Capitalism. No society could progress and their could be no
capital formation unless there was a surplus of production over
consumption and unless this surplus was employed as capital
for increasing production still further" There could be no
accumulation of capital without the creation of surplus value,
and there could be no economic progress without the
accumulation of capital.
Roy asserted that a capitalist Society, created no surplus value
and therefore no capital . Roy considered surplus value as the
only lever for further social progress and cultural development.
There we seem a dichotomy. In one sense it can be said that
without surplus value, the progress of the society will be go into
decline. Contrary to this, it can be said that where there is
surplus value there is exploitation of labour. Marx, however, does
not recognize exploitation of labour. He has pleaded for a kind
of surplus value without exploitation of labour.
However, Roy thinks that such standpoint does not match up
ground reality. There is no logically necessity that where there
is surplus value there is exploitation of labour. Surplus value
even is produced in socialist economy of Russia where
socialism was prevailing. How can we then justifY the view that
exploitation of labour is there in socialist country even in
Russia?
There is no ground of claiming that surplus value is the
outcome of exploitation of labour: Rapid expansion of industries
implies quicker and larger accumulation, which means a
boarder margin of surplus value. Roy says, "If production of
surplus value represents exploitation of labour, then, labour is
exploited also under Socialism; and must be admitted that
under the socialist economy of Russia labour is even more
exploited - to produce larger surplus value to be accumulated
into new capital."
Roy, therefore, believes that there is no necessary connection
between exploitation of labour with surplus value accumulation.
If it has been assumed that surplus value is the source of
exploitation of labour, then on the same account capitalism as
well as socialism would be equally guilty. [why can’t both be
guilty]

Radicalism consists of all positive elements of Marxism freed from

its fallacies and clarified in the light of greater scientific
knowledge. According to Roy, the new social philosophy must start
with reviving faith in man regarding his potentialities. Any
attempt to promote economic welfare, social reconstruction and
political liberty must begin with man. Roy said, humanism was
theonly alternative not only to communism but to all forms of
institutionalism.
M.N.Roy built up the humanist philosophy with democracy as the base
, rationalism its center, and sovereignty of man its apex.

To Roy, "
The basic idea of a new revolutionary social philosophy
must be that the individual is prior to society, and individual
freedom must have priority over social organization"

He asserts that the task of every fighter for a new humanistic world would be to
make every individual conscious of his innate rationality.

The mere existence of man is not something that happened overnight. Through the
drawn-out process of biological evolution, he emerged from the foundations of the
physical cosmos. The umbilical chord was never severed: man, with his mind and
intellect, will continue to be an essential element of the physical cosmos. Man is
inherently rational, thus his being and becoming, emotions, will, and ideas are
also decided.Man is fundamentally logical. This reason in man is a reflection of
the universe's harmony. Morality must be linked to man's innate intellect.
Because morality is a logical function, man's innate reasoning is the sole
guarantee of a harmonic society. As a result, the goal of all social endeavors
should be to make man more aware of his ingrained reason. In summation-

• Man is inherently rational

• Morality stems out of scientific application of human
rationality. Morality which originates from the rational desire
for harmonious and mutually beneficial social relations , is
rooted in innate rationality of man.

MN ROY on DEMOCRACY -
According to Roy, even liberal democracy encourages
dictatorship. being a democrat to the core , nevertheless ,
M.N.Roy was much critical of parliamentary democracy. Unless
parliamentary democracy is based on moral conscience of the
majority in power, it cannot accomplish good of the great
number. With no recognition of the importance of individuals in
social life and freedom, parliamentary democracy does not
allow individuals to participate in the regular functioning of
political life.
As a result of all these defects under parliamentary democracy
the government for the people can hardly be a government of the
people, because the majority in power still rules by law and not
by conscience. In order to make the common man realize that
he has a unique place as a sovereign, Roy viewed that a
foundation of organized democracies must be laid.

Therefore, Roy suggests that the fundamental democratic

principle, i.e. the greatest good to the greatest numbers, can
only be realised when the conduct of public affairs will be in
charge of spiritually free individuals who represent their own
conscience before anything else.
Roy thus suggests a form of radical democracy instead of
political liberal democracy. Radical democracy is a kind of
democracy that has been set on the basis of philosophical
orientation.
Roy concept of organized democracy was based on
Decentralization and Party-less democracy. In the modern
democratic states, there is rule by a party which constitutes a
small fraction of people making it Minority ruling over
Majority kinda thing. In his organized democracy there was no
space for political parties and power was to be vested in the
hands of people itself , - serving the very people who lie at the
root of democratic system. people would be the sovereign. Roy
however laid down some basic conditions for the success of his
organized democracy - one such condition was that people
should be of sufficiently high cultural intellect.
According to Roy until the intellectual level of entire
community is raised considerably, election alone can’t
possibly bring out the best element to the forefront. He also
observed that people had not yet attained high moral standards ,
so he suggested that at the initial stages there should be elective
and selective democracy both. He drafted a model constitution
of India - Part 1 dealt with declaration of rights and
fundamental principles, according to which , supreme
sovereignty vested in people who would have absolute right to
change or modify any political unit. Moreover a bill of rights
containing not only political and social but economic rights
was also incorporated in the constitution.
So overall, A radical democracy will be a kind of democracy
which objective is to stimulate conscious and integrated effort
amongst the people, which ensures freedom of the individuals,
the spirit of free thinking, and the will of the individuals. Side
by side it will resist external forces which would be detrimental
to the progress of the state. Thus, a new Renaissance, based on
rationalism, individualism and cosmopolitan Humanism is
essential for democracy to be realised and capable of defending
itself.
After defending the ground of radical democracy instead of
political democracy, Roy then suggests a few principles of
radical democracy. In this regard, he suggests twenty two
theses altogether.

VVIQs :
________________________________________________________________

• “History of all hitherto existing society is the history of class

struggle”. Comment
• Discuss the idealogical factors which led to the emergence,
development and decline of the cold war.
• Write an essay on globalization and emergence of new identities.
• “The political control is always dictated by the cultural control .
Discuss the statement with reference to Antonio Gramsci’s
ideology and hegemony.
• Highlights the discourse on alternative modernity and liberation
of the soul with reference to the ideas professed by Tagore and
Gandhi.
• The cold war changed the political and economic policies of the new
emerging nation states . Comment
• Compare and contrast the elements of humanism of Rousseau
and MN Roy
• Write and essay on ‘critique of the deterministic economic
interpretation of history and Antonio Gramsci’s notion of
hegemony.
• Discuss the importance of humanistic approach in the study of
personality. Critically evaluate Carl Rogers theory of personality
• Jean Jacques Rousseau idea of general will has inspired both
democrats and authoritarians. Do you agree, give reasons.