Charlie Ma | 1 | 2 | Page 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |The lack of power in the proletariate class can also be explained by the lack of competition, which is an important ingredient in a Marxist revolution. As the competition increases, the wage decreases, until it will be just enough for subsistence. This will cause the workers to resent the owners whom they work for. The fear of wages dropping even further (caused by high supply of workers and low demand of labor) would provoke the men to unite (to artificially create a low supply of workers and thus a high demand of labor.) This is one of the basis of the union. In the early stages of a Marxist revolution, the workers begin to form trade unions against the bourgeoises to maintain a fair wage, as well as prepare for occasional revolts and riots. The success of the unions will lead to the formation of new unions, as well as the expansion of existing unions until the entire class is united. When the workers rise up again, they would have enough strength to replace the existing system of government. The unions are a key step in the power struggle between the bourgeois and the proletariat. Without this step, the workers will not have enough power to make any real change. In China, unions were still weak and unorganized. According to Marx, only the most efficient capitalist will survive, the unfit will slip into the proletariat. The competition amongst the capitalists will eventually eliminate all but a few capitalists, creating a large proletariat class. At that stage, the proletariat will be so large and organized that they would easily overthrow their oppressors. In China, the proletariat did not form unions large enough to carry any notable political weight to the current government. "Because the unions were small and weak, ... strikes usually ended in failure. Moreover, there were no labour laws to protect the workers. The warlord government in Peking was indifferent to the plight of industrial workers and had no power to interfere with factories in the treaty ports." Marx did not consider racial differences as the ones which existed in China. Whites were considered superior to Asians, they had their own parks, and other special privileges. Even if the owners do fail, they would not join the proletariat class in China due to the virtue of having white skin. They industrial conditions were not mature enough for a Marxist revolution. The organization of unions were poor, and their numbers were small. The proletariate class has not yet grown to the magnitude Marx was expecting. Any strike while the conditions were still immature could not yield the impact Marx envisioned. |