Capitalism emerges when private sectors own the capital goods, especially in the industrial sector. In Russia, it developed systematically; the government was to have a low-level intervention, and the economy was privatized. A market for assets, commodities, and labor was to be introduced, exposing it to the foreign economy. A self-motivated business class was to be created with the privatization of economic assets. In Europe, capitalism emerged in Italy and France during the late middle ages and the renaissance period. Industrialization witnessed during the renaissance and reformation periods further promoted commerce and trade.
The occurrence best symbolized the need for a transition to capitalism from feudalism. Different authors have written books about the development of capitalism in Russia and other parts of the world, especially Europe. Private enterprise development in Russia aimed at establishing a stable economy, but in Europe, the plantation wealth and the transatlantic trade facilitated capitalism growth; Russian society eminently mirrors the community presented in The Communist Manifesto, in which capitalists exploit the poor, leading to a need for an uprising.
The abolition of serfdom in Russia led to the capitalist system. Emperor Alexander II signed The Communist Manifesto and the emancipation reform of 1861, marking the end of serfdom (Marx & Engels, 2004). The existence of serfdom restrained the development of small businesses. Its abolishment gave new opportunities to private entrepreneurs as there was freedom to engage in business opportunities. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which constituted several states, was a backward capitalist country (Freeze, 2009). State capitalism was the dominant class system throughout the history of the USSR (Freeze, 2009).
It was challenging to develop capitalism with agriculture. The conditions of nature and climate severely limited the pervasive economic system. Landowners did not want to move away from traditional farming, which incorporated forced labor (Freeze, 2009). In the book The Communist Manifesto, the authors view capitalism as a brief economic form destined to fail to lead to a rise in the communist system. The nobles found it hard to adapt to the new financial system bringing about the desolation of their estates (Turgenev, 1990). As a result, debt and poverty got witnessed, gradually affecting economic growth.
Revolutionary socialism was one major challenge impeding the development of capitalism in Russia. The Bolsheviks disputed this form of the economic system inciting a massive revolution. They were committed to the ideas of Karl Marx and believed that the working class would one day be liberated from the ruling class’s political and economic control (Rabinowitch, 2017). In the book The Case of Comrade Tulayev, the author uses literary art to fictionalize how the purges affected the fight against capitalism under Stalin. He blamed World War II on capitalism and stated that war was inevitable in a system where it was dominant (Serge et al., 2004).
The Bolsheviks were led by Vladimir Lenin, a revolutionist who envisioned the end of capitalism and the rise of communism (Rabinowitch, 2017). He imaged imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism. On the other hand, Stalin perceived the provisional government as a puppet manipulated by counterrevolution and advocated for the fast eradication of the capitalist system (Marx & Engels, 2004). The war against capitalism promoted a communist system in which the government was in charge, and a classless society was attained.
The capitalist development in Europe was quite different from the one experienced in Russia. European nations engaged in the slave trade, but Russia did not colonize any African country. The forced movement of people and materials to Europe from Africa resulted in great wealth. Africa was occupied, and the rich fertile land was exploited. The transatlantic slave trade led to the West’s massive development (Serge et al., 2004). It resulted in the development of seaport towns like Liverpool and Bristol in Britain; similarly, growth was witnessed in cities like Seville in Spain and Nantes in France (Serge et al., 2004).
The industrial revolution took place in these towns and cities, further promoting capitalism. Unlike in Europe, capitalism in Russia faced a great revolt from the communist. Russia operated in an economy that applied socialist and capitalist principles (Rabinowitch, 2017). The Bolsheviks’ revolution portrays the struggle Russia experienced in fully establishing a capitalist system (Freeze, 2009). As clashes got experienced in Russia, European nations fully embraced the system and had no conflict.
Capitalism was attributed to the harsh inequalities of the nineteenth century in Russia. The tsarist rule exposed the Russians to forced labor in which people got treated unequally (Turgenev, 1990). The bourgeoise had much control of the land and exploited the poor. With these experiences, there was the need to get liberated and adopt a new economic system that was state-managed and distributed wealth equally (Rabinowitch, 2017). People have different abilities and how they use them is also not the same. Capitalism was unsuccessful in Russia as there was no dependence on external help. The ones subjected to forced labor were locals, unlike in Europe, where captives were subjects. Enslaved people had no authority to dictate their needs, but the Russians had the power. Capitalism subjects the poor to harsh economic conditions and benefits the rich (Marx & Engels, 2004).
Mercantilism supported capitalism in Western countries as the governments used their economies to increase state power at the expense of other countries (Serge et al., 2004). The case was different for Russia, leading to its failure and facing the communist revolution.
The German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels drafted The Communist Manifesto outlining the nature of European politics and society. They foresaw the end of capitalism and the rise of communism. The authors call for a communist revolution worldwide in the book’s last paragraph. Engels believes that a transition to advanced communism from the village commune in Russia can only occur if there were a successful proletarian uprising in the West (Marx & Engels, 2004).
The society depicted in the Manifesto reflects the Russian community greatly. It was divided into two: the proletarians and the bourgeois presenting a similar scenario as in Russia. The working class is the oppressed but the majority, while the aristocrats are few but the oppressors (Marx & Engels, 2004). Aristocrats have emerged as the top class in both cultures and have continuously exploited the poor (Marx & Engels, 2004). They use the lower class to make wealth and accumulate profits. The book portrays the commoners’ struggle against the rich, who are owners of the means of production.
The Bolsheviks’ revolution shows the struggle they engaged in against the elite members of the society as they aimed to eradicate the capitalist system and adopt the communist one. Marx and Engels (2004) state, “Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win” (p. 195). The message at the end of the Manifesto calls for solidarity. Working-class men from all countries are urged to unify and overthrow the aristocrats. Russia has similar experiences in the revolution against capitalism. Leaders like Stalin and Lenin called for a mass revolution against the government and the noblemen in Russia who exploited the poor (Rabinowitch, 2017).
In both scenarios, the societies have taken the form of an oppressed majority and an oppressive minority. The poverty-stricken, who are the majority, have the power to revolt and liberate themselves from the yokes of the aristocrats (Marx & Engels, 2004). The target in both societies is to establish a classless society where everybody is equal.
The capitalist economic system was widely used worldwide in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Russia adopted the plan but faced much resistance; its development faced several challenges, including revolution and the natural environment. Landowners found it difficult to adopt the new system. Proletarians, who are the majority, wanted a new approach in which they were treated equally. Revolutionary socialism became the main obstacle to the attainment of the capitalist system. In their book, The Community Manifesto, Karl Max and Friedrich Engels fictionalized the uprising in Russia. Leaders like Stalin resisted the system’s adaptation and held insurrections like the Bolsheviks’ revolution in 1917. The development of capitalism in Europe was far different from that in Russia. It never faced resistance from the public as those subjected to forced labor were enslaved people brought from Africa. Russia did not participate in colonization and exploited the locals who resisted. The society in The Community Manifesto is closely related to Russia as similar steps are taken in the war against capitalism and the need to adopt a communist system.
References
Freeze, G. (2009). Russia: A history. Oxford University Press.
Marx, K., & Engels, F. (2004). The Communist Manifesto (S. Moore, Trans.). Penguin Publishers.
Rabinowitch, A. (2017). The Bolsheviks come to power (2nd ed.). Pluto Press.
Serge, V., Trask, W., & Sontag, S. (2004). The case of comrade Tulayev. New York Review Books.
Turgenev, I. (1990). Three sketches from a hunter’s album (R. Freeborn, Trans). Penguin Publishers.