The bourgeois period of history has to create the material…
““The bourgeois period of history has to create the material basis of the new world — on the one hand universal intercourse founded upon the mutual dependency of mankind, and the means of that intercourse; on the other hand the development of the productive powers of man and the transformation of material production into a scientific domination of natural agencies. Bourgeois industry and commerce create these material conditions of a new world in the same way as geological revolutions have created the surface of the earth. When a great social revolution shall have mastered the results of the bourgeois epoch, the market of the world and the modern powers of production, and subjected them to the common control of the most advanced peoples, then only will human progress cease to resemble that hideous, pagan idol, who would not drink the nectar but from the skulls of the slain.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
He argues that bourgeois society creates material conditions for a new world, but true progress requires a revolution that transforms these conditions under common control.
In simple terms: Bourgeoisie set the stage for change, but revolution must seize it.
Key Takeaway
Support collective ownership of production.
Themes
economics
revolution
materialism
class struggle
progress
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- labor movements
- policy reform
- educational curricula
- community organizing
Key Concepts
historical materialism
social change
economic structures
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards prevent new hierarchies?
- How can material progress align with human dignity?
A Different Perspective
Risk of authoritarian outcomes if not democratic.