Socialism and Marxian DBQ

IDEAS:

Impressionistic with the blurred colors and with no fine lines, showing the low class

Realistic with distinct figures – but showing the upper class and the

Europe became more industrialized with a better economy

More industrialized society can be seen Manet’s portrait of a girl at a bar, and on the bar are bottles of Bass Ale, portraying the fact that mass production was occurring.

Another picture done in the 19^th century portrays a girl and mother. The mother is sitting holding a dog, while the girl is looking at a passing train. This hint of industrialization is what is evident in Figure 2. Professionals are seen

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In the 19^th century, Europe went through transformations such as socialism, impressionism, and realism. Socialism was the want for a better economy which would consist of better wages for workers. Marxian socialism was a type of socialism that focused on having the proletariat, that is the working class, rise up against the bourgeois, the factory owners. Impressionism and realism were evident in artwork and literature. Despite economic improvement during the 19^th century in Europe, Europe remained a society full of class rank, which goes against the socialist point of view demonstrated by Karl Marx.

Karl Marx was a German man who moved to France and became influenced by people involved with socialism. There were three major things that he was against, which he demonstrated in his book Das Kapital. Marx’s first idea was the “subsistence theory of wages,” in which he said the working class would remain the working class if they did not rebel because workers paid their employees only enough so that they could live. Figure 1 demonstrates this theory, and it also demonstrates the depression of those stuck in the working class. The painter of this picture displays bias; he is making the women and children look tired, depressed, and sad. This picture is drawn with an impressionistic influence because the colors are blurred and the shapes of the people are not distinct. This picture portrays exactly what Marx was against. Because the working class and those supporting their children at home worked so much, these people were tired and gave all their energy to sustaining their family (Figure 1). Figure 1 is drawn to mock the poor and the decrepit. The people depicted, mainly the men in the back, are the ones who are working to better the economy, but they are not reaping benefits and therefore are in this painting looking upset and worn down.

Figure 2 portrays advancements in Europe, in fashion, business, and in the economy. This painting is a realistic painting with distinct figures (Figure 2). The people are drawn very distinctly, and it is trying to show the world as it was seen in Europe at this time. This figure also displays bias because it is only showing the upper class of the society. The man and woman seen walking are elite people, but this picture does not display the dynamics of the European society. Because this is picture of realism, it looks very real, but it is not portraying the fact that not everyone in Europe was walking around in tuxedos and dresses. The industrialization of Europe; however, can be seen in other paintings as well. Industrialized society can be seen Manet’s portrait of a girl working at a bar, and on the bar are bottles of Bass Ale, portraying the fact that mass production was occurring. Another picture done in the 19^th century portrays a girl and mother. The mother is sitting holding a dog, while the girl is looking at a passing train. This hint of industrialization is what is evident in Figure 2. It is very evident in Figure 2 that an elite class was still existent in Europe, even when the economy was sustained and industrialization was occurring. It can also be known that there was still a working class and an elite class because labor unions became legal, along with strikes, and unions were implemented to keep wages high and prices low. Figure 2 displays a more modern Europe, and in modern Europe, classes are still evident.

The bias of the painters can be seen in both Figure 1 and Figure 2, and this can translate to demonstrate the bias of many of those in the 19^th century. The working/middle class was looked at to be poor and unworthy, (Figure 1) while the elite were prestigious and more renown (Figure 2). Marx was trying to allow the working class to get passed this bias and rebel in order to be in charge, but his ideas did not follow through. The legalizing of labor unions and the fact that labor unions are still evident today give way to the reality that classes were still prevalent in Europe when it was industrialized. Figure 1 only portrays the poor of the society, and figure 2 only portrays the elite of the society.

Socialism, impressionism, and realism are all factors of modern Europe and the role that men and women have in society. Class ranking is still seen, along with and the elite class ruling the working class. Figure 1 and Figure 2 display a biased point of view in regards to the people living in the 19^th century in Europe. Marxian socialism applies to the industrializing of Europe, and his ideas did not continue to the industrialized Europe, which means that class rank was still in effect.