CHAPTER IX:

LABOR LAW: SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM

1. Historical Context of Labor Rights: A century ago, labor rights such as minimum wage, regulated
working hours, and secure tenure were not standard. These rights emerged from intense labor S

2. Communist and Socialist Movements: These movements were responses to the conditions of
the Industrial Revolution and imperialism. Workers, including women and children, faced harsh
conditions in factories and farms, working long hours for minimal pay. This period was
characterized by unregulated private ownership, leading to overproduction and exploitation of
labor.

3. Marx’s Analysis in the Communist Manifesto: Karl Marx critiqued this capitalist system. He
observed that workers, while being the creators of products, received less value than what they
produced. This led to alienation, where workers felt disconnected from their work and their own
creations. Marx argued that in capitalist societies, a person's social class and lifestyle were
determined by their job or skill.

4. Transition from Craft to Capitalism: Initially, workers were valued for their craft, integral to
community survival. However, with the rise of the bourgeoisie class, workers became mere cogs
in the production system, losing their sense of personal worth and becoming exchangeable
commodities in the market.

5. Marx’s Solution: Marx proposed that workers needed to unite and resist the capitalist
superstructures (politics, law, art, literature, religion) maintaining the status quo. He argued for a
revolution, a violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie, to establish a classless society.

6. Mao Tse Tung’s Perspective: Mao emphasized that revolution is a violent and necessary act to
overthrow the existing class structure.

7. Path to Socialism and Communism: The passage outlines the transition from socialism to
communism. Socialism involves nationalizing economic resources, transitioning from private to
public ownership. Communism, as the next phase, envisions a society without class differences,
operating on the principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

8. Global Spread of Proletariat Revolution: Both Marx and Lenin believed that this revolution
should be international, transcending national boundaries to overthrow capitalist economies.
This led to the formation of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

9. Legacy and Impact: The passage reflects on how these ideologies and movements have shaped
contemporary labor rights and societal structures, highlighting the ongoing relevance and
influence of these historical developments in labor law and social organization.