Karl Marx’s writings changed the world: Kaiser Bengali

Karl Marx’s writings changed the world. It was because of Marx that the world’s downtrodden got a voice.

This was stated by noted economist and social scientist Kaiser Bengali at a lecture titled ‘Global Impact of Russian Revolution’, delivered at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) on Thursday afternoon.

The global impact of Marx’s writings was, first of all, the setting up of the socialist Soviet Union incorporating the ideals of egalitarianism. The global impact of this was the setting up of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1920 for the benefit of workers worldwide.

The capitalist societies of Western Europe, sensing danger from the workers for the harsh deal they gave them, came up with reforms that produced the welfare state where the basic needs of the population like healthcare, education and social security benefits were met, the economist said.

He said that socialism was a system that levelled out the socio-economic disparity.  He drew a parallel with the Pakistani society where, he said, there were those living in the posh localities of Defence and Clifton for whom life was one big carnival, while on the other hand there were thousands who had to ride atop buses to commute to their workplaces where they would get a mere pittance of a wage with which they could just eke out an existence to keep body and soul together.

“This disparity breeds violence and crime. When we create an unjust society, we have to pay for it,” he said. He narrated the number of times he had been robbed of his personal belongings by desperados but said, “Deep down in my heart I did not blame them. I knew that it was no enmity towards me but that it was poverty and the sense of deprivation that was forcing them to such desperation.”

“The principles of equality,” he said, “came from Karl Marx.” He said that it was because of socialism that countries that once were socialist or still were had a 100 percent literacy rate and a full comprehensive health coverage system for each and every citizen.

Haris Gazdar, director of Selective for Social Sciences Research and a social activist, tracing the history of socialism back to the history of human thought, said that there were four major innovations of the Bolshevik Revolution of October/November 1917.

Firstly, it gave rise to internationalism and cultivated a feeling that the depressed and downtrodden the world over had a common destiny, thus dispensing with the need for war. Secondly, it brought about the concept and technique of scientific organisation of parties. Thirdly, he said, it gave birth to the idea of a welfare state. Fourthly, he said, it gave a voice to the forces of anti-colonialism and the right of self-determination to oppressed groups.

Mehnaz Rehman, upholding the socialist system, pointed out the very visible socio-economic disparity in our system but added that in our case it was compounded by the patriarchal set-up of society. She said that we mustn’t forget that the idea of women’s equality came from Marx and later from the Soviet Union.Manzoor Razi, a noted trade union leader, recited Habib Jalib’s poem, “Main Naheen Manta, Main Naheen Janta”, a poem that decries capitalist exploitation.

Nasir Soomro also recited his poem exalting the contribution of peasants and workers to society and the nation. Iqbal Alavi narrated how in his student days in the 40s and the early 50s the students’ leftist movement had very healthy activities and how cultural and literary troupes were exchanged between Pakistan and the USSR. Later, he said, under the non-elected undemocratic regimes, Pakistan went wholly and solely into the lap of the US with its membership of the CENTO or the Baghdad Pact and the SEATO, and agreed to get stringed aid from the US.

Dr Haroon and Zain Alavi (younger brother of the late Marxist thinker Hamza Alavi) nostalgically described their days at the Karachi University and the idealism the student community were imbued with.

Dr Riaz Sheikh, dean of Social Sciences (SZABIST), in his remarks, upheld the contribution socialism had made to human progress. The Bolsheviks, he said, started from below, at the grassroots level, at the level of the masses. “Hence their success,” he said.