hat the class struggle between the ruling classes or bourgeoisie and the proletariat was inevitable (Tucker, 218û219).
Marx argued that consciousness is linked to production and that in capitalist societies, working men were inevitably alienated from the fruits of their labor by the system of private property. In capitalism, Marx saw a system of economic and social organization that created and maintained a small group of elites, driven to success and the acquisition of wealth and power by materialism. Similarly, capitalism also of necessity established a group of workers û the proletariat û who were literally "wage slaves," lacking in power and autonomy and excluded from meaningful participation in societal decision-making (Tucker, 90).
Class conflict in this view was inescapable. Marx saw opportunity for advancement in a capitalist society as emerging not from the unique abilities of an individual, but rather from his or her position in a specific elite class of property owners or the wealthy. Man's nature was seen as potentially selfish, particularly in the case of capitalist societies which actively encourage elites to become powerful and affluent at the direct expense of workers (Tucker, 78). The ability of a few to succeed in the capitalist world is therefore based both on man's nature and on the mechanisms implicit in the system.
In other words, Marx saw private property itself as the source of man's aspirations for wealth and power (Tucker, 79). The capitalist system actively encourages individuals to pursue selfish ends and objectives, giving little attention to the needs of the many in pursuit of personal wealth and status. The capitalist system encourages the exploitation and ultimately the alienation of the "have nots" whose labor provides the production that empowers selected individuals or groups. Marx was convinced that while man had an inherently selfish nature, this selfishness was mitigated by...