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Marx begins in the age of feudalism, and argues that the feudal system was "destroyed by the clash between lords (landowners) and serfs or peasants who worked their estates, and also byąthe fact that medieval production of goodsącould not satisfy 'the growing wants ofąnew markets'" (Deakin, p. 29). This initial resistance, or class struggle, actually benefited the bourgeoisie; thus Marx's belief that "the whole historical movement is concentrated in the hands of the bourgeoisie; every victory so obtained is a victory for the bourgeoisie" (Marx 2005, part I). The decline of the feudal system, according to Marx, was the direct result of social struggle between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy that was aided and abetted by the proletariat. This social struggle, in turn, was directly related to the economic growth that made feudalism's capitalist systemłorganized upon trade guilds and other restrictive practicesłobsolete. Marx goes out of his way to note, however, that "the means of production and of exchange, on whose foundation the bourgeoisie built itself up, were generated in feudal society" (Marx 2005, part I). However, as the world began to expand economically, the bourgeoisie began to enter into conflict with the restrictive practices of the aristocracy. Marx "traced the collapse of feudal societ |
