Comparison and Contrast of Historical Works (Essay Sample)

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Comparison and Contrast of Historical Works
Mill’s On Liberty, Fichte’s Addresses to the German Nation, and Marx and Engels’ The Communist Manifesto are great historical works that have had a significant impact on Western civilization. John Stuart Mill, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Karl Marx, and Frederick Engels are great philosophers whose works have continued to shape the societal and political systems since the nineteenth century. Specifically, the three works by the philosophers depict their idea of how the political economy should be run. This essay examines each of the works to compare and contrast relevant viewpoints and aspects.
Before going deeper to unearth the similarities and differences in the viewpoints of the authors, it is essential to give an overview of what each literary work pertains. In the work On Liberty, Mills envisions a society in which every member has the freedom to do as he or she pleases with minimum interference and restrictions by the government. Mills tries to establish standards between authority and liberty while emphasizing on individuality. Emphasizing on “struggle between Liberty and Authority” (3), the philosopher goes on to explain liberty as the “protection against the tyranny of the political rulers” (3). As such there is the aspect of liberty versus tyranny.
In his work, Fichte advocates for German nationalism in response to the conquest of territories in the country by the French Empire led by Napoleon. Throughout his work, there are deducible aspects that are worth mentioning. It emerges that Fichte was an isolationist in the way he portrays his idea of German nationalism. It is also evident that he asserts that Germany is the only possible agent of true world’s freedom. He describes Germans as “…a people that has the right to call itself simply the people...” (1).
Marx and Engels write about communism and the way it should be implemented. The philosophy of the two authors suggests that the poor members of the society ought to revolt against the rich to institute full equality and abolish the ownership of private property. The main idea of the work is to organize the working class members of the society into a group capable of overthrowing the government and instituting a system that is fairer. It is evident that the authors advocated for more conformity among society members rather than fostering nonconformity.
The three works by the authors clearly demonstrate that they had ideas of on how governance should be carried out. Despite the works having different ideas, they agree that people should not be oppressed. Marx and Engels in their work, talk about the existence of oppression in the political systems of the time. According to the two authors, political power is just an organized power of one class of people oppressing others. In the Communist Manifesto, they argue that their idea would replace the old society that has class rivalries with “an association, in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all” (27). As seen, the two authors are against the oppression of the working classes and the poor. Mills also is against oppression in the society. In fact, he suggests that for the society to be considered ideal, the citizens should be allowed almost all freedoms. Mill proposes a government form where people have the freedom to do anything they want. The citizens, however, should not harm other people directly or violate on their rights. According to the philosopher, “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others” (17). From this quote, it is evident that he is totally against the oppression of others in the society and that he believed that the only limitation that the government should impose are those that prevent people from harming one another. It is also deducible that Fichte was against oppression against the Germans by Napoleon. In this regard, his Addresses to the German Nation called for renewal and character of the German people. The author believed that it was the corrupt upper classes that had left the country ruined. The three works, therefore, seem to be against the oppression in the society. While Mill advocates for the freedom of every member of the society, Marks and Engels and Fichte tend to call for the oppressed to rise against the oppressor.
Another similarity that cuts across the three works is the concept of education. Education is seen by the authors a way of creating a better society. Of the three works, Fichte’s Addresses to the German Nation emerges as one that strongly emphasizes on the importance of education. According to the author, the human race has to “be educated up to the point of being susceptible to that higher education” (3). In the Communist Manifesto, the authors argue that one of the ways to achieve democracy is by “edu...