Nothing to Lose But Their Chains

This article discusses the statement 'You have nothing to lose but your chains' by Marx and Engels and its significance in the Marxist theory. It explores the concept of socioeconomic analysis, the call for workers to unite, and the need for a social class revolution and abolishment of private property. The article also delves into the historical context of the industrial revolution and the oppression faced by the working class.

Running head: NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
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1NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
The two German philosophers Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx are the creators of what is
known today as the Marxist theory. The theory is about a method of socioeconomic analysis.
According to socioeconomic analysis, society’s classes are the primary cause of struggle and
society should not have any kind of classes (Bloch, 2013). It is important to understand that the
two philosophers living in the 19th century, were strictly opposed to the abuses of their industrial
society. Marx and Engels deeply felt the exploitation, and in order to end the conflict, the only
way was through the abolishment of private property and social-class revolution. While doing so,
Marx and Engels stated ‘have nothing to lose their chains’. The paper aims to discuss the
statement and the concepts revolving around it that made Marx and Engels say this specific
statement.
Before the statement is discussed it is important to understand the time of the
philosophers. Marx and Engels did not favour the oppressions that were conducted due to the
industrialized society. According to Marx and Engels, the only reason for the oppression was the
industrial revolution (Marcuse, 2013). The oppression of the working class who lived in slums
was only due to society becoming industrialised. The working condition of the working class
was dangerous, the poor people suffered while the wealthy thrived. The situation was felt by
Marx and Engels, and as per them the exploitation of the poor was on the basis of social and
political conflict. The only way to end and bring change was by a social class revolution and a
private property abolishment. The strong feeling and belief came to be recognised as Marxism.
More importantly, it became the foundation while studying the 1848 Communist manifesto
(Fischer, 2017). Communists Manifesto is the political ideology based on Marx’s teachings that
call for the collective ownership of property with wages only on the skills and need, not the
accumulation of personal wealth.

2NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
In order to understand the statement ‘you have nothing to lose but your chains’, it is
important to know the full statement which was ‘workers of the world, Unite. You have nothing
to lose but your chains’ (Toch, 2013). The political slogan is one of the most famous rallying
cries that has been mentioned in the communist manifesto. Originally the communist manifest,
manifesto of the communist party is a pamphlet that was created by Marx and Engels concerning
the issues of the society and the political system. The statement calls for the proletariats or
workers across all the countries and asks them to unite. The statement widely popular even and
the statement’s variation is also engraved on Marx’s tombstone (Sandmo, 2015).
Five years earlier to the communist manifesto, the phase was found in the 1843 book
‘The Workers’ Union’ by Flora Tristan’. According to Engels, the international workingmen’s
association was the first movement of the working class. The movement was persuaded by
Engels in order to bring alteration in its motto. The aim was to change the motto from ‘all men
are brothers’ to ‘working men of all countries, unite’. It was the reflection of Engels’ and Marx’s
perspective of proletarian internationalism. The phrase can be found having more than one
meaning that overlaps with one another. First, in order to push and emphasize their demands
including workplace conditions and pay, the workers across all the countries should unite.
Second, the other meaning is to unite against the capitalist system and see beyond their various
craft unions. Third, there are many common things between workers from different countries.
The phrase was widely utilized by the industrial workers of the world in various songs and
propaganda (Merriman, 2018).
The phrase was penned by Marx and Engels for strong reasons. Proletariats are wage
labourers, and member of the two wide social classes identified in the capitalists' mode of
production. Among the two classes, one class, the capitalist dominates the other, the working

3NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
class. The working class is employed by the capitalists and the capitalists pay the workers for
their labour that working class people provide. Workers are the poor people who do not have
means of production and therefore need to survive by selling their labour (White, 2014). During
the development years of capitalism, Marx was certain about capitalism becoming the dominant
form of work. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were several other mode of
production that capitalism penetrated and broke the direct, personal and highly unequal
relationship between the lord and the serfs. Although capitalism helped in declined feudalism,
slavery did not. By saying ‘workers have nothing to lose but their chains’, Marx and Engels
meant that they have the world to win. There is an exceptional feature about the proletariats.
Prominent changes in the social organisation began rising to replace the traditional form of
hunting and gathering. Also, the division of labour came into existence in society. Society began
transforming radically due to capitalism. In places that had direct relationships between the
production controller and the people with no control, there is an entire complicated system with
no idea about the producer of the goods. It is uncommon for the workers to identify the owner of
the goods and even for the consumers. A worker is simply alienated from its product as his
labour is paid wage by the capitalist. It is noted that understood that today the scene is different
than the way it used to be. The situation is similar to slavery where workers perform what they
are asked. The most significant and important aspect of the system is to note the way workers are
depended on the capitalist system even though there is no compulsion of violence threat or death.
A worker has the free will to leave the capitalist work, however, workers do not due to the
monetary need. The chains mentioned by Marx and Engels can be interpreted according to this
aspect.

4NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
Also, the relationship between capitalist and the workers is such and characterised
through such a feature that it is universal. Workers across the world and the capitalist across the
world have similar issues for the goal of every capitalist is the same. Therefore, in order to gain
power, the worker needs to unite. It is through getting together the working class will be able to
gain power. Since the relation is relatively simple that involves only labour and wage, there is
nothing that the worker can lose. It can only lose its ties from the capitalist system and nothing
more.
As discussed above, the phase, ‘have nothing to lose their chains’ was stated by Marx and
Engels when during the time when the workers were oppressed by the capitalist system of work.
In the end, it can be concluded that the main purpose of the phase was to aware the working class
and initiate a social revolution that would change the system brought by the industrial revolution.

5NOTHING TO LOSE BUT THEIR CHAINS
References:
Bloch, M. (2013). Marxism and anthropology: the history of a relationship. Routledge.
Fischer, R. (2017). Stalin and German Communism: A Study in the Origins of the State Party.
Routledge.
Marcuse, H. (2013). Reason and revolution. Routledge.
Merriman, J. M. (2018). Restoration town, bourgeois city: changing urban politics in
industrializing Limoges. In Routledge Revivals: French Cities in the Nineteenth Century
(1981) (pp. 46-76). Routledge.
Sandmo, A. (2015). The principal problem in political economy: income distribution in the
history of economic thought. In Handbook of income distribution (Vol. 2, pp. 3-65).
Elsevier.
Toch, H. (2013). The Social Psychology of Social Movements (Psychology Revivals). Routledge.
White, C. (2014). Introduction. In Work and Leisure in Late Nineteenth-Century French
Literature and Visual Culture (pp. 1-42). Palgrave Macmillan, London.