According to Marx, the proletariat constitutes a 'universal class', namely a class whose particular interests are identical to the general interests of society, so that in defending and pursuing its interests this class also defends and pursues the interests of society as a whole. While Marxism's detractors often dismiss the very idea of a universal class, this concept is in fact both plausible and defensible, as is Marx and Engels' correlative claim that the emancipation of this universal class will produce a ?universal emancipation? from oppression, domination and exploitation. The latter claim is supported by two distinct arguments found in the works of Marx and Engels. The first argument concerns the benefits that would redound to all members of society from the elimination of capitalism, while the second emphasizes the ways in which class differentiation and stratification make possible the exercise of other, non-class forms of domination, oppression and exploitation.
