Comp. Social Movements ICWA

Marxism creater

Karl Marx

what is marxism shaped by

economic base (mode of production)

marxism “superstructure” meaning

reflects and reinforces the economic base

marxism superstructure components

law, politics, culture, religion

how does history move according to marxism

moves through stages driven by class conflict (feudalism → capitalism → socialism → communism)

marxism ideas about humans

consciousness an ideology are products of material/economic conditions

marxism argument on capitalism

defined by owners of production exploiting the workers by extracting surplus value from their labor

marxism argument on the exploitation

creates internal contradictions that will eventually cause capitalism to collapse

marxism internal contradictions

overproduction, falling profits, worker immiseration

marxism argument on the workers

will develop class consciousness, revolt, and seize the means of production, leading to a classless, stateless communist society

marxism economic weakenss

economic determinism

economic determinism

underestimates the independent power of ideology, culture, religion, and nationalism to shape society

marxism weakness 2

predicted revolution didn’t happen in advanced industrial capitalist states as expected, instead happened in Russia

marxism weakness 3

underestimates capitalism’s flexibility/adaptability (welfare states, reforms, rising wages softened class conflict instead of sharpening it)

gramsci creater

antonio gramsci

gramsci class assumption

ruling class power isn’t maintained by economic control and force alone, iots maintained through hegemony

hegemony

winning the consent of the ruled by shaping culture, values, and “common sense”

gramsci society assumptions

civil society (schools, media, church, family) is key battleground for power, not just economic base

gramsci assumption 3

consciousness isn’t automatically produced by economic position, ideas and cultural have real independent force

gramsci argument on ruling class

maintains dominance by making its worldview seem natural, universal, and “just the way things are”, so subordinate classes consent to their own domination

gramsci argument on revolution

requires cultural/ideological struggle first, not just sudden economic collapse (bc hegemony)

gramsci argument on intellectuals

play key role in building counter-hegemony by articulating an alternate worldview for the working class

gramsci weakness 1

vague/hard to operationalize (“hegemony” and “common sense” are difficult to define and measure empirically)

gramsci weakness 2

can underestimate role of direct coercion, state violence, and material inequality in maintaining power (too culture-focused)

gramsci weakness 3

less clear about mecahnics of how counter-hegemony actually leads to revolutionary transition of power, more cultural analysis than political strategy

marx shortcut

economics drives everyting, revolution comes from material collapse

gramsci shortcut

culture/ideology also drives power, revolution needs cultural battle first, not just economic one