Marxist Concepts Lecture

Vocabulary flashcards covering key Marxist concepts, theories, and terms presented in the lecture notes.

Historical Materialism

Marx’s theory that material (economic) conditions—forces and relations of production—shape society’s legal, political, and ideological superstructure.

Economic Base (Infrastructure)

The ensemble of productive forces and relations of production forming society’s foundation in Marxist theory.

Superstructure

The legal, political, and ideological institutions that arise from and legitimize the economic base.

Industrial Society

A stage of social development characterized by factory-based, mechanized production—Marx’s setting for modern capitalism.

Zoon Politikon (Social Being)

Aristotle’s idea that humans are inherently social; adopted by Marx to stress that human nature is shaped collectively.

Essence Through Labor

Marx’s claim that people realize their human essence and creativity in purposeful productive activity.

Positive Anthropological View

Marx’s belief, akin to Rousseau, that humans are naturally cooperative and become selfish only through social structures.

Social Classes

Large groups defined by their relationship to the means of production, chiefly capitalists (bourgeoisie) and workers (proletariat).

Master–Slave / Lord–Vassal

Historical class pairings illustrating exploitation in earlier modes of production before capitalism.

Class Struggle

Conflict between opposing classes whose interests clash; viewed by Marx as the driving force of history.

Dialectics (Thesis–Antithesis–Synthesis)

Hegelian logic of contradiction and resolution, re-oriented by Marx toward material conditions.

Capitalist Mode of Production

An economic system where private owners control the means of production and employ wage labor for profit.

Alienation

The condition in which workers are separated from the products, process, fellow workers, and their own human potential.

Economic Alienation

Estrangement arising from wage labor—separation from the product, the act of production, and other workers.

Ideological Alienation

The masking of real social relations by systems of ideas; religion is criticized by Marx as “the opium of the people.”

Social and Political Alienation

Workers’ sense of powerlessness and separation from communal decision-making within class society and the state.

Surplus Value (Plusvalía)

The excess value produced by labor over the wages paid, appropriated by capitalists as profit.

Ideology

A system of ideas that explains and justifies the existing social order; includes economic, political, religious, and philosophical forms.

Functions of Ideology

To naturalize exploitation, maintain class domination, and shape consciousness in favor of the ruling class.

Productive Forces

The means of production—tools, technology, labor power—whose development propels historical change.

Relations of Production

Social relationships people enter as they use the means of production (e.g., owner/worker).

Juridical-Political Superstructure

The laws, state institutions, and political arrangements that rise from and support the economic base.

Modes of Production

Distinct historical systems—tribal, primitive communism, feudalism, bourgeois capitalism—defined by specific productive forces and relations.

Communism

The envisioned classless, stateless society that marks the culmination of historical development.

Socialism

The transitional stage after capitalist overthrow in which the proletariat controls the state and economy, paving the way to communism.

Class Consciousness

Workers’ awareness of their collective exploitation and shared interests, necessary for revolutionary action.

Proletarian Revolution

The political and social upheaval led by the working class to abolish capitalism and establish socialism.

Steps Toward Communism

Building class consciousness, proletarian leadership, and revolutionary transformation of state and economy, culminating in a communist society.