Marxism

What sort of theory is Marxism?

• structural theory

• conflict theory

How did Karl Marx outline the development of society from a Marxist lens?

• human society began when people joined together to produce food + shelter: “the first historical act is the production of material life”

• society coincides with what people produce and how they produce it

• dawn of humanity: people lived in “primitive communism” ~ food + shelter communally owned; individuals produced for themselves & for society as a whole so no conflicts of interest

• private ownership of forces of production (eg. in feudal society, land owned by minority lords) enables exploitation of majority’s labour

How did Karl Marx describe the “relations of production” (social relationships enabled when members of society produce goods and services) in industrial society?

• forces of production owned by bourgeoisie

• proletariat produce goods but their wages are less than the value of those goods, as most value taken in form of profits by capitalists (Marx: exploitation)

How did Karl Marx describe the “infrastructure” and “superstructure” in industrial society?

• relations of production + forces of production = economic base or “infrastructure”

• this shapes the “superstructure” ie. rest of society,

• relationships between ruling + subject class reflected in superstructure:

  • state supports ruling class eg. passing laws to legalise private ownership of industry

  • education system requires workers required by capitalism

  • religion (“opium of the people”) produces delusions of pleasures

What does Karl Marx argue about “false class consciousness” (a false image of the class system that conceals the exploitation on which it is based)?

• members of both social classes unaware of relationship

• ruling class: assumes that their particular interests are those of society generally

• subject class: accept position as part of natural order

• “ruling class ideology” legitimises + reinforces social order

What does Karl Marx argue about alienation?

• in class societies people are alienated from act of production/products & thus from themselves + others

• capitalism’s demands determine employment levels, wages, nature/quantity of goods, methods of manufacture etc.

• workers = prisoners of market forces over which they have no control; subject to laws of supply + demands, & economic booms/slumps which characterise capitalism

• work becomes means to an end (earning money for goods + services)

• “the greater this product, the less he is himself”

What does Karl Marx argue about communism?

• communism = “positive abolition of private property & thus of human self-alienation” (replaced by communal ownership of forces of production)

• members of communist society contribute to collective wellbeing so express both individual + social self

• “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of the class struggle”

• capitalism develops —> growing polarisation between 2 classes as intermediate groups sink into proletariat; capital concentrated in fewer hands

• greater competition drives all but the largest companies out of business

• inevitable proletariat realisation of situation —> revolt forced by the ”contradiction between humanity and its situation, which is an open, clear and absolute negation of its humanity”

What are the main criticisms or Marxism?

• arguably, growing intensity of class conflict which Marx predicted has not occurred ~ class conflict has become institutionalised eg. political parties implicitly represent various classes ~ growing MC

• society hasn’t borne out promise of communism obtained in Marx’s writings: social inequalities present in communist regimes (collapse of Soviet Union in late 1980s/ early 1990s suggests we desire Western-style democracies instead)

• over-prioritises economic factors when explaining social change eg. Max Weber’s 1958 study of ascetic Protestantism in 16/17th centuries found that religion provided rationale/direction for capitalism’s development (Weber: aspects of superstructure can play primary role in change)

• economic determinism (Marx’s writings at times claimed that history + consciousness is directed by economic forces which follow “iron laws” outside our control)

How can Karl Marx be defended against criticisms that he is an economic determinist?

• “various elements of the superstructure… also exert their influence upon the course of the historical struggle”

• “man makes his own history”