Marxism

What is materialism?

humans are beings with material needs that need to be met (e.g. food, clothing, shelter) so must work to meet them using the forces of production

What were the early forces of production?

unaided human labour, co-operation through social relations of production

What is the mode of production, according to Marx?

the forces + relations of production, e.g. we currently have capitalist mode of production where mode of production forms economic base of society

What does the economic base of society determine?

all other features of society- superstructure of institutions, ideas, beliefs + behaviour that arise from base (e.g. shapes religion, law, education, state, etc)

What does Marx describe early classless society as?

‘primitive communism’

What is surplus product?

the difference between what labourers actually produce and what is needed to keep them alive and working

What are the 3 successive class societies, according to Marx?

• Ancient society- based on exploitation of slaves legally tied to owners

• Feudal society- based on exploitation of serfs legally tied to land

• Capitalist society- based on exploitation of free wage labourers

What 3 distinct features does capitalism have to other class societies?

• Proletariat legally free/separated from means of production, sell labour power to bourgeoisie to get wages to survive

• Production concentrated in fewer hands due to competition between capitalists = giant transnational corporations = less small independent producers (proletarianised) = immiseration of proletariat

• Capitalism continually expands forces of production in pursuit of profit, technology de-skills workforce = class polarisation

How does Marx describe class polarisation?

‘face each other as two warring camps’

How does capitalism sow the seeds of its own destruction, according to Marx?

• polarising classes brings large numbers of proletariat together

• driving down wages

• = w/c develop conciousness of economic/political interests

• move from class in itself to class for itself

According to Marx, what causes alienation?

loss of control over labour + products = separation from true nature

Why does alienation reach its peak under capitalism?

• Workers completely separated from + have no control over forces of production

• Division of labour most intense + detailed, worker reduced to unskilled labourer mindlessly repeating meaningless task

What does Marx define the state as?

‘armed bodies of men’ (e.g. army, police, courts, prisons, etc)

According to Marx, what will the proletariat revolution do?

• 1st revolution of majority against minority

• abolish state + create classless communist society

• abolish exploitation, replace private ownership w/ social ownership + replace production for profit w/ production to satisfy human needs

• end alienation as humans regain control of labour/products

How can Marx’s view of class be criticised?

• simplistic, one-dimensional view of inequality

• Weber: status + power differences = key source of inequality (e.g. ‘power elite’ can rule without owning means of production, as it did in Soviet Union)

• Feminists: gender = more fundamental source of inequality than class

• Weber: 2 class model = simplistic, proletariat consist of skilled + unskilled classes + white collar m/c of office workers + petty bourgeoisie (small capitalists)

• class polarisation has not occurred, m/c grown, industrial w/c shrunk in West

How can Marx be criticised for economic determinism?

• base-superstructure model fails to recognise humans have free will + can bring about change through conscious actions

• base-superstructure model neglects impact of ideas

• Weber: Calvinistic Protestantism brought about modern capitalism

How can Marx’s theory of revolution be criticised?

predictions haven’t come true, only happened in economically backward countries- 1917 Russia

What does Gouldner label the 2 approaches to Marxism as?

• Humanistic/critical Marxism

• Scientific/structuralist Marxism

What strand of Marxism does Gramsci fall into?

Humanistic

How do the r/c maintain dominance, according to Gramsci’s theory of hegemony?

• Coercion

• Consent (hegemony)

Why is the hegemony of the r/c never complete?

• r/c = minority- need to create power bloc to rule by making alliances = ideological compromises

• proletariat have dual consciousness- ideas influenced by material conditions + bourgeois ideology, can ‘see through’ dom ideology to some degree

What do the proletariat need to do to create revolution, according to Gramsci?

construct counter-hegemonic bloc, offer moral/ideological leadership to society, produce ‘organic intellectuals’

What are ‘organic intellectuals’?

a body of class conscious workers, organised into a revolutionary political party, able to envision alt future for society, based on socialist views

How can Gramsci be criticised?

• over-emphasises role of ideas

• under-emphasises role of state coercion/economic factors- e.g. workers can see through r/c ideology but reluctant to overthrow capitalism for fear of state repression/unemployment

What strand of Marxism is Althusser associated with?

Structuralist

What are the 3 levels to capitalist society in Althusser’s model?

• economic- producing something to satisfy a need

• political- all forms of organisation

• ideological- ways people see themselves/world

What does Craib call Althusser’s model?

‘structural determinism’

Why does Althusser criticise Marx’s base superstructure model?

• it only have 1 way causality, economic at top

• In Althusser’s model, political/ideological levels have relative autonomy from economic level = 2 way causality

How does Craib describe society?

puppet theatre- we are puppets, unseen structures are hidden puppet master, determining thoughts/actions

How does Althusser criticise Humanist Marxism?

• we are not free agents, free will = false consciousness produced by ISA (e.g. myth of meritocracy)

• we are products of social structures, prepares us to fit in existing positions in structure of capitalism

How can Althusser be criticised?

• rejects economic determinism but merely replaces it with more complex structural determinism

• Goulder: ‘scientific’ approach discourages political activism as stresses role of structural factors that individuals can do little to change

• EP Thompson: Althusser ignores fact that active struggles of w/c can change society, Althusser = elitist