N

Marxism

‘It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven'- the Bible

Definitions

Marx describes capitalism as the system under which private investors have freedom to control production and flow of goods for their personal profit.

Base (economy): economic base is comprised of the means and relations of production, underpinning and determining everything else in society. Maintains the superstructure.

Superstructure (society): includes social institutions such as family, education, media, religion, politics and ideologies which are determined and influenced by the economic base. Maintains the base.

Bourgeoisie: capitalists who’s main purpose is to make profit.

Proletariat: workers who work for wages

Class conflict: exploitation of Proletariat by Bourgeoisie that creates major differences in interest between the two classes.

Means of production: land, factories, raw materials, technology and labour necessary to produce society’s goods.

Surplus value: the idea that workers produce more than is needed to earn their wage which profits the employers.

Ideologies: the beliefs and values of the upper class/Bourgeoisie.

False class consciousness: the failure of the Proletariats to recognise that they’re being exploited by, and therefore their failure to rebel against, the Bourgeoisie.

Revolution: strikes, demonstrations and other forms of protest by the Proletariat against the Bourgeoisie due to the development of class consciousness (awareness of their real interests and exploitation).

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

  • German but lived in London for a lot of his life

  • Buried in Highgate Cemetery

  • Studied how capitalism shapes conflict and society

Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat

Society is made up of two classes- the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. Society is based on conflict between these two classes.

Bourgeoisie: minority capitalist class who own factories, raw materials and land and then exploit workers (Proletariat) for profit.

Proletariat: majority working class who own only their labour which they sell to the Bourgeoisie to make enough money to survive.

Alienation

This is the process whereby a person is separated/estranged from their natural humanity which Marxism says is a direct result of capitalism (capitalism ‘estranges us from our species being’).