Marxism


Overview: Marxism as a Critical IR Lens



Maïa Pal presents Marxism as both a classical and a critically oriented approach to International Relations (IR). Unlike most IR theories, Marxism is unique—it’s named after an individual, Karl Marx—and challenges mainstream, policy-driven frameworks rather than simply complementing them  .





1. The Context and Relevance of Marxism



  • Not Primarily State-Focused: Marx and Engels were not directly concerned with the workings of states or international diplomacy. Their entry into IR stems from their analysis of the Industrial Revolution—a transformative historical process reshaping societies economically and socially  .

  • Industrial Roots of IR Thought: The era’s rapid industrialization revealed global patterns of production and exploitation, prompting Marxism to frame IR through a broader lens of class relations rather than state interactions  .






2. Core Principles and Contributions




A. Historical Materialism



Marxism offers a foundational concept: historical materialism.


  • It emphasizes that material conditions—economic structures, labor, technologies—drive social relations.

  • These conditions both shape and are shaped by human action, evolving over time across domestic and global scales  .




B. Interconnected Systems: Capitalism and the State



  • Capitalism and the rise of sovereign states are not natural or separate phenomena—they are products of historical processes intertwined within modernity.

  • Marxism urges that IR should analyze how the mode of production and the state system mutually arise and sustain each other  .




C. Critical Perspective on IR Concepts



  • Marxism doesn’t just critique mainstream IR theories (like realism or liberalism); it destabilizes fundamental assumptions such as the natural division between the political/economic or domestic/international.

  • It emphasizes that such frameworks often obscure underlying class dynamics and material dependencies  .






3. Why Marxism Matters in IR




A. A Lens for Emancipation and Transformation



Marxism is not neutral; it’s a normative theory driven by the goal of human emancipation:


  • Rather than merely explaining the world, Marxism aims to change it—a reflection of Marx’s own challenge to philosophy  .

  • It identifies mechanisms of power and injustice, pointing toward possibilities for transformation.




B. Unveiling the Global Capitalist System



Marxist and neo-Marxist IR theories:


  • Focus on class struggle, global capitalism, and the base–superstructure model (economic foundations shaping institutions)  .

  • Include frameworks like world-systems theory, dependency theory, and Gramscian hegemony, which explore global elite domination and ideological control through institutions  .