7.3a Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels Flashcards
Karl Marx (1818-1883) & Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were well known revolutionary socialists. Two of their key academic works are ‘The Communist Manifesto’ (1848) and ‘Capital’ (1867, 1885, 1894).
Centrality of social class
Marx and Engels’ viewed social class as essential to socialism.
Social class is key to three ideas of Marx and Engels’ form of socialism, which is named Marxism. The ideas are historical materialism, dialectical change and class consciousness.
Historical materialism
Historical materialism is the idea that the economic system in a society can have an influence on all aspects of society.
Historical materialism states that the development of a society can be explained by economic and class factors.
Dialectical change
Dialectical change is the idea that development results from a conflict between two forces that oppose one another.
Marx and Engels argued that humans pass through a number of stages of development, with a class structure existing at each stage.
Marx and Engels outlined that at each stage there is a class conflict which brings about historical change and a new stage of development, which will only end when a communist society is created that will not have classes or class conflict.
Class consciousness
Revolutionary class consciousness is the self-understanding the oppressed in society have of their own social class and their class interests.
Marx and Engels argued that class consciousness is needed for a socialist revolution to take place because it means that individuals become aware of the interests of their social class and determined to pursue them.
Marx and Engels argued that a revolution will happen as class conflict intensifies between the exploited workers and the ruling class.
Humans as social beings
Marx and Engels believe humans are social beings whose human nature is determined by social interactions with others.
Marx and Engels argue that humans are active beings who are able to lead satisfying lives where the conditions for free creative production exist. The conditions for this only exist in a communist society.
Free from capitalism
For Marx and Engels, a communist society that is free from the constraints of capitalism will allow individuals to develop through taking part in many activities rather than one job, and people will have more time for leisure because production processes will benefit everyone rather than be used for profit.
Marx and Engels state that each individual society will reach their potential in a communist society by working in cooperation with one another and creatively.
