MARXISM Flashcards
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUNCTIONALISM AND MARXISM
Conflict of interests
Marxists wholly reject the functionalist perspective that the social structure is harmonious and is based on the value consensus.
They see it primarily based on CONFLICT of interests. Marxists believe this conflict is between social classes of unequal power + wealth.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUNCTIONALISM AND MARXISM
Profound and revolutionary change
Marxists also reject the functionalist perspective that society is stable as they believe that there is heavy possibility of sudden, profound and revolutionary change
– stability is the consequence of the dominant class imposing their ideas.
KARL (daddy) MARX
Background
Marx saw harm caused by the modern industrial society taking place.
Marx also believed that society could be explained scientifically.
He described his theory as ‘scientific socialism’.
Marx did not see progress as gradual evolution – he saw this historical change as a contradictory process where capitalism increased human misery to the point of revolution (classless communist society).
He was a revolutionary socialist.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Historical Materialism - what is this?
Materialism refers to how human beings have always had material needs such as food and clothing.
In order to meet these material needs, they must use the forces of production to work to meet them.
In early stages of human development, we used unaided human labour, though as we developed tools and machines, these assisted in production.
Human cooperation is required when working to meet these material needs – they enter into social relations of production (the ways in which production can be organised).
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Historical Materialism - in relation to the development of two classes
As forces of production grew and developed, the social relations of production also changed.
Primarily, this created the division of labour, and two classes developed – those who own the means of production, and the class of labourers.
Marx addresses the forces and relations of production as the MODE OF PRODUCTION.
We live in a capitalist mode of production – this forms the economic basis of society, which in turn, determines other elements of society.
It, for example, shapes law, religion, education etc.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Historical Materialism - mode of production
Marx addresses the forces and relations of production as the MODE OF PRODUCTION.
We live in a capitalist mode of production – this forms the economic basis of society, which in turn, determines other elements of society.
It, for example, shapes law, religion, education etc.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Class society + Exploitation - primitive communism
In early stages of human history, everyone worked and so everything was shared.
This classless society was labelled as ‘primitive communism’, but as the forces of production grew, different types of class society come and go.
In class societies, you have the bourgeoisie, and the proletariat.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Class society + Exploitation - how does increasing forces of production lead to exploitation?
This enables those who own the means of production to exploit the labour of others for their own benefit.
They can control society’s surplus product – which is the difference between what the labourers actually produce and what is needed to keep them alive and working.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Class society + Exploitation - what are Marx’s three class societies? (consecutive)
- Ancient society’s exploitation of slaves.
- Feudal society’s exploitation of serfs
- Capitalist society’s exploitation of free wage labourers
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Capitalism - what is it?
Capitalism is based on the division between the class of owners and the class of labourers.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Capitalism - feature one: proletariat are separated from the means of production
The proletariat are legally free + separated from the means of production – they sell their labour in return for wages for survival.
It is not an equal exchange – the proletariat do not receive the value of the goods their labour produces.
This is because they are only given the cost of subsistence/keeping them alive.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Capitalism - feature two: competition
What is immiseration?
Competition between capitalists has meant that meant that the ownership of the means of production becomes concentrated in fewer hands.
This means smaller independent producers are pushed into the proletariat rank – competition forces capitalists to pay the lowest wages possible
(immiseration).
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Capitalism - feature three: profit
Capitalism expands the forces of production all in the pursuit of profit… production becomes concentrated in larger units. Technology de-skills the workforce
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Capitalism - what does it create?
All of this contributes to the polarisation between classes… society divides into the minority capitalist class and the majority working class.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Class consciousness - polarisation
Capitalism sows the seeds of its own destruction:
Polarisation, increasing the size of the proletariat, and driving down wages means that the proletariat grow conscious of the economic and political exploitation they are facing. They become aware of their position as wage-slaves
Consequently, the proletariat moves from being a class in itself, to becoming a class FOR itself. They are aware of the need to overthrow capitalism.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Ideology - mental production
The class that owns the means of production, also own + control the means of MENTAL PRODUCTION (the creation of ideas)
Dominant classes can, therefore, spread their ideas to make them the dominant ideology.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Ideology - how do institutions serve the dominant class?
The institutions that produce + spread ideology such as education and media, serve the dominant class through the production of ideologies (beliefs and ideas) that justify the social order, by painting it as inevitable.
The ideology creates false class consciousness in the weaker classes and helps maintain social inequity.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Alienation - what is this a result of? Where is this dominant?
This is the result of our loss of control over our labour and its products and our separation from our true nature.
Alienation is prominent in all class societies because the owners control the production process for their own needs
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
Alienation - why is this dominant under Capitalism?
- Workers are separated from the forces of production completely.
- Division of labour is at its most intense and detailed. The worker is reduced to an unskilled labourer repeating tasks day in and day out.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
State, revolution, communism - majority over minority
State, according to Marx, is ‘armed bodies of men’, such as the army, prison, police, courts and so on.
Any class that wants to lead the revolution must overthrow the existing ruling class.
The proletarian revolution overthrowing capitalism will be the first revolution by the majority over the minority.
ELEMENTS OF MARXISM
State, revolution, communism - global scale revolution
Marx believed that the establishment of communism would happen on a global scale – he expected the revolution to first happen in the most advanced capitalist societies. He did, however, write little about how the revolution would happen.
CRITICISMS OF MARX
EVAL - Weber and status/power
Marx has a very one-dimensional view of inequality, whereas Weber would argue that status and power differences are also significant sources of inequality, independent of class.
He addresses how the ‘power elite’ can rule with no connection to the ownership of the means of production. This happened in the USSR with the Communist Revolution.
