Marxism Flashcards
what do marxists believe all of societies institutions contribute towards
upholding capitalism
primitive communism
can be used to describe the earliest societies
everyone shared the means of production and had no private property
when did Engels argue that people started to live in nuclear families from
when capitalist societies started
Engels - Inheritance of Property
As technology developed and capitalism emerged, people started to own property and so were interested in their legitimate heir - the monogamous marriage emerged to ensure this
\Engels - Inheritance of property - what impact did Engels believe this had on women
women became oppressed as ‘ a mere instrument for the production of children’
women will only be free when capitalism ends as there will be no need for the nuclear family as no one inherits property
Zaretsky - Ideological functions - in relation to children
children socialised to accept capitalism and be materialistic
parental authority accustoms them to the idea there always has to be someone in charge - prepares them to take orders from their capitalist employers
Zaretsky - ideological functions - exc. children
a cult of private life the belief that we can only gain fulfilment from family life and this distracts people from exploitation.
however, family cannot cope with the pressures of capitalism - money worries are the biggest source of arguments among couples
A unit of consumption
family generates profits for businesses
advertisers urge families to compete with friends for latest status symbols
children who don’t have the latest items are stigmatised and even disadvantaged
capitalism
an economic system that is based on the private ownership of property and businesses and the search for ever increasing profits
bourgeoise
‘owners’ of the means of production
the ruling class in society
proletariat
the workers in society who do not own the means of production to produce large profits
surplus value
the difference between the value of something prior to the production process and the value of it at the end
False Class Consciousness
workers could not see the reality of their exploitation so their situation was just accepted as the way it is
agents of social control operate on us to obscure the relationships of owners and workers so that there appears to be a value consensus
Ruling class ideology
powerful groups in society have the ability to present their own ideas as right and natural for everyone
these ideas are passed on through social institutions
polarisation
2 social classes become even further apart
