Marxism

Question 1

What is capitalism?

Answer 1

An economic system based on the private ownership of business.

Question 2

According to Karl Marx, what two parts is society made of?

Answer 2

The Infrastructure - This is the economy- what happens in the economy affects what happens in the other social institutions.
The superstructure - This is made up of the other social institutions.

Question 3

According to Marx, what is society based on?

Answer 3

Conflict.

Question 4

What is bourgeoisie?

Answer 4

The “owners” of the means of the production.
They are also “ruling class” in society.

Question 5

What is proletariat?

Answer 5

The “workers”, those who do not own the means of production.
They are the “subject” class in society.
They are interested in gaining more money for their labour.

Question 6

What did Engles believe about capitalism?

Answer 6

• Argues people started to live in nuclear families when capitalist societies started.
• Everyone shared and had no private property.
• As technology developed and capitalism emerged people started to own property and so were interested in their legitimate heir.

Question 7

What did engles believe ab women being free?

Answer 7

• Believed women will be free when capitalism ends and there will be no need for nuclear family, no one owns or inherits property.

Question 8

What did Zaretsky say about the family?

Answer 8

• The “private life” of the family is quite separate from the economy and is a haven from the pressure of work.
• However the family cannot cope with the pressures of capitalism, for example money worries are the biggest source of arguments against couples.
• Said women do all hard work in the home.

Question 9

What is unit of consumption?

Answer 9

• Advertisers urge families to compete with friends for latest status symbols, and target children who have “pester power”.
• Children who don’t have the latest toys, clothes and gadgets are stigmatised and disadvantaged e.g having a laptop for schools.
• The family produces and socialises for the next generation of workers.

Question 10

What are strengths of Marxism?

Answer 10

• Identify the ways in which women in particular are exploited by capitalism in their role as ‘producers of children’.
• Show ways in which family acts as consumers e.g Christmas.

Question 11

What are the weaknesses of capitalism?

Answer 11

• Functionalists argue Marxists ignore that real benefits and positive contributions of the family.
• Feminists argue that Marxists underestimate the importance of gender in shaping people’s experience of family. Gender is more important than social class.
• Postmodernists argue that Marxists assume that nuclear family is the dominant and ignore family diversity.