Marxism Flashcards
What type of theory is Marxism?
-Structural-conflict theory
-Society has a direct influence on individuals(There is a social structure that shapes individual behaviour through socialisation)
- social institutions work to create conflict within society
-Sees society as a conflict between 2 main social classes
- the bourgeoisie (m/c and ruling class) and proletariat (w/c and subject class)
-Easier to control as the law and the state supports capitalism-so unlikely to recognise proletariat being exploited in the workplace - inequality
-Produces a false class consciousness - prevents people to see society and keeps the m/c in power.
-the conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat makes society unstable and believes that worker’s revolution will result in the overthrow of capitalism and turns into communism
How does society work from a Marxist viewpoint
-Karl Max
-critiques of capitalism as an economic system
- he doesn’t see change as gradual and smooth but sudden(understand society through scientific method)
-believed capitalism would increase human misery before giving way to a classless communists society
-According to Marx, society is based on a TWO-TIER MODEL.
-This means that society is made up an ECONOMIC BASE-shapes the superstructure(means of production-machinery,raw materials,land,factories etc allow RC to exploit WC)-everything exists to support capitalism and that SUPERSTRUCTURE-maintains & legitimizes the base(education,family,religion,media)-reinforces all ideas and beliefs by ideology
What do Marxists believe is necessary in order for society to improve?
Revolution and the establishment of a communist society
How does capitalism link with the two-tier model
-divisions between the RC VS WC
-ideology
-Helps us understand how society operate to create inequality amongst the WC
-Capitalism generates inequality - as Power of the ruling class means that they own- means of production in society and so have power over the proletariat & financial stability.
-Able to employ proletariat-work at their factories and get paid less then their products they make -what is needed to just keep them alive
-Creates inequality-WC payed unfair wages for their labour & RC are rewarded by gaining a large profit-this continues as WC are dependent on the wage and dont risk losing what lil income they receive-if u refuse such conditions-they are replaced as they are commodity for RC
-Lack of awareness(false consciousness) means that the ruling class can brainwash the proletariat and they doent realise its exploitation -accepts crumbs as others dont have anything & u can still survive
-opposite is class consciousness-they are aware o their exploitation
EVALUATION-Althusser criticises Marx for his simplistic two-tier model
economic determinism
-the view that economic factors such as capitalism are the cause for everything
-ignores humans have free will-can change system
6 Alienation
-Marx believes that our true nature is based on our ability to create things to meet our needs
-occurs when we lose control over our labour and its products;we became disassociated-we dont get the rewards for what we create
-alienation exists in all class societies but specifically within capitalism bc:
-workers dont control the means of production
-the division of labour is intense,the worker is reduced to repeating the same task
-Also alienates them from each other(they are in constant comp with each other for jobs)-by creating alienation amongst the WC-it reduces the risk of them coming together to realise the oppression they face & work together to revolt against he system
1.Historical materialism-what?
materialism is the view that human beings have material needs and must work to meet them using the means of production(things you need to make the staff to survive,land etc)
-in complex societies people work together to meet each others needs,the relations of production(way the are related to each others)
-as societies grow and develop,social classes form a laboring class and a class that owns the means of production
-while working together to meet their needs-they cooperate together-enter social relations of production
-means of production +relations of production=mode of production(capitalism)
-the mode of production forms the economic base(talk abolut it)
Mode of production-Marx
forms the economic base of society which shapes and determines all other features of society-ideas,beliefs,law,education,religion etc
2.Class society and exploitation
-in earliest society there is no ownership,no classes,no exploitations-everyone works & everything is shared-Marx describes this as primitive communism
However forces of production changed and grew &
so diff class society were formed and society changes
-Class society(slave time society)=one class owns the mean of production-enables them to exploit the labour of others for their benefit it also controls societys surplus product(that which is extra need-sell them make profit,extra products left more profits)
2.Class society and exploitation
-Primitive communism
everyone shared everything and we all had to work together to produce things as it was difficult to make tool,food and shelter etc.
-there was no concept of monogomy,marriage,one men and women,or staying in one relationship instead we live in a promiscuous horde(everyone was having sex with each other to have as many children-to surve ensuring species continue)
Class society (marx)
-Marx identifies 3 successive class societies:
-Ancient society(slaves) - based on the exploitation of slaves tied to their owners,powerful class makes sure that they have their children which is there to pass their property,creating the concept of marriage which gave way to a feudal society(serfs)
-Feudal society - based on the exploitation of serfs legally tied to land gave way to a capitalists society(workers)
-Capitalist society - based on the exploitation of free wage labourers,leave the land and move towards working cities
Criticism of Marx
-the two-class model is over-simplistic-we yhave molre worker,more classes
-class polariation hasnt occurred
-gender is more important source of inequality that class
-the middle class has grown taking over wc
Criticism of Marx
Action/interactionists argue that Marxists downplay the role of social actors
(they ignore humans have free will and focus too heavily on a macro approach)This leads to the theory being too deterministic and instead we should analyze society from a micro approach.
3.Capitalism
-has 3 main features
1.proletariat are legally free from means of production,but they have to sell their labour to RC in order to survive bc they dont own means of production and so aren’t bound to the land like serfs are
HOWEVER they arent paid fairly,they arent paid worth what they produce but instead paid subsistence(worth to survive
-this creates surplus value(profit be kept by RC or reinvested in the business)
3.Capitalism
-has 3 main features
2.Through competition between capitalists ownerships of property becomes concentrated in fewer hands(as business competes one loses so the business that wins may buy the other business-so property becomes concerted owed by fewer people)
-small businesses become WC
-WC is improvised through ever lower wages(RC make more profit=pay worker less)
3.Capitalism
-has 3 main features
3.Forces of production continually expand
-technological advancements de-skilled workforce(certain jobs are less necessary and lays off worker,and so roots replace workers leaving them unskilled)
-classes become more polarised
-society becomes divided between workers
4.class consciousness
-bringing RC together creates the condition were WC can develop class consciousness
-marx believes if many workers realize they are exploited they will overthrow capitalism through socialist revolution
The two marxists
-Humanistic Marxists-have some similarities with ACTION THEORIES
-Scientific Marxism-STRUACTURAL APPROACH
Gramsci and Hegemony
-hegemony allows the RC to maintain their position
-
WC must develop their own counter-hegemony to win the leadership of society from the RC
-RC maintain their dominance over society in 2 ways
-coercion
-consent(hegemony)
5.Ideology
-RC control mental production-the production of ideas preventing class consciousness from forming helping to maintain class inequality
-instituitons(education,religion ,media)serve the RC and produce ideas that legitimise the social order as desirable/inevitable
-creates false class consciousness
-but can gain class consciousness and overthrow capitalism
7.The state,Revolution and communism
Marx defined the state as armed bodies of men(controlled by RC)
-the state exists to defend those who control it(RC)
-Any class that wishes to lead a revolution must overthrow the RC
-the WC revolution will be the first by a majority class VS a minority
-abolish the state and create classless communism
-replace private ownership with social ownership
-end alienation
Marx believed that the revolution was imminent and would be in advanced capitalist societies
Gramsci and hegemony
-argues WC must develop their own own counter-hegemony to win against RC
-rejects economic determinism as an explanation;transition from capitalism towards communism will never come as a result of economic forces
-he sees the RC as maintaining its dominance over society in 2 ways
-coercion; army,poice,prisons of the capitalist state to force other classes to accept their rule
-consent(hegemony);uses ideas and values to persuade the WC that its rule are legitimate
hegemony and revolution
-as long as the rest of society accepts RC hegemony there will be no revolution
Gramsci agrees with Marx that RC are able to control the institutions that produce and spread ideas
However, the hegemony of the RC is never complete, for two reasons:
* The ruling class are a minority. To rule, they need to make alliances with other groups, such as the middle classes. They must make compromises in their ideology to include other class
* The WC have a dual consciousness. Their ideas are influenced not only by RC ideology, but also by their material conditions of life - the poverty and exploitation they experience. This means they can ‘see through’ the dominant ideology to some degree.
Therefore there is always the possibility of ruling-class hegemony being undermined,especially at times of economic crisis, when increased poverty of the WC causes them to question the status quo.
However, this will only lead
are able to construct a counter-hegemonic bloc.
In other words, they must be able to create new ideology and moral to lead in society
-In Gramsci’s view, the WC can only win this battle for ideas by producing their own organic intellectuals
-meaning a range of a of class conscious workers, taking form of a revolutionary political party, who are able to create an alternative vision of how society could be run in the future.
-This count by offering a new vision of how society should be organised, based on socialist rather than capitalist values.
Evaluation of Gramsci
-accused of over-emphasizing the role of ideas and under-emphasizing the role of coercion and economic factors
-eg-workers see through RC ideology and wish to overthrow them but are reluctant to do so bc the fear underemployment
-tolerate capitalism bc they have no choice
Althussers structuralist Marxism
Criticisms of the base-superstructure model
In Marx’s original base-superstructure model, society’s economic base determines its superstructure of institutions, ideologies and actions.
Changes in the base causes changes in the superstructure and eventually brings the downfall of capitalism.
Althusser rejects this model in favour of a more complex one, which Craib calls ‘structural determinism’.
In this model, capitalist society has three structures or levels:
* The economic level, activities that involve producing something in order to satisfy a need.
* The political level, all forms of organisation.
* The ideological level, involving the ways that people see themselves and their world.
in Althusser’s model, the political and ideological levels have relative autonomy from the economic level.
The political and ideological levels are not a reflection of the economic level, and they can affect what happens to the economy.
Althussers structuralist Marxism
-the state performs political and ideological functions that ensure the reproduction of capitalism. He divides the state into two ‘apparatuses’:
- The repressive state apparatuses (RSAs) These are the - the army, police, prisons and so on - that coerce the WC into complying with the will of the bourgeoisie. .
- The ideological state apparatuses (ISAs) These include the media, the education system, the family, reformist political parties, trade unions and other institutions. ISAs ideologically manipulate the working class into accepting capitalism as legitimate.
Althusser’s criticisms of humanism
-Craib states society is a puppet theatre, we are puppets, and these structures are the hidden puppet master, determining all our thoughts and actions.
-Althusser is therefore dismissive of humanism, including humanistic Marxists such as Gramsci.
-For structuralist Marxists, our sense of free will, choice and creativity is an illusion-truth is that everything about us is the product of social structures
-Humanists believe that people can use their creativity, reason and free will to Change society.
eg-humanistic Marxists believe that a socialist revolution will come about as a result of the WC developing class consciousness and choosing to overthrow capitalism.
Althusser’s criticisms of humanism
Althusser argues that we are not the free agents that humanists think we are - our belief that we possess free will and choice is simply false consciousness produced by the ideological state apparatuses.
eg.we may believe that education gives us the chance to achieve what we are capable of, but this is an illusion - the ‘myth of meritocracy’.
In reality, we are products of social structures that determine everything about us, preparing us to fit into positions in the structure of capitalism.
in Althusser’s view, socialism will come because of a crisis of capitalism resulting from what Althusser calls over-determination
Evaluation of Althusser
-Thompson criticises Althusser for ignoring the fact that the struggles of the working class change society.
Althusser believed he was developing a scientific analysis of society to help bring about progress to a better society, his structuralist Marxism has been an influence on theories such as postmodernism that reject the very idea that scientific knowledge can be used to improve society.
