Marxism Flashcards
outline the structure of Marxist society
- its built on an economic base (capitalism)
- society/ institutions (the superstructure) are formed to maintain capitalism
outline the alienation of the working class
- capitalism alienates the working class from their produce, as they’ll never be able to afford the goods they produce
- w/c are also alienated form each other; as they’re in constant competition with each other int he employment market
- this reduces the risk of a revolt
outline the concept of a revolution
- Marx states that when the w/c develop a class-consciousness they will revolt against the system to restore society to a Communist state
define class consciousness
- the understanding of ones oppression within society
outline pre modern society
before the industrial revolution, there was the pre-modern society;
- was based on agriculture
- the feudal lord (noble who owned the land) exercised political, economic and judicial judgement - even if money played a small role in rural life
- land was the main source of substantial wealth and so was a motive force of the ruling class
- aim of production was consumption - not accumulation
- was a strong collective consciousness
outline modern society
post industrial revolution, is modern society;
- cities + their populations grew - as did poverty, crime and other social issues
- people now work to generate money for themselves + produce goods for the owner of the means for production (bourgeoisie) in return for a salary
- workers have to take on low-paid roles
- modern production maximises output + minimises cost (profit is key)
- with the era of enlightenment, people looked to rational thought
outline the case study of Grenfell Tower
- the Grenfell Tower is based in Chelsea; one of the most affluent areas
- killed 72/350 residents
- the fire was due to the less safe - but cheaper - materials used in its construction (flammable cladding) which enabled the fire to spread quicker
- Laws around construction were ambiguous and allowed loopholes for cheaper construction
- constructors of the block are also to blame as they cut corners to spend less money; profit is key and comes at the danger of the w/c
outline the case study of the Rana Plaza
- a Bangladesh factory producing fast fashion collapsed - killing 1,100 people
- after years of protest, murder charges were filed to those involved in forcing workers to work after a crack in the structure
- consumers of fast fashion must acknowledge their contribution to the continuity of w/c exploitation
outline the strengths of Marxism
- in PM society, there is still the 1% who exploit the poor
- globalisation allows for exploitation across boarders
- white collar crimes are ignored
- crumb analogy: ruling class feeds the w/c just enough to work without revolting
outline a limitation of Marxism
- w/c still have access to the welfare state
outline Gramsci’s view of why revolution hasnt happened
- is a humanist/ critical Marxist
- revolution / communism hasn’t yet occurred due to the control over our ideas
- the hegemony/ dominant ideology in society is to benefit the ruling class and so that we don’t question our oppression
- a revolution cant happen without a class consciousness (awareness of oppression)
outline Gramsci’s view of how a communist revolution can happen
- there must be a counter hegemonic bloc - where an organic intellectual (class conscious leader) will bring about an ideological revolution
- the hegemony of the ruling class isn’t complete as they are the minority and so we have to create a power bloc/ ally with the m/c
- as the proletariat has a dual consciousness (seeing the oppression to an extent), there’s hope
outline 2 criticisms of Gramsci
- they overplay the role of ideology + underplay the role of cohesion
- many are aware of their exploitation but wont revolt due to fear of consequences
outline Althusser’s view
- he is a structural Marxist and thinks that ideology alone wont change anything
- the structure of society is what enables capitalism - not actions
- free will is a myth produced by ISAs
outline Althusser’s view of society’s structure
- society is made up of 3 levels that have relative autonomy (independence)
- the economic, poltiical and ideological level
- a collapse in one level means the others will still exist
- this explains why capitalism has survived in many western countries