Marxism Flashcards
How do Marxists see society?
It is a capitalists society that is based on unequal conflict between two social classes;
The capitalist class- who own the means of production
The working class- whose labour the capitalists exploit for profit.
What are the 3 main functions that the family performs for capitalism?
Inheritance of property
Ideological functions
A unit of consumption
What do Marxists argue that the key factor determining the shape of all institutions is?
The mode of production- this is who owns and controls society’s productive forces. Tools, machinery, raw material. In a modern the capitalists class own and control these means of production. As the mode of production changes, the family also evolves.
What was the earliest stage of society called?
Primitive communism- during this stage there was no private property, all members of society owned the means of production communally. There was no family, just what Engles called the promiscuous hoard.
What developed as societies wealth increased?
The development of private property.
What did this development change according to Engles?
It brought about the monogamous nuclear family. The family became essential because of the inheritance of property. Men had to be certain of their child’s paternity to ensure they were a legitimate heir. Engles referred to this as a ‘world of historical defeat for women’
According to Zaretsky, how does the family perform ideological functions?
By offering an apparent ‘haven’ from the harsh and exploitive world of capitalism outside in which workers can be themselves and have a private life. But Zaretsky argues this is an illusion- the family cannot meet its members needs. For example it is based on the domestic servitude of women. The family cushions the effects of capitalism, but it perpetuates the system.
According to Zaretsky, how is the family a unit of consumption?
The family plays a major role in generating profits for capitalists since it is an important market for the sale of consumer goods by:
Advertisers urge families to ‘keep up with the Jones’ but consuming the latest products
The media target children, who use ‘pester power’ to persuade parents to spend more
Children who lack the latest clothes or must have gadgets are mocked and stigmatised by their peers
Evaluation of Marxism
Marxists tend to assume that the nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society/ they ignore the variety of family structures doing in society today
Feminists- Marxists emphasis on class and capitalism underestimates the importance of gender inequalities in the family. The nuclear family primarily serves the interests of men, not capitalism.
