Marxism Flashcards
What are the processes of historical change a reflection of…
a reflection of the economic development of society.
economic development is the motor of history.
What is the central tension that Marx identifies?
tension between means of production and relations of production. They form economic base of society.
How do means of production develop?
They develop through technological advancement
What happens when means of production develop?
previous relations of production become outmoded. Leads to a process of social change, relations of production are transformed in order to better accommodate new configuration of means.
What does Marxist also focus on (main thing)
Class and class struggle plays a key role in marxist analysis.
What is society systematically prone to?
It is systematically prone to class conflict, unlike liberals belief that groups have a natural harmony.
What is the main class conflict between?
The owner of the means of production (bourgeouois) and working for the means of production. (proletariat)
The proletariat are exploited by the dominant.
How will we get emancipation?
through understanding the workings of the capitalist society, we can get emancipated from this exploitative system. replace it with a community society.
Who is world systems theory associated with?
Immanuel Wallerstein.
When did the world system emerge?
It emerged in Europe at around the 16th century.
Expanded to include whole world
What drove this expansion of the world system?
The driving force was capitalism.
What were the three components.
Periphery, semi periphery and core.
What is the semi periphery like?
semi periphery has characteristics of the core and characteristics of the periphery.
Write the 6 points for the core?
- Democratic government
- High wages
- Import; raw materials
- export; manufacturers
- high investment
- Welfare services.
Write the 5 points for the periphery
- non democratic governments
- Below subsistence wages.
- Import; manufactures
- Export; raw materials
- No welfare services.
Write the 5 points for the semi periphery
- Authoritarian govt
- low wages
- export; ‘mature manufacturers and raw materials’
- Import: manufactures and raw materials
- Low welfare services.
What economic role does the semi periphery have? (( 2 main things)
Provides a source of labour, prevents wages getting too high in the core (as jobs to semi periphery.)
provides a new home for those industries that can no longer function profitably in core e.g. core.
How are the three zones linked together?
They are linked together in an exploitative relationship in which wealth is drained away from periphery to the core.
Describe entrenchment of the positions.
The positions are deeply entrenched, entrenchment of inequality; rich gets richer, while poor became poorer.
What was the key question that dominated by Gramsci?
Why had it proven to be so difficult to promote revolution in western Europe.
Where did Marx predict revolution would first happen?
Where did it actually happen?
in the most advanced capitalist societies.
In reality; it was bolsheviks of backward Russia that revolted.
What was Gramsci answer?
revolved around his use of concept of hegemony, reflected his idea of power.
What animal did he use to develop his view of power?
as a centaur; half beast, half man.
half coercion, half consent.
Had Marx committed to consent?
What kept the alienated from rising up despite being a majority?
No, he just focused on coercive powers of the state, it was simply coercion that kept exploited and alienated majority from rising up.
