Marxism Flashcards
how is Marx different to other positivists?
doesn’t advocate a distanced objectivity
what did Marx believe about society?
had the potential to be a radically different place – free from exploitation, alienation and social inequality
when did Marx enter adulthood?
during the early stages of industrialisation
what is the economic base?
composed of the forces (means) of production and the relations of production
what is the superstructure?
reflects and supports the economic base
what are the forces of production?
raw materials, method of work and production
what are the relations of production?
relations into which people are organised to carry out productive tasks
how did Marx divide the history of societies? (4)
hunter gatherer
societies arranged around slavery
feudal society
capitalism
how did he distinguish between the different modes of production?
Each society has a dominant class relationship and is based on a particular form of exploitation
what happened in hunter gatherer societies?
no ownership of land, primarily egalitarian social relations
what happened in societies arranged around slavery?
highly hierarchical due to relations of production, agriculture, cities begin to form
what happened in feudal societies?
certain people who own land, peasants and surfs who exist on this land and give a percentage of what they own to the Lord, and in return get protection, rise of merchant class at the end which leads to capitalism
what happens in capitalist societies?
marked by certain people owning the means of production and others not, proletariat have to save their labour to exist within the system, exploitation
what are two examples about how the ideology of an era is defined by the economic base?
capitalism - licensing and legally enforcing private property including the means of production
feudal society - religion – the King is in his role due to God
what do the bourgeoise own?
means of production
what do the proletariat own?
their labour
what is a commodity?
object with an exchange value
what is an exchange value?
what could the object be traded for
what is a use value?
related to what the individual can do with the good
what is the labour theory of value?
the value of an object is related to how much labour goes in to creating it
in what ways is a worker alienated?
- Alienation from product
- Alienation from work process itself
- Alienation from other humans
- Alienation from species being
who did Hochschild focus on in the 1983 study?
individuals in hospitality whose job it was to appear happy and friendly
what did Hochschild find?
- Mentally detach themselves from their own feelings
- Workers are becomes enstranged from their feelings
- Even human feelings have become commodified
what is the aim of communism?
to create a form of production and organisation of society in which people can overcome alienation
what do many refugees experience in the UK according to Vickers? (3)
destitution, periodic detention, and the constant psychological stress of threatened deportations
why did the economic crisis happen?
endless extension of credit pursued by the most economically advanced capitalist countries
how did the bailouts massively effect the working and middle classes of many countries?
money paid out by the state is clawed back through significant reductions in the public sector, including cutting essential services and redundancies for tens of thousands of state employees
how did the economic crisis further destabilise the world?
the main imperialist states become more aggressive to advance their interests against their rivals, sometimes resorting to direct military action which displaces many individuals
why are oppressed countries now used to increase international capital investment? (5)
freedom from environmental and planning controls, restrictions on union organisation, low wages, low health and safety standards, and lax controls on tax and repatriation of profits
how is the international reserve army of labour used to oppress the domestic working class?
used as a bargaining power, to cushion employers against shocks
how are the international reserve army of labour oppressed? (6)
a higher rate of exploitation and profit through systematic discrimination,
denial of rights and harassment of ethnic minority labour including underpayment of wages,
unauthorised deductions,
non-compliance with health and safety,
long working hours and
overcrowded, unsafe or otherwise unsuitable housing
why do migrant workers accept these conditions?
while the material conditions of life available to most in their countries of origin are even poorer
how can it be seen that borders are marked by class and capital? (Barber and Lem)
capital can move freely, whilst immigration of those from oppressed nations is still heavily regulated
how are refugees even divided by class? (Bloch)
often only those who have the resources who can flee to a rich imperialist country, and not another oppressed country nearby
how are domestic workers oppressed?
A survey in 2002 found that two thirds of respondents had experienced physical abuse from their employers
why are A8 workers preferred over other migrants? (Datta et al) (2)
for their ‘whiteness’ and on the understanding that they would be more likely to return to their country of origin than people who have travelled greater distances
which countries make up A8?
Czech Republic. Estonia. Hungary. Latvia. Lithuania. Poland. Slovakia. Slovenia
what percentage of requests by A8 workers for tax-funded, income-related benefits were refused by the government in the first quarter of 2010?
71%
how are the migrant workers who work for supermarkets oppressed?
low prices and ‘just in time’ methods lead to dependency on gangmasters for food, work and board, together with threats and intimidation
what number of nurses (out of 20,000) who joined the medical register in 2003- 2004 came from overseas?
15,000
what percentage of those living on the street in London were estimated to be from Eastern and Central Europe in 2009?
20%
