Marxist Theory

Question 1

Who?

Answer 1

Karl Marx and Louis Althusser are Modernist, Structural Conflict Theorists while Antonio Gramsci is a Humanist Conflict Theorist

Question 2

Karl Marx: Key Ideas

Answer 2

 Two classes - Bourgeois - Proletariat
 Relationship between them is Exploitation/ Surplus Value
 The Base (economy) determines the Superstructure (all other institutions)
 The ruling class have ideological control through the superstructure
 The proletariat exist in false consciousness
 The fundamental problem with Capitalism is that it causes alienation
 Revolution is inevitable because the iron law of Capitalism is that exploitation must carry on
increasing.
 Communism is the final stage of societal evolution (the abolition of private property)
 The purpose of research is to find out more about the laws of Capitalism to see when
revolution is ripe.

Question 3

Antonio Gramsci: Humanistic Marxism

Answer 3

 Criticised Marx because he thought individuals are more active, not passive
 Introduced the concept of Hegemony – Ruling class maintain power through Coercive and
Hegemonic control
 Ruling class hegemonic control is never complete because they are too few and they have the
proletariat have dual consciousness – they can see through Bourgeois ideology.
 To bring about social change the proletariat needs its own organic intellectuals to develop a
counter-hegemony – a realistic alternative to Communism, to lead people to Socialism.

Question 4

Louis Althusser: Scientific Marxism

Answer 4

 Criticised Marx – There are three levels of control: economic, political, and ideological. The Bourgeois maintain control on all three levels and they all reinforce each other.
 They maintain control through the Repressive state apparatus – the army
 More importantly – the Ideological state apparatus – everything else, most obviously education
and the media.
 Criticised humanistic Marxism – structure determines everything, people are incapable of
having genuinely revolutionary ideas within the existing Capitalist system
 Capitalism needs to collapse before socialism comes about.

Question 5

Overall Evaluations of Marxism (positive) Eight Ways in which Marxism might still be relevant today

Answer 5

 Transnational Capitalist Class (Sklaire)
 Global Exploitation by TNCs (Wallerstein’s WST)
 Evidence of elite control of superstructure – Independent schools links
 Ideological Control – Agenda Setting and Jeremy Corbyn
 Advertising and False Needs
 Alienation – Amazon!
 Contradictions in Capitalism – David Harvey
 Marxism Conference – Organic Intellectuals?

Question 6

Overall Evaluations of Marxism (negative) Criticisms of Marxism

Answer 6

X – More complex class structure
X – Capitalism is less exploitative (welfare state)
X – Relative autonomy
X – Postmodernism – people are free, not under false consciousness
X – Work is less alienating for self-employed people X – Scientific Marxism is economically deterministic (Interactionism)
X – Failure of communism in Eastern Europe
X – It is a metanarrative (Postmodernism)