Sociology-theory and methods-Marxism Flashcards
How is Marxism similar to Durkheim’s functionalist ideas?
Like Durkheim, Marx saw both harm caused by the modern industrial society that was taking shape in 19th century Europe, and the promise of progress to a better world that it held. Also like Durkheim, Marx believed it was possible to understand society scientifically and this knowledge would point the way to a better society-he described his theory as ‘scientific socialism’. In these ways, Marxism is a continuation of the Enlightenment project
How does Marxism differ from functionalism?
Unlike functionalists, Marx did not see progress as a smooth and gradual evolution. Instead he saw historical change as a contradictory process in which capitalism would increase human misery before giving way to a classless communist society in which human beings would be free to fulfil their potential
How was Marx described?
He was not just a theorist; he was also a revolutionary socialist. As he himself wrote, ‘philosophers have merely interpreted the world; the point, however, is to change it’. In other words, the classless society would need to be brought into being by conscious human action
What happened after Marx’s death?
After his death, Marx’s ideas came to form basis of communism, a political movement that was enormously influential in shaping the modern world, and Marxism became the official doctrine of the former Soviet Union and other communist states
What were Marx’s seven key ideas
Historical materialism, class society and exploitation, capitalism, class consciousness, ideology, alienation, and the state, revolution and communism
What is historic materialism?
Materialism=humans have material needs eg food/clothing/shelter, so have to work to meet them. Forces of production used to do this. Earliest stage of human history was unaided human labour, but then developed tools/machines to assist. Humans also cooperate with each other in working to meet needs. Social relations of production-ways of organising production. Over time forces of production grow and develop and social relations of production change. Division of labour develops eventually bringing division between two classes-working and ruling classes. Production is then directed by the ruling class to meet own needs. Marx refers to forces/relations of production together as the m ode of production eg currently we live in a society with a capitalist mode of production which forms the economic base of society that shapes/determines the superstructure
What is class society and exploitation?
Earliest stage of human history=no classes/private ownership/exploitation-everyone works and everything is shared. Marx called this ‘primitive communism’. But as forces develop, different types of class society come/go. In class societies one class own means of production and exploit the other and in particular they control society’s surplus product. Marx identifies three successive class societies: ancient society (based on exploitation of slaves legally tied to their owners), feudal society (based on exploitation of serfs legally tied to the land), and capitalist society (based on exploitation of free wage labourers)
What is capitalism?
Based on class divisions (proletariat and bourgeoisie). Proletariat are legally free but wages are not an equal exchange-bourgeoisie keep surplus value. Competition between capitalists means ownership of means of production becomes concentrated-fewer own more causing immiseration of the proletariat . Capitalism continually expands forces of production in pursuit of profit-production becomes concentrated while technological advances de-skill the workforce. Concentration of ownership and deskilling of proletariat produces class polarisation-minority capitalist class and majority working class
What is class consciousness?
Marx-capitalism sows seeds of own destruction eg by polarising classes, bringing the proletariat together in even-larger numbers, and diving down their wages, capitalism creates the conditions under which working class can develop a consciousness of its own economic and political interests in opposition to those of its exploiters. As a result, proletariat moves from being a class in itself to a class for itself whose members are class conscious-aware of need to overthrow capitalism
What is ideology?
Marx-class that owns means of production also owns/controls means of mental production-production of ideas. Dominant ideas in society are the ideas of the economically dominant class. Institutions produce and spread these ideas such as religion, education and media, all serve dominant class by producing ideologies (sets of ideas/beliefs that legitimate existing social order as desirable/inevitable. Ideology fosters a false consciousness in subordinate classes and helps sustain class inequality. However, as capitalism impoverishes workers, they develop class consciousness. They see through capitalist ideology and are conscious of their true position as ‘wage slaves’
What is alienation?
Marx-our true nature is based on capacity to create things to meet needs. Alienation is result of loss of control over our labour/its products and therefore our separation from our true nature. Alienation exists in all class societies as owners control production process for own needs. However under capitalism alienation reaches its peak as workers are completely separated from/have no control over forces of production, and the division of labour is at its most intense and detailed (worker reduced to an unskilled labourer mindlessly repeating a meaningless task). Marx also sees religion as originating in the alienation of human labour
What is the state, revolution and communism?
Marx defines state as ‘armed bodies of me’ (army/prisons/courts etc). State exists to protect interests of class owners who control it. Form the ruling class and use state as a weapon in class struggle to protect their property, suppress opposition and prevent revolution. Any class that wishes to lead a revolution/become economically dominant must overthrow existing ruling class. The proletarian revolution that overthrows capitalism will be the first revolution by the majority against the minority. It will abolish the state/create classless communist society, abolish exploitation, replace private ownership with social ownership, and replace production for profit with production to satisfy human needs, and it will end alienation as humans regain control of their labour/its products
How has Marx’s predictions of revolution led to debate among Marxists?
He predicted the ultimate victory of the proletarian revolution and the establishment of communist society on a world scale. He expected the revolution to occur first of all in the most advanced capitalist societies. However, he wrote relatively little about exactly how the revolution would come about
What two parts of Marx’s views have been criticised?
Marx’s view of class, and economic determinism
Why has Marx’s view of class been criticised?
Simplistic, one dimensional view of inequality as he sees class as the only important division. Weber argues status and power differences can also be important sources of inequality, independently of class eg power elite can rule without actually owning means of production (Soviet Union). Feminists argue gender is a more fundamental source of inequality. Marx’s two-class model is simplistic-Weber sub-divides the proletariat into skilled and unskilled classes, and includes a white collar middle class of office workers and a petty bourgeoisie (small capitalists). Also class polarisation has not occurred, instead of middle class being swallowed up by expanding proletariat, it has grown and the industrial working class has shrunk in Western countries (though the proletariat is grown in China/India due to globalisation)
