Theories Marxism Flashcards
How does Marxism differ from functionalism?
- The conflict of interest - reject the view that the social structure is a harmonious one bases value consensus. It is actually based on a conflict of economic interests between social classes of unequal power and wealth
- Instability and change -society is not a stable, there is the possibility of sudden, profound and revolutionary change. We only have stability because the dominant class are able to impose their will on society
Karl marx
- looked at the harm being cause by a modern industrial society as well as the promise it could bring
- Believed society could be understood from a scientific perspective - scientific socialism
- part of the enlightenment project
- didn’t see progress as smooth or gradual rather that it was a contradictory process by which capitalism would increase human misery and society would then evolve into a classless communist one
- his ideas helped from the basis of communism
Historical materialism
- humans need material items such as foods clothing and shelter
- material needs are met through work
- forces/means of production
- we currently live in a society with a capitalist mode of production. The mode of production forms the economic base of society.
Unaided human labour
Earliest stage of human history used unaided labour to meet the needs of production
Social relations of production
Over time tools are made to assist with production. Humans cooperate with one another to meet their needs
Division of labour develops
As the forces of production grow and develop, the social relations of product change. Creates a division of two classes:
- those that own the means of production
- those that are the labourers
Class society and exploitation
- in the earliest human history there were no class
- everyone works, everyone shares - PRIMITIVE COMMUNISM
- forces of production grows = different classes develop
- in a class society one class owns the means of production
- enables exploitation of others for own benefit. Control of surplus product - difference between what workers produce and what is needed to keep them alive and working
Class society and exploitation
There are 3 types of class societies
1. Ancient society - exploitations of slaves legally bound to owners
2. Feudal society - exploitation of serfs legally tied to the land
3. Capitalist society - exploitation of free wage labourers
Capitalism
Based on division between class of owners
3 features of capitalism -
1. Proletariat legally free from means of production. However they have to sell their labour power to the bourgeoisie in return for wages = survival. Not an equal exchange
2. Completion between capitalist means the means of production become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Also forces capitalists to pay lowest wage possible = immiseration of proletariat
3. Continually expands the forces of production in pursuit of profit production concentrated in larger units, technological advances de skill workforce.
Class consciousness
- capital sows the seeds of its own destruction
- by bringing the proletariat together in larger numbers the proletariat develop a consciousness of their own - class consciousness
- proletariat become aware of their situation and the need to change it and otherthrow capitalism
Ideology
- class that owns means of production own the mental production or the production of ideas
- dominant ideas of society are the ideas of the dominant class (economically)
- institutions that create and spread the ideas serve the dominant class by producing ideologies that legitimise existing social order as inevitable or desirable
- creates false consciousness but this can be charged when workers develop class consciousness
Alienation
- true nature is based on our ability to create things to meet our needs
- alienation = loss of control over our labour and its products
- alienation happens in capitalist societies for 2 reasons:
1. Workers are separated from and have no control over the forces of production
2. Division of labour is at its most intense and detailed - mindlessly repeating a meaningless task
State, revolution and communism
- state = armed of men (army. Police, prisons, courts etc)
- state exists to protect the interests of the class of openers who control it = ruling class
- previous revolutions have been one minority class overthrowing another
- proletarian revolution = first revolution by the majority against the minority
- it will abolish the state and create a classes communist society. Abolish exploitation, replace private ownership, replace production for profit with production to satisfy human need. End alienation as humans regain control of their labour and its products
Criticism of Marx
- simplistic, one dimensional view of inequality - class. Weber argues that Staus and power differences are also important feminists argue that gender is a more important factor in inequality
- two class model is too simplistic. Proletariat can be divided further into skilled and unskilled classes. Includes white collar middle class workers
- class polarisation hasn’t happened. Middle class has expanded, working class has shrunk in Western societies. In other countries Proletariat is growing due to globalisation.
Why has capitalism continued?
The absence of revolutions in the west has led marxist to reject the economic determinism of the base superstructure put forward by Marx. New approaches have tried to explain why capitalism has presisted and how it might be overthrown
