Week 4 & 5 - Marx Flashcards
As per Marx, what are the two classes in capitalism?
- Bourgeoisie; own the means of production
- Proletariat; do not own the means of production and must, therefore, sell their labour power to the bourgeoisie to survive
How is capitalism viewed under Marx’s paradigm of historical materialism?
- the economic relationships and social order we form under capitalism are fundamentally incompatible with human nature
- under capitalism humans are unable to achieve their full potential, or reach the ideal development called ‘species-being’
- capitalism is oppressive and exploits the proletariat
- because the worker is reduced to a commodity, he is devalued both as a person (objectification) and as a worker (estrangement)
Explain the paradigm of historical materialism.
- focuses on the “connection between the concrete economic relationships among people and the broad patterns of social order that emerge from them in specific eras
- focuses on real individuals, their activity and the material conditions under which they live
What is an ideology?
-a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy
Work under capitalism results in 4 types of alienation:
- Alienation from the product of labour.
- Alienation from the process of labouring.
- Alienation from species-life (nature), and thus, from oneself.
- Alienation from species-being, and thus, others (other workers).
Why does Marx propose communism/revolution as the only solution to alienation caused by capitalism?
-suggestions for social change that do not address
private property and wages are inadequate
-real change would require the eradication of private property and also of wages
What are Marx’s arguments for the eradication of wages?
- Marx sees wages as the capitalist buying the worker’s labour power
- labour is therefore a commodity, but its quantitative value is separate from from the actual experience of working, and also separate from the product of their labour, ex. price of product has little to do with labour involved in making product
- ex. 1 hour of labour = $15, but $15 also = 3 yards of linen, 1 pair of shoes, 1 chicken
- The bourgeoisie are for the growth of their capital and interests, which for Marx, is in direct conflict to the interests of the proletariat, ex. bourg. make more capital if they reduce wages
What is Marx’s critique on the increased use of machines in the production process?
- machines are useful to the bourgeoisie as they increase production rates and therefore profit
- but for the proletariat, they take away jobs and reduce the need for skilled labourers, lead to increased competition b/w workers
What are the 4 stages in the historical progression of historical materialism?
- Feudalism; rule of kings over peasants
- Capitalism; rule of the bourgeoisie over the proletariat
- Socialism; dictatorship of the proletariat
- Communism
Explain the process of the proletariat forming a class consciousness (a “class in itself” to a “class for itself’)
- workers first become conscious of sharing common grievances against capitalists, thus forming a class “in itself”
- they eventually develop an awareness of themselves as forming a social class opposed to the bourgeoisie, thus becoming a class “for itself”, aka the proletariat
According to Marx, what is cause the transition to socialism?
- the bourgeoisie will continue to increase their profits through the exploitation of the proletariat under capitalism
- eventually the proletariat incite a revolution to overthrow a system that supports their poor treatment
What are Marx’s arguments for the eradication of private property?
- the class that controls the material forces also controls the intellectual life of society
- therefore, the equal distribution of the means of production, means the end of capitalist oppression and exploitation
Why is the mode of production so important to Marx?
- the mode of production is tied to 1.) the nature of individuals, and 2.) the material conditions
- it is human nature that people express themselves through their labour, but under capitalism the proletariat work to survive and are separated from the mode of production, they are objectified and estranged
- the proletariat are economically and psychologically impacted by the division of labour
What was Marx and Engels’ message in the Manifesto of the Communist Party?
- Sought to spread awareness of the problems with capitalism and explain class struggle to the proletariat
- Explains how the transition from feudalism to capitalism has created industry and world capitalism for the benefit of the bourgeoisie.
- Claims that politics and the state (the government) are structured to support the bourgeoisie and ensure their dominant position, the bourgeoisie have used their power to recreate society to benefit them
- The destruction of capitalism will be achieved by the proletariat, who wield power, a call to action
- “Its [the bourgeoisie’s] fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable”
Why is reflexivity critical to achieving social change (Marx)?
- because social change always builds on previous structures and these structures vary, we must be aware of past mistakes and not reliving them
- Marx is critical of revitalizing heroes, legacies and ideas from the past for inspiration during the revolution, because to use the same heroes and ideas runs the risk of re-implementing the ‘dominant ideology.’
- ex. French Revolution, 3 stages
