Marxist viewpoints

• What is the Superstructure

  .made up of other social institutions

  .maintains and legitimises the infrastructure ,culture ,ideology ,norms and identities social institutions the state
• What is the Infrastructure

  what happens in the economy that affects what happens in the other social institutions ,bases the base superstructure
• What is the Bourgeoisie

  the ruling class in Marx's theory of class struggle under capitalism

  .the property owning class who own the means of production and employ and employ the proletariot

  .Marxists argue that the bourgeoise maintains its power through ideology as well as oppression and believe proletariat should revolt
• What is Proletariat

  the working class who are employed and exploited by bourgeoisie, suffer from false class consciousness often accept their own exploitation as ineveitable
• What is surplus value in production?

  The difference in value of something prior to the production process and the value of it at the end e.g price of raw material and the subsequent price of manufactured item.
• What is false class consciousness?

  Proletariat accepts bourgeois rule as normal ,despite being exploited they consider it unavoidable because bourgeoisie transmit their ideology through social institutions
• What does ruling class ideology disguise?

  The true nature of class society
• What is the outcome of revolution according to Marx?

  Workers overthrow capitalism and establish communism
• What did Marx predict about workers gaining class consciousness?

  They would realize their exploited situation
• What would the rise of workers lead to according to Marx?

  The overthrow of capitalist masters
• What is the new economic system proposed by Marx?

  A system based on communal ownership
• What does Marx mean by "the end of history"?

  No need for further economic changes
• How can global inequalities be explained?

  Through a Marxist analysis of exploitation
• What is a criticism of Marxism regarding its focus?

  It overlooks gender and ethnicity factors
• What do Neo-Marxists criticize about Marx's theory?

  Economic determinism ignores other factors
• What change in capitalist societies did Marx not account for?

  The rapid growth of the middle class
• What is the significance of social institutions in Marx's theory?

  They transmit ruling class ideology
• What is the role of ideology in class society?

  It distorts the true nature of society
• How does Marxism view the relationship between class and history?

  Class struggle drives historical change
• What are workers alienated from

  .products of their labour

  .from their own labour power

  .from each other

  .from themselves
• How do workers become alienated from the products of their labour

  .claimed by capitalists to be sold as products on the marketplace for profit ,while workers only receive a fraction of this profit as wages
• How do workers become alienated from their own labour power

  .They have to work as and when required and to perform the tasks set by their employers
• How do workers become alienated from each other

  .they are encouraged to complete with each other for jobs
• How do workers become alienated from themselves

  .there is nothing that ties a worker to their labour ,there is no longer a sense of self ,a person is simply a cog in the machine.
• What is The Marxists view on society

  .society is based on conflict between classes driven by capitalism
• What is the Marxist view on social order

  .social order is imposed by the ruling class to maintain control and conflict
• What is the Marxist view on social institutions

  .Institutions are tools of the ruling class to exploit and control the working class
• What is the Marxist view on social change

  .Social change is revolutionary ,driven by class struggle and the overthrow of capitalism
• What is the Marxist view on capitalism

  .critiques capitalism as inherently exploitative and oppressive,leading to alienation and inequality
• What is an ideology

  .a set of ideals and beliefs
• What is the conflict of interest between employers and employees

  .Anything that is good for the employer is bad for the employee

  .employers employ people to benefit themselves

  .the work you do is worth more to them than the amount theypay you
• What is the most important aspect of society and why according to marxists

  CAPITALIST IDEOLOGY

  .it shapes the way of life of a society

  .most of us are unaware of our real identity as exploited and oppressed workers, expirience ‘false class consciousness’

  .mass media convinces us to buy more material goods
• Explain the difference between the bourgeoisie and proletariat and why they're in conflict

  .capitalism divides everyone in 2 classes (bosses and workers)

  .in conflict because of ruling class benefits in every way from how society operates

  .society is based on an exploitative and unequal relationships between 2 economic classes
• What is the problem with profit

  .they fuel the greatest inequalities in wealth and income between the ruling and working class

  .the differences between the value of the goods and services produced by the worker anf the wages pair is pocketed by the capitalist class and lies at the heart of the vast profits made by many employers
• What is ideology

  the idea that the working class rarely challenge capitalism because those who control the economy also control the family ,education ,media and religion
• How are the working class convinced of meritocracy

  They are persuaded to accept their lot and may even be convinced that capitalism has provided them with a decent standard of living
• What is False Class Consciousness

  .Failure to recognise the inequalities and exploitation which are the norm in the capitalist system

  .this means most of us are aware of our real identity as exploited and oppressed workers