Marxism

• What type of theory are Marxists and why?

  Conflict theory because they are critical of society and think that it isn't 'fair'
• Feudalism


  All wealth is in the form of land which is owned by a monarch who shares it out to aristocrats who rent it to peasants. There is no social mobility as our positions are decided from birth
• Capitalism

  Monarch's and Aristocrats's power was replaced by power of people who worked in industry, even thought the working class jobs were exploitative and underpaid.

  • The Bourgeoisie - all powerful in society, control media, government etc.
  • The Proletariat - working class who make profit through their work but are exploited by the wealthy so have a small profit
• Marxists believe capitalism is an unjust system that will inevitably be replaced by a fairer system.
• What is Communism according to Marx?

  A system where everyone willingly contributes, whilst taking only what they need from society.
• According to Marx, institutions exist to...

  Either

  1. Force proletariat to keep working + being exploited
  2. Trick the proletariat into thinking the system is fair
• Evaluating Marxists


  Overly Pessimistic - functional sociologists view at least some of societies institutions as positive

  Historically inaccurate - no state has gone through marx's 3 stages, with some skipping capitalism (USSR) and some 'stuck' in capitalism (UK)

  Economic determinism - too focussed on wealth, feminists argue that oppressions are based on gender instead/
• Hegel's dialectic


  Marx uses this to explain how history moves through different stages and will eventually move to a communist state. Called historical materialism as history develops on the basis of material goods
• Humanistic Marxism : Gramsci


  Argues that people choose to live under capitalism, but only because we don't know of any alternatives. We see non-capitalist options as oppressive and restricting.
• Gramsci's Centaur


  The human front is the state institutions that convince us capitalism is best. The horse back is the force that can be used to make us accept capitalism.
• Evaluating Gramsci

  Functionalists (Parsons) argue that the media reflect societies values rather than enforcing them, as they are a product of consensus not capitalism.
• Scientific Marxism : Althusser


  Believes that choice is an illusion, and ISA and RSA prevent anyone from making a choice. This hasn't changed from Marx's time and never will.
• Evaluating Althusser

  Fails to add anything to Marx's theory, and downplays the role of free will, treating the proletariat as a group who are steered by forces outside their control.
• The Frankfurt School : Adorno


  Classic version of Neo-Marxism, studied the reasons people support fascists using the 'authoritarian personality'. Applies to capitalism as people are turned towards it because they don't know anything else and need to survive.
• The Frankfurt School : Habermas


  We are convinced we need things in capitalist society. There is a split between 'real needs' and 'false needs', where a false need is the need for authoritarian leaders to keep us safe.
• Evaluating The Frankfurt School

  Impossible to measure, define or observe. It's bad sociology as the theories are completely untestable. A positivist like Durkhiem would argue that if theories can't be tested objectively, they should be assumed to be false.
• Poststructural Marxism : Zizek


  Capitalism has created a world so full of symbols that everything is effectively meaningless. We can't understand the world or decode its meanings.

  This has led to a desire to return to a more animalistic, uncivilised era. The world is dominated by 'the symbolic' and we want to return to 'the real' which is reflected in our attraction to violence