marxism

• Marx 


  The earliest human societies were based on primitive communism where all members worked together to obtain what they needed. As societies evolved & a more specialised division of labour developed, so class relationships began to emerge.Capitalism gave rise to two new classes: the bourgeoisie & the proletariat - the bourgeoisie were the ruling class because they owned the means of production that were used to generate wealth. This meant they controlled the political system & cultural institutions that shaped people's ideas, eg. the media.
• Marx - Class conflict


  Argued that thought the bourgeoisie & the proletariat depend on one another, their relationship is also based on conflict or class struggle. While the workers create the wealth of the bourgeoisie, only a fraction of the surplus value that they create comes back to them in wages.
• Marx (Marxism)


  Class conflict
• Inherent contradictions/problems of capitalism that would lead to its downfall- Marxism

  • Polarisation of social classes - the divide between the working class & capitalists would grow steadily wider as the bourgeoisie tried to drive down wages & increase profits
  • Alienation - workers wouldn't be able to find any satisfaction/contentment because they would have no control over their own work
  • Economic crisis - capitalist economies tend to suffer from periodic crises, eventually a crisis would lead to the collapse of the whole capitalist system
• Marx - The overthrow of capitalism


  Argued that the working class had the potential to overthrow capitalism because the workers were in the majority & had only to realise their potential by uniting in a revolution.They had to throw off 'false class consciousness' & become a class for itself.Argued the capitalist class perpetuated an ideology or series of ideas that justified capitalism & its inequalities through the political system, law, mass media, etc.
• Marx - The overthrow of capitalism


  Believed a new economic system called communism would replace capitalism where the means of production would be shared by the whole community. Everyone would be expected to contribute something to society 'according to their ability' & instead of wages would receive what they needed in terms of food, etc 'according to their needs'.So Social classes based on economic inequalities would disappear & communism would result in a classless society.
• Evaluation of Marxism - strengths

  Had a huge influence on political thought & inspired the rise of socialism & communism, leading to revolutions in countries like Russia.
• Evaluation of Marxism 


  Since the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in the 90s - lead many critics to argue that communism as it was practiced in such societies was an even more oppressive system than capitalism & simply didn't deliver what is promised.
• Main criticisms of Marxism

  1. Economic Determinism 2. The Middle class 3. Class consciousness & revolution 4. Success of capitalism
• Economic determinism


  People may think/behave in certain ways for cultural reasons not economic reasons. Marx ignores the importance of other types of inequality.
• The middle class

  • Dismissed the importance of classes situated between the bourgeoisie & proletariat. Critics point out that these classes have grown in size & importance rather than shrank.
• Class consciousness & revolution

  In Western societies, there is little sign of class consciousness; fewer & fewer workers support trade union & support for revolutionary parties has waned since the 80s.
• The success of capitalism

  Capitalist societies seem to have flourished despite their inherent contradictions. In most Western societies, the working class have enjoyed rising living standards & access to wider consumer goods, while the political system of liberal democracy associated with many capitalist societies allows everyone to elect their own governments & enjoy political freedoms & human rights.