marxism

• Marxism - a conflict theory that suggest that society is in conflict between certain groups - social classes
• Marxism - Alienation means the process whereby the worker is made to feel foreign to the products of his/her own labour
• Marxism - False class consciousness means the way that the proletariat are led to believe their oppression by the bourgeoise is normal and that if they work hard they can become the bourgeoisie
• Marxism - five stages of society MARX

  1. primitive communism - classless society
  2. feudal society - landowners V peasants
  3. capitalist society - bourgeoise V proletariat
  4. socialism - government owners V workers
  5. communism - classless society
• Marxist structure of a capitalist society

  A) superstructure

  B) means of production

  C) relations of productions

  
• marxism - the features of capitalist society

  1. the proletariat are legally free and separated from the means of production
  2. competition between capitalists lead to the means of production becoming concentrated
  3. the proletariat do not receive the value of their goods that their labour produces but only the cost of subsistence
• marxism - the features of communist society

  1. collective ownership of the means of production and abolish of production for profit
  2. stateless and classless society
  3. reclaiming control over the workers labour and products they create
• Marxism AO3

  • over simplified
  • economic determinism
  • lack of revolution
  • out of date
• Marxism AO3

  Oversimplified

  • marx focuses solely on class divisions within society but Weber suggests that inequality can be caused by power and status independently of class structures
  • feminists - there is more inequality between genders
  • two class system is over simplistic - 7 different classes
• marxism AO3

  Economic determinism

  • Marx's whole system is based on economics - economic factors are the sole cause of everything in society
  • WEBER - marxism ignores the role of ideas in social change - Calvinisms role
• marxism AO3

  Lack of revolution

  • revolution that Marx said would cause the development to a communist society has yet to occur - Marx was vague on the conditions that would eventually lead to this revolution
  • state revolution would occur in the most advance capitalist societies and yet it has been the most backward countries - Russia
• marxism AO3

  Out of date

  • capitalism has become less explorative than it was during the Industrial Revolution
  • Keynesian economics has led to more government oversight of business and the development of welfare states
  • a number of social institutions have become autonomous from the bourgeoisie - media critical of the elite