Marxism Flashcards

1
Q

Where to Situate Classical Marxism:

A

Marx as Marx wrote Marx: Foundational ontology, mixed epistemology, critical realism.
Economic determinism, materialism, and “false consciousness” mark classical Marxism as ontologically foundationalist.
Epistemologically, it follows a mixed profile, combining critical realism.
Social/political phenomena and structures can explain behavior, shared with positivists.
Not all relevant phenomena can be directly observed/measured, aligning with interpretivists.

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2
Q

Capitalism as Rising Exploitation:

A

Capitalism as a mode of production where the bourgeoisie exploits the proletariat.
The drive for profit leads to ever greater total wealth and extreme exploitation.

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3
Q

Capitalism as Rising Alienation:

A

Alienation from products of labor, from each other, and from the workers’ species-being.
Specialization contributes to alienation.

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4
Q

Economic Materialism (Social Science Marxist):

A

The economic base determines the superstructure (political, legal, ideological, and cultural).
Capitalist economic base includes the mode of production and technologies.
False consciousness: The ruling class’s ideas dominate, promoting ideology against the proletariat’s objective interests.

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5
Q

What is Historical Materialism? And the relation to Revolution?

A

The history of society is the history of class struggles.
Communism requires capitalism.
Rising wealth and exploitation lead to rising alienation, sparking a socialist revolution.

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6
Q

Classical Marxism Recap:

A

Follows foundationalist ontology and critical realist epistemology.
Marx’s materialism, economic determinism, and “false consciousness” reflect an ontologically foundationalist approach.
Challenged by events like the Russian Revolution and thinkers like Gramsci.

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7
Q

The Russian Revolution 1917-1923

A

Mensheviks vs. Bolsheviks on the readiness for a socialist revolution.
Bolsheviks emphasized the role of contingency, Mensheviks saw a skipping. of industrial capitalism.
Socialism’s relation to capitalism questioned.

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8
Q

Gramsci and Hegemony:

A

Gramsci elevated the importance of ideology.
Ideological control by the bourgeoisie through hegemony.
Focus on ideology allows more scope for revolutionary agency.

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9
Q

Marx(ism) and (Inter)nationalism:

A

Marx and Engels predicted capitalism eroding nationalism.
Support for internationalism became conditional based on geopolitical factors.
Marxist support for national self-determination in the post-colonial context.
Imperialism, globalization, and core-periphery relations in Marxist analysis.

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10
Q

Relation between Marxism and Post-colonialism (and tension)

A

Some post-colonial actors embraced Marxist or neo-Marxist perspectives.
Analyzing colonial relations through concepts like alienation, false-consciousness, and hegemony.
Tension between Marxist historical materialism/universalism and intersectional perspectives in post-colonial contexts.

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