Karl Marx - Key Facts Flashcards
What is Marx’s perspective?
Marxist perspective.
Which two key aspects did Marx identify?
The means of production and the social relations of production.
Means of Production
The materials used in production.
Capital, big businesses, machinery, land and factories.
Social Relations of Production
The relations between people as they engage in production.
Under capitalism, the two main social classes are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
Mode of Production
Refers to the way people produce the means of their subsistence. It’s how things get done.
Bourgeoisie
The minority capitalist or ruling class. Owns the means of production and private property.
Proletariat
The majority working class. Own nothing other than their ability to work as wage labourers.
Communism
The means of production would be held communally rather than by a minority.
There would stand a classless society with neither private ownership nor exploitation.
What did Marx overlook?
Social divisions based on gender and ethnicity.
What did Marx often critique?
He critiqued capitalism for its exploitation of labour and the unequal distribution of wealth.
He argued that capitalism inherently leads to class conflict between the bourgeoisie (owners of the means of production) and the proletariat (working class).
What is Marx’s perspective often associated with?
Conflict theory, which emphasises the role of conflict, power, and inequality in shaping social relations. This contrasts with functionalism, which focuses on the stability and harmony of society, consensus theory.
