Marxism

Question 1

Who are the key thinkers for Marxism?

Answer 1

-Karl Marx
-grams I
-althusser

Question 2

What is false class consciouness?

Answer 2

Proletariat do not know they are being exploited by bourgeoisie

Question 3

What are the proletariat?

Answer 3

The working class

Question 4

What did Karl Marx talk about in his theories?

Answer 4

-there will be a proletariat revolution- removing the classes (communism)
-class society and exploitation
-capitalism
-historical materialism
Class consciousness

Question 5

What is Marxism based upon?

Answer 5

The idea of conflict between P and B - society is based on economic ground

Question 6

What are the 5 stages of society?

Answer 6

-primitive communism (classless society)
-feudal society-landowners vs peasants
-capitalist society-bourgeoise vs proletariat
-socialism-government owners vs workers
-communism-classless society

Question 7

What are the features of capitalist society?

Answer 7

-proletariat are legally free and separated from the means of production
-competition between capitalists lead to the means of production becoming concentrated
-proletariat do not receive the value of their goods that their labour produces, but only the cost of subsistence

Question 8

What are the features of a communist society?

Answer 8

-collective ownership of the means of production and abolish of production for profit
-stateless and classless society
-reclaiming control over the workers labour and products they create (end alienation)

Question 9

What is the Marxist structure of a capitalist society?

Answer 9

-superstructure: ideologies and structures of transfer
-means of production: natural resources, land, technology
-relations of productions: the people (workers vs owners)

Question 10

How could you evaluate Marxism?

Answer 10

-2 class system is over simplistic- it is currently suggested that there are over 7 different classes in British society
-Marx’s whole system is based on economics & view that economic factors are the only cause of everything in society
-the revolution that he said would cause the development to a communist society is yet to occur & conditions of how it would happen were very vague
-a number of social institutions have become autonomous from the bourgeoisie- eg the media have become critical of the elite