MARXISTS : Theory And Methods

Question 1

Name the main 7 Marxists ideas

Answer 1

Historical materialism

Class society and exploitation

Capitalism

Class consciousness

Ideology

Alienation

Revolution and communism

Question 2

What is historical materialism

Answer 2

• Need materials as humans: food clothing and shelter
• in order to do that they use the forces of production
• Before: unaided labour / overtime: developed tools and machines

Division of labour developed into 2 classes:
- owns production
- class of labourers

We live in a society with capitalist mode of production —> production forms economic base of society (base - superstructure)—- > economic base shapes or determines other features of society: ideas beliefs and behaviour

Question 3

What is class society and exploitation

Answer 3

Earliest stages of human history - no classes, no private ownership and everything was shared

However Marxists argue that in class societies there is at least one who owns the means of production —-> can exploit this —-> they can control society’s surplus product

Marxists identifies 3 successive class societies:

Ancient
Renal
Capitalist

Question 4

What is Marxists view of capitalism

Answer 4

Proletariat legally free and separated from the means of production - because they don’t own anything

But they have to sell their labour power to the bourgeoisie in return for wages in order to survive

Not a fair exchange as they don’t receive enough money for goods but rather for their own wellbeing and staying alive

Question 5

What is class consciousness

Answer 5

‘Capitalist sows the seeds of this own destruction’

Polarising classes - proletariat goes in larger numbers - driving down their wages

These conditions can cause working class to develop consciousness

Consciousness of its own economic and political interests in opposition of exploiters

Proletariat goes from being merely a CLASS IN ITSELF to CLASS FOR ITSELF

IN ITSELF - category of people with a common relation to the means of production

FOR ITSELF - an organised group in active pursuit of its own interests

Question 6

What is Marx’s ideology

Answer 6

Those who own means of production - also controls mental production

Therefore the dominant ideas in society are the ideas of economically dominant class

• institutions such as: religion, education and media all serve the DOMINANT CLASS by producing IDEOLOGIES.

IDEOLOGIES - set of beliefs and ideas that legitimise the existing social order - seen as desirable and inevitable

Question 7

What is alienation

Answer 7

Meaning: the process where the worker is made to feel foreign to the products of labour

Workers are alienated - they are excluded —-> They make things that themselves couldn’t buy
- they became like cogs in a giant machine

Workers would go home eat sleep and relax but the rest of the time they weren’t alive

• repeating meaningless tasks for hours

Question 8

Marxists view of revolution

Answer 8

THE STATE - ‘armed bodies of men’ - police, army, prisons and courts - they protect the interests of the class of owners who control it

They use this as a weapon —> for class struggle, protect their property, suppress opportunities and prevent revolution

To lead religion they must overthrow existing ruling class and its state

Proletariat overthrow capitalist will be first MARXISTS SAYS and they plan to: ABOLISH STATES, ABOLISH EXPLOITATION AND ENDING ALIENATION