Theory and methods: Marxism
Marxism differs from functionalism in two ways:
1. Conflict of interests: social structure based on conflict of economic interests
between classes
2. Instability and change: stress the possibility of sudden, profound and revolutionary
change.
Marx's ideas
- Can understand society scientifically ('scientific socialism')
- Historical change is contradictory process: capitalism increase human misery before
classless communist society
Historical materialism
- Materialism: humans have material needs (food) must work to meet them
- Use forces of production
- To meet needs, humans cooperate, enter social relations of production (organises
production) As forces of production grow, social relations of production change.
- Division of labour develops -> division between 2 classes:
1. Class that owns means of production
2. Class of labourers
- Production directed by class of owners to meet their own needs.
- Forces + relations of production called mode of production
Class society and exploitation
- Primitive communism: no classes/ exploitation: everything is shared.
- Class societies: 1 class owns MOP -> exploit labour of others for own benefit.
3 class societies:
1. Ancient society: slaves exploited, legally tied to owners
2. Feudal society: serfs exploited, legally tied to land
3. Capitalist society: free wage labourers exploited
Capitalism
- 3 Features of capitalist society:
1. Proletariat: sell labour to bourgeoisie in return for wages (unequal exchange)
Don’t receive value of goods their labour produces, but cost of subsistence
Difference between 2 is surplus value (profit capitalist make)
2. Competition between capitalists -> ownership of MOP in fewer hands -> small
producers now proletariat + forces capitalists to pay lowest wages ->
immiseration of proletariat.
3. Capitalism expands forces of production in pursuit of profit.
Production concentrated in larger units + tech advances de-skill workforce ->
class polarisation
Marxism differs from functionalism in two ways:
1. Conflict of interests: social structure based on conflict of economic interests
between classes
2. Instability and change: stress the possibility of sudden, profound and revolutionary
change.
Marx's ideas
- Can understand society scientifically ('scientific socialism')
- Historical change is contradictory process: capitalism increase human misery before
classless communist society
Historical materialism
- Materialism: humans have material needs (food) must work to meet them
- Use forces of production
- To meet needs, humans cooperate, enter social relations of production (organises
production) As forces of production grow, social relations of production change.
- Division of labour develops -> division between 2 classes:
1. Class that owns means of production
2. Class of labourers
- Production directed by class of owners to meet their own needs.
- Forces + relations of production called mode of production
Class society and exploitation
- Primitive communism: no classes/ exploitation: everything is shared.
- Class societies: 1 class owns MOP -> exploit labour of others for own benefit.
3 class societies:
1. Ancient society: slaves exploited, legally tied to owners
2. Feudal society: serfs exploited, legally tied to land
3. Capitalist society: free wage labourers exploited
Capitalism
- 3 Features of capitalist society:
1. Proletariat: sell labour to bourgeoisie in return for wages (unequal exchange)
Don’t receive value of goods their labour produces, but cost of subsistence
Difference between 2 is surplus value (profit capitalist make)
2. Competition between capitalists -> ownership of MOP in fewer hands -> small
producers now proletariat + forces capitalists to pay lowest wages ->
immiseration of proletariat.
3. Capitalism expands forces of production in pursuit of profit.
Production concentrated in larger units + tech advances de-skill workforce ->
class polarisation
