NOTES - Theories of Marxism - Theory and Methods
● Marxism is a conflict theory devised by Karl Marx. It puts forward the idea that in society there is
unequal conflict between the two social classes, bourgeoisie, and proletariat. Bourgeoisie are owners of
means of production who exploit working class labour to generate profit. The proletariat sell their labour
for wages.
1. Historical materialism
Materialism is the view that humans are beings with material needs that need to be met for them to
survive. These material needs include food, shelter, and stuff.
As a result, humans work to fulfil these needs through using the forces of production.
In earliest human times these forces were human labour, but over time people developed tools so
there is less need for human workers.
In working to meet needs humans cooperate with each other – they enter social relations of
production, ways of organising production.
Overtime a division of labour develops, and this eventually gives rise to a division between two
classes:
- A class that owns the means of production.
- A class of labourers
From here the class of owners direct the means of production to meet their own needs.
Marx refers to these forces and social relations of production as the mode of production. For example,
today we have a capitalist mode of production. These modes determine other features in society – the
superstructure of ideas, beliefs.
2. Class society and exploitation
In the earliest ages of human society there were no classes, no exploitations, and no private property
– everyone worked together and shared everything and fulfilled everyone’s needs. This is called
‘Primitive Communism.’
In class societies, one class owners the means of production, the other is the workers who sell the
labour. Now the class that owns the means of production is enabled to exploit the labour of others for
their own benefit. This also allows them to control society’s surplus products. This is the idea that the
working class will not get paid the full value of their labour and the products they produce. The owners
will pay the workers just enough for them to survive and use the extra wealth for their own benefit.
Marx identifies three successive class societies and their own forms of exploitation:
- Ancient society – this was based on the exploitation of slaves who were legally tied to their
owners.
- The feudal society- this was based on the exploitation of serfs who were legally tied to their land.
- The capitalist society – based on the exploitation of free wage labourers.
, 3. Capitalism
Capitalism is based on division between a class of owners and a class of labourers.
However, capitalism has three distinctive features:
- The proletariat are legally free and separated from the means of production. Because they
don’t own any means of production, they do not own any of the resources and thus must sell
their labour to earn a wage and survive.
However, this isn’t an equal exchange, the proletariat don’t get the full value of what they
produce – they only get paid just enough for them to survive. The extra wealth is kept by the
owners.
- The second feature is that competition between capitalists leads to fewer people owning
more of the means of production. Small producers are pushed out which means there are
more workers, this competition drives down wages making workers poorer.
- Capitalism is growing and changing. This means there are technological advances that
devalue and deskill the workforce, making workers skill less important. The concentration of
ownership and the deskilling of workers together produce class polarisation: society divides
into a minority of capitalists and a minority of the working class.
4. Class consciousness
Capitalism sows the seeds for their own destruction by polarising classes – by bringing the
proletariat together in large numbers. By paying them low wages, capitalism creates the
conditions in which the WC develops a consciousness of the fact that they are being exploited
and thus opposes their exploiters.
As a result, the proletariat becomes a class for itself whose members are class conscious – they
know that they need to overthrow capitalism.
5. Ideology
For Marx the class that owns the means of production also controls the mental production of
producing ideologies. The dominant ideologies in society are of the economically dominant class.
All institutions e.g. education, media religion all serve the dominant class by producing ideologies,
beliefs and values that justify the existing social order as desirable and inevitable.
This ideology creates a false class consciousness in the subordinate class and helps to sustain
class inequality. However, workers do have class consciousness – they see through the
ruling/dominant class’s exploitation and indoctrination and as a result they become conscious of
their position in society as wage earners.
● Marxism is a conflict theory devised by Karl Marx. It puts forward the idea that in society there is
unequal conflict between the two social classes, bourgeoisie, and proletariat. Bourgeoisie are owners of
means of production who exploit working class labour to generate profit. The proletariat sell their labour
for wages.
1. Historical materialism
Materialism is the view that humans are beings with material needs that need to be met for them to
survive. These material needs include food, shelter, and stuff.
As a result, humans work to fulfil these needs through using the forces of production.
In earliest human times these forces were human labour, but over time people developed tools so
there is less need for human workers.
In working to meet needs humans cooperate with each other – they enter social relations of
production, ways of organising production.
Overtime a division of labour develops, and this eventually gives rise to a division between two
classes:
- A class that owns the means of production.
- A class of labourers
From here the class of owners direct the means of production to meet their own needs.
Marx refers to these forces and social relations of production as the mode of production. For example,
today we have a capitalist mode of production. These modes determine other features in society – the
superstructure of ideas, beliefs.
2. Class society and exploitation
In the earliest ages of human society there were no classes, no exploitations, and no private property
– everyone worked together and shared everything and fulfilled everyone’s needs. This is called
‘Primitive Communism.’
In class societies, one class owners the means of production, the other is the workers who sell the
labour. Now the class that owns the means of production is enabled to exploit the labour of others for
their own benefit. This also allows them to control society’s surplus products. This is the idea that the
working class will not get paid the full value of their labour and the products they produce. The owners
will pay the workers just enough for them to survive and use the extra wealth for their own benefit.
Marx identifies three successive class societies and their own forms of exploitation:
- Ancient society – this was based on the exploitation of slaves who were legally tied to their
owners.
- The feudal society- this was based on the exploitation of serfs who were legally tied to their land.
- The capitalist society – based on the exploitation of free wage labourers.
, 3. Capitalism
Capitalism is based on division between a class of owners and a class of labourers.
However, capitalism has three distinctive features:
- The proletariat are legally free and separated from the means of production. Because they
don’t own any means of production, they do not own any of the resources and thus must sell
their labour to earn a wage and survive.
However, this isn’t an equal exchange, the proletariat don’t get the full value of what they
produce – they only get paid just enough for them to survive. The extra wealth is kept by the
owners.
- The second feature is that competition between capitalists leads to fewer people owning
more of the means of production. Small producers are pushed out which means there are
more workers, this competition drives down wages making workers poorer.
- Capitalism is growing and changing. This means there are technological advances that
devalue and deskill the workforce, making workers skill less important. The concentration of
ownership and the deskilling of workers together produce class polarisation: society divides
into a minority of capitalists and a minority of the working class.
4. Class consciousness
Capitalism sows the seeds for their own destruction by polarising classes – by bringing the
proletariat together in large numbers. By paying them low wages, capitalism creates the
conditions in which the WC develops a consciousness of the fact that they are being exploited
and thus opposes their exploiters.
As a result, the proletariat becomes a class for itself whose members are class conscious – they
know that they need to overthrow capitalism.
5. Ideology
For Marx the class that owns the means of production also controls the mental production of
producing ideologies. The dominant ideologies in society are of the economically dominant class.
All institutions e.g. education, media religion all serve the dominant class by producing ideologies,
beliefs and values that justify the existing social order as desirable and inevitable.
This ideology creates a false class consciousness in the subordinate class and helps to sustain
class inequality. However, workers do have class consciousness – they see through the
ruling/dominant class’s exploitation and indoctrination and as a result they become conscious of
their position in society as wage earners.
