Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 252 views

    Marxism

    Uploaded by

    Nathaniel Lepasana
    Karl Marx developed Marxism in the mid-late 19th century as a reaction to the social and economic conditions of industrialization in Europe. [1] Marx argued that society is divided into two main classes - the bourgeoisie who own the means of production and the proletariat who must work for wages. [2] He believed this inequality and conflict between the classes would intensify and ultimately lead to revolution and the establishment of a communist system. [3] Marx saw the economic base of society as the primary driver of social and political change.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Marxism

    Uploaded by

    Nathaniel Lepasana
    252 views31 pages
    Karl Marx developed Marxism in the mid-late 19th century as a reaction to the social and economic conditions of industrialization in Europe. [1] Marx argued that society is divided into two main classes - the bourgeoisie who own the means of production and the proletariat who must work for wages. [2] He believed this inequality and conflict between the classes would intensify and ultimately lead to revolution and the establishment of a communist system. [3] Marx saw the economic base of society as the primary driver of social and political change.

    Original Title

    marxism.ppt

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Karl Marx developed Marxism in the mid-late 19th century as a reaction to the social and economic conditions of industrialization in Europe. [1] Marx argued that society is divided into two main classes - the bourgeoisie who own the means of production and the proletariat who must work for wages. [2] He believed this inequality and conflict between the classes would intensify and ultimately lead to revolution and the establishment of a communist system. [3] Marx saw the economic base of society as the primary driver of social and political change.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    252 views31 pages

    Marxism

    Uploaded by

    Nathaniel Lepasana
    Karl Marx developed Marxism in the mid-late 19th century as a reaction to the social and economic conditions of industrialization in Europe. [1] Marx argued that society is divided into two main classes - the bourgeoisie who own the means of production and the proletariat who must work for wages. [2] He believed this inequality and conflict between the classes would intensify and ultimately lead to revolution and the establishment of a communist system. [3] Marx saw the economic base of society as the primary driver of social and political change.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 31

    Marxism – the basics

    Understand all sociologists and


    social theorists by knowing a little
    about the time they lived in
    Karl Marx
    1818 - 1883
    Mid- Late Nineteenth
    Century Britain

    • Unrest and protest –


    Chartism

    • Long hours, low pay

    • Periodic unemployment

    • No Welfare State

    • No universal right to
    vote
    Mid-Nineteenth Century
    Europe

    Revolution in France - 1848

    Revolutions elsewhere in
    Europe

    Times of Turmoil
    Marx’s insight:

    It’s all about money


    Some have it……

    They are called capitalists (or the bourgeoisie)


    Others don’t …..

    They are called the workers (or the proletariat)


    Capitalists and workers are thrown
    together into relations of production
    They don’t get on too well
    Capitalists want

    the maximum PROFIT – and


    the lowest costs
    Workers
    want

    the highest wage for the


    least work
    These two groups
    are locked in mortal
    combat
    The Capitalists compete
    with each other.

    The successful capitalist’s


    get richer and richer
    …and the failed capitalists fall down
    into the working class
    The workers meanwhile are more and more
    exploited by the remaining capitalists – they
    get poorer and poorer
    Marx said that eventually the
    workers will rise up in revolution
    against the capitalist class

    A new communist society will be


    created
    The backstory

    What is making all this happen?


    Marx has a theory

    it’s because societies are always made from two


    parts
    The Base

    The base is like the foundations of a building.


    Marxists say the economy
    (the means of production)
    is the base
    And the superstructure
    The rest of the building which
    is built on the foundations

    The superstructure means


    all the other parts of
    society – culture, the
    state, education
    The economic base determines (shapes) the
    superstructure
    So this is called
    The base-superstructure model

    Superstructure

    Base
    Social Control in capitalist society
    is achieved through ideology -
    ruling class ideology
    The ruling ideas in any time are
    always those of the ruling class
    The working class may suffer from false
    consciousness – not understanding their true class
    position
    Not a bad theory – but there are several criticisms
    which can be made of it
    It’s not all about money – this is
    economically reductionist

    e.g. what about ideas,


    culture, religion?
    Marxism makes people appear to
    be dominated by structures

    Puppets or People with the ability to act?


    Gender and Race blind -
    the only social groupings it seems
    to recognise are classes
    Now – over to you – weigh it up.

    Like any theory it has good points and bad


    points

    - but hopefully you will find it can explain some


    things about your society

    You might also like