Karl Marx - Historical Materialism. Marx & Historical Materialism 1) History of Marx & Marxism 2)...
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Transcript of Karl Marx - Historical Materialism. Marx & Historical Materialism 1) History of Marx & Marxism 2)...
Karl Marx -Historical Materialism
Marx & Historical Materialism1) History of Marx & Marxism
2) Influences
3) Basic concepts
(Aims of sociology, human nature,
historical materialism, class struggle)
4) Mode of production
5) Social Change: Revolution
6) Capitalism & Communism
7) Evaluation
History of Marx & Marxism
• Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
• Marx: joins radical movement; exiled from Germany; goes to Paris; goes to London & writes main works
• Engels: factory owner; socialist; scholar; aids Marx financially
• Both: important figures in the Socialist International
Important Writings
EARLY: more about philosophy• Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts
(1844)
MIDDLE: more about politics• The Communist Manifesto (1848) (with Engels)
LATER: more about economics• Das Kapital (‘Capital’) (1867)
InfluencesTheory: German Philosophy
- Hegel: social change comes through social struggles and conflicts (dialectics)
- Feuerbach: deal with the “real” world, not just ideas about it (materialism)
Analysing economy: British political economy
- Adam Smith: study the division of labour
Politics: French Socialism
- Saint-Simon: must create a new society, based on cooperation between classes, not conflict
Basic Concepts1) Aim of ‘sociology’ (Historical Materialism):
- Create knowledge critical of existing society
- Inform the working classes of their oppression
- Encourage revolution – abolition of capitalist society
- Build new socialist, then communist, society
2) Human nature
Human being is fundamentally a social animal
(agreement with Durkheim)
Human nature changes over time:
- shaped by particular societies (e.g. human nature in capitalism: selfishhuman nature in communism: cooperative)
Part of human nature remains constant:
- Humans creative / creativity in making things
- Making things creatively allows self-expression
- Humans like working (if allowed to do so freely & creatively; but not if forced to)
- Good society: allows creativity in work
- Bad society: forced to work, work uncreative
3) Historical Materialism
- Always see the ‘material’ aspects of society as the most important
- The ‘ideal’ elements of society are less important
- (Contrast with Durkheim and, partly, Weber)
‘Ideal’ aspects:
Ideas and beliefs (e.g. morals and religion)
Ways of thinking
‘Culture’
(Emphasis on ‘ideal’ comes from Hegel)
Marx’s breakthrough
Concentrate on ‘material’ aspects:
- people making things (production)
- people working (labour)
- people acting on raw materials to make goods
- humans transforming Nature for their use
Historical Materialism
Materialism: - looks at material factors in society- emphasises production and labour over ‘ideal’
factors
Historical: - looks at changes over time in material factors- social change produced by changes in material
factors- Human history = changes in how people work &
make things
4) Class and class struggle
Two basic types of society:- Class-less societies (e.g. communism)- Class-based societies (e.g. capitalism)
Within class-based societies:- Classes are the most important social
groups- Different classes are antagonistic to each
other
Classes are antagonistic to each other as each class has its own interests
Class interest: to be the most powerful group in society
(especially in terms of wealth)
Class struggle: classes always in conflict with each other to be the most powerful
Human history – driven by conflicts between classes; classes win, classes lose
Dominant class(es) Subordinate class(es)Rulers RuledLeaders Followers
Power: Powerless:political & economic politically/economically
Political;Control the government Ruled by government
Economic:Control production Carry out productionControllers of economy Workers Economy benefits them Exploited
Mode of Production
ECONOMIC BASE
Forces Relations
of production of production
FUNCTIONING---------------------------------- SHAPES
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking, values, ideas
Social institutions
Mode of Production (1)Most important idea of Marx (in later writings)
Production = making thingsProduction is essential: food, clothes, shelter, etc.
Making things = transforming NatureMaking things = using TOOLS to transform
RAW MATERIALS into useable GOODSConsumption = using those goods (& so
staying alive)
Mode of Production (2)
Production is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Individual humans cannot make much on their own
- Must work cooperatively with others
- Division of labour: different people have different jobs
- Production has to be managed
Different forms of management = different types of society
Mode of Production (3)Production is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY
In class-based societies:- Ruling class controls production- Ruling class OWN tools, raw materials and
finished good (class of OWNERS)- Subordinate classes do the actual work (class
of NON-OWNERS) (workers)- Division of labour: OWNERS & NON-OWNERS- Ruling class reaps the benefits- Subordinate classes lose out
Mode of Production (4)
Most important things in society areMATERIAL FACTORS (production, work,
division of labour)Less important are IDEAL FACTORS (ideas
and beliefs)
ECONOMIC BASE (primary)
shapes
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE (secondary)
ECONOMIC BASE
FORCES of RELATIONS of
PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
Scientific knowledge Social relations
Technological knowledge which control &
Technology (tools) organize production
Raw materials
Labour force (people) Class of OWNERS controls class of NON-OWNERS (workers)
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
1) Ways of thinking, values, ideas
(“Forms of social consciousness”)
(“Ideologies”)
2) Social institutions- Religion- Family
- Education- Government / the State
ECONOMIC BASEshapes
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
BASE controlled by RULING CLASSSO
SUPERSTRUCTURE controlled by RULING CLASS too
- ‘Dominant ideologies’ reflect ruling class interests
- Dominant ideologies justify rule of the rulers- Social institutions work in ruling class
interests
Social institutions work in ruling class interests
(Marxist functionalism)
Family:
1) instils dominant ideologies in young
2) breeds and looks after workers
Education: instils dominant ideologies in young
Media: spreads dominant ideologies
Government: controls NON-OWNERS / protects OWNERS’ interests / ensures social stability
Mode of Production
ECONOMIC BASE
Forces Relations
of production of production
FUNCTIONING---------------------------------- SHAPES
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking, values, ideas
Social institutions
Types of Mode of Production1) Primitive communism (primitive society, no classes, very low division
of labour, all work together)2) Ancient mode of production(ancient Greece and Rome, aristocracy and
slaves, slaves do most of the work)3) Feudalism (medieval Europe, aristocratic
lords and peasants, peasants do all the work)
4) Capitalism5) Socialism / Communism
Social Change: RevolutionSocial change = transition from one mode of production
to another
That transition entails a revolution
Revolutions occur in the ECONOMIC BASE
Forces of production change, transforming relations of production
Changes in BASE lead to changes in SUPERSTRUCTURE: whole society transformed
Revolution: from feudalism to capitalism
FEUDALISM’S ECONOMIC BASE
Forces Relations
of production of production
Agriculture Aristocratic lords & peasants
------------------------------------------
FEUDALISM’S SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking: Catholic Christianity
Social institutions: Catholic Church, family
Revolution: from feudalism to capitalism
CHANGING ECONOMIC BASE(happening from 16th to 19th centuries)
Forces Relations of production of production
Industrialism Power of aristocratic (factory production) lords taken over
by a new class: Produced by: capitalists (bourgeoisie)
Scientific innovationsTechnological developments Peasants move to cities
Become workers in factories
(proletariat)
CAPITALISM
CAPITALISM’S ECONOMIC BASEForces Relations of production of productionIndustrialism Capitalists &
proletarians------------------------------------------
CAPITALISM’S SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTUREWays of thinking: capitalist ideologies
(religion no longer required)(Capitalism allows individual freedom, democracy,
social mobility, etc.)
Social institutions: family, media, government
CAPITALISM TODAY?
CAPITALISM’S ECONOMIC BASEForces Relations of production of productionPost-Industrialism Capitalists(service sector, Managerial class
computers & IT, Proletarians stock markets) (white collar,
McWorkers)------------------------------------------
CAPITALISM’S SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTUREWays of thinking: capitalist ideologies
(social mobility, meritocracy, consumerism)
Social institutions: media, welfare state
From Capitalism to Communism
1) Forces of production develop, change relations of production
(technology develops – no need for manual labour – no need for a working class)
2) Capitalism contradictory
(capitalist seek profit, always in competition with each other, eventually no profits to be made, system falls apart)
3) Proletariat come to realise they are being exploited: revolution
Communist Mode of ProductionECONOMIC BASE
Forces Relations of production of productionHighly developed Classes abolished machines doing most routine work All work
together in cooperation
Humans working All contribute to society
freely & creatively All get what they need
------------------------------------------ SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking: end of ideologies, truthSocial institutions: ‘withering away of the state’: communities
govern themselves; true democracy
Evaluation1) Overemphasises ‘material’ over ‘ideal’ factors
- things like religion just as ‘real’ as work
2) ‘Reductionist’- oversimplifies a complex reality- explains everything in terms of production &
classes (but not all things can be explained that way)
3) Overly politicised- not really social science - too biased - more like propaganda & wishful thinking
Evaluation (2)
1) Production at the heart of human life
2) Outdated? Still applicable:
- We still live in capitalist society- Marx’s ideas can be reworked to fit today’s
conditions
3) Requires sociologist to be highly critical of current society
- reject dominant ideologies- get at deeper truths