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A2 Marxism and Neo-Marxism (Historical materialism (humans have material…
A2 Marxism and Neo-Marxism
Marxism is a conflict theory
Believes that in most societies there are inequalities , therefore it is difficult to achieve consensus because the interests of the powerful are more dominant than other groups.
Consensus means harmony
Marx believed that we could understand society through science.
This is called Scientific Socialism
Capitalism will lead to human misery until we rebel to create a classless society.
Modern capitalistb societies are controlled by the upper classes. The upper class minority own the 'means of production'.
The working class have to work to earn a living and have little wealth.
Marx argues the working class are being exploited by the upper classes. The capitalist societies use 'ideological state apparatus' to legitimise the capitalist system.
Althusser argued that the bourgeoisie maintained control of the proletariat through repressive state apparatus like police and through ideological state apparatus like schools.
Historical materialism
humans have material needs for food, clothes ect. and need to work to get these
In pre-industrial societies this is gained through labour - forces of production
Division of labour- overtime two classes are formed: working and ruling.
mode of production - production is directed by class of owners to meet their needs
economic base determines all other features in society
The ideological superstructure is made up of institutions which reinforce this base.
Alienation
Marx claimed that in a capitalist society, alongside economic exploitation, immerseration and ideological domination, the proletariat also experience alienation.
This is the separation of human beings from our creative nature - due to human intelligence, we create things when we have the need for them
Alienation is the result from the loss of control over our labour and its products and therefore separation from our true labour.
Under Capitalism alienation is at its peak because: Workers have no control over forces of production and the worker is reduced to repeated un skilled work.
Ideology
For Marx, the class that holds the means of production also holds the mental production as well - the production of ideas.
Ideology is a set of beliefs that justify social order as envitable.
The ruling class ideology in a capitalist society is the closed belief society of neo-liberalism - an unquestionable pursuit of: profit, expendable growth, deregulation of commerce and privatisation.
The ruling class impose their ideology upon the working class through agents they are unaware of such as religion.
Lenin – Describes religion as 'spiritual gin' = an intoxicant doled out to the masses by the ruling class in order to confuse and dull their senses of their exploitation.
The state exists to protect the interests of the ruling class. They use the state as a weapon to protect their products, houses and prevent revolution.
Marx predicted their to be a proletariat revolution that overthrows the bourgeois to create a class - less society.
Criticisms of Marx
Feminists argue that gender is a more fundamental source of inequality than class.
Marx's bourgeois and proletariat class divisions are simplistic and Weber instead divides the classes up more.
Class polarisiation has not occured.
polarisation is the process of segregation within a society that may emerge from income inequality, economic restructuring, etc. and result in such differentiation that would consist of various social groups, from high-income to low-income.
Neo marxism developed throughout the early 20th century
Neo Marxism can be decided in to two main school of thoughts..... 1, humanistic and 2. Scientific