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Karl Marx - Coggle Diagram
Karl Marx
Karl Marx's Theory of History
Karl Marx
Born in Trier, Germany, under Prussian rule
While studying at the University of Berlin, he was influenced by a group of philosophers inspired by the philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, which they developed in new, more radical political directions
Became an editor of politically liberal paper in Cologne
The Communist Manifesto (1848), Marx and Engels
Written for the London-based Communist League
In response to the wave of revolutionary unrest culminating in that year throughout Europe
Lived in exile in London, until his death in 1883
View of History
'The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles'
The Communist Manifesto
Class Struggles and Historical Change
'Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf...'
The Communist Manifesto
Classes throughout history
In constant struggle/tension with one another ('stood in constant opposition to one another')
Often an 'oppressor and oppressed'
Bourgeoisie and Proletariat: the Culmination of Class Antagonism
In modern bourgeoisie society, these class antagonism have reached heights which have never been seen throughout history before
Class tension is reaching a crisis point
Marx's Interpretation of History: the Main Historical Epochs
Ancient society (Greece and Rome) ---->
Medieval feudalism ---->
Bourgeoise capitalism ---->
Communism
He does not argue for communism morally, he argues it is what will happen inevitably
He is making a scientific prediction
The Economic Base and the Superstructure
Karl Marx,
Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy
, quoted in Harvey J Kayne,
The British Marxist Historians
(Cambridge, 1984), p4
These particular social relations are not chose, they are simply this way
Our social relations reflect the way in which society is organised in its needs (food, shelter, etc)
Material forces of production (e.g. steam engine, plough) - these tools we use to secure our means of existence, entail social organisation
Believes there is an economic base which has political structures built upon them, adapted to the economic base (e.g. democracy, law)
The way people perceive the world/ the social consciousness of people within such societies will be shaped by their economic structure and their class interest
Absolutely can be traced back to a society's economic structure
Marxism was More than a Historical Interpretation of the Human Past
It was intended to be a scientific system capable of predicting the future development of human society
Marxism combined a political programme with historical interpretation
In c20th, Marxism inspired revolutionary political movements globally
During the Cold War, late-c20th, the debates over Marxist historical approaches were part of the ideological conflict between the Soviet Union and the West
The Application of Marx's Ideas to Historiography in the c20th
The Application of Marxist Ideas to Historical Interpretation
Marxist theories are usually applied selectively, not dogmatically by c20th historians
Marx's influence are often most visible in the use of certain key terms and categories of analysis
In general, Marxist historians explain political, cultural, and intellectual change in terms of economic factors and interests
Examples of Marxist historical scholars, c20th
Hilton
Dobb
Lefebvre
Hill
EP Thompson
Hobsbawm
Raphael Samuel
Marxist Historiography and the History of the Ancient World
Neal Wood,
Cicero's Social and Political Thought
(Berkley, CA, 1988)
The peasantry did not have a real political voice in Ancient Rome, enhancing the power of the aristocracy
Class conflict between the aristocracy and the peasantry, resulting in the peasantry being squashed
Marxist Historiography of the English Civil War
Christopher Hill, 1997
argues many of these heretical religious ideas were around much earlier in the Middle Ages, proving the point that ideas can lie around without inspiring revolution, because the difference in the periods is that 'the industrious classes have risen in social and therefore political importance'
The reason these ideas are activated is because the economic and therefore political power balance has shifted throughout time
Working Class Identity in c19th
Eric Hobsbawm, 1977
argues that despite major differences within the working class, the workers have been united by common experience
Marxist Historiography Now?
1989 Collapse of Communism
Final collapse of the Soviet Union and its system of satellite states in Eastern Europe in 1989
Did not suddenly and completely undermine credibility of Marxist or Marxian approaches to history, but weakened it considerably
Legacy and Criticisms
Legacy
Opened up new areas of historical inquiry
Social history
Economic history
'History from below'
Criticisms
Marxist interpretations are often based on a narrow set of socio-economic categories of analysis (e.g. class interest), while other key categories (e.g. gender) are neglected
Teleology: Marxist historiography is often informed by an expectation that history is moving in a certain direction and can be explained by the pursuit of an ultimate goal
Beliefs and intentions of historical agents are often explained as expressions of economic class interest, when their origins may be more complex and not directly related to socio-economic factors
