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