Karl Marx Historical Materialism

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Karl Marx -Historical Materialism
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Marx Historical Materialism

• 1) 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

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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

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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)

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Influences

• 1) Theory German Philosophy
• Hegel social change comes through social
  struggles and conflicts (dialectics)
• Feuerbach deal with the real world, not just
  ideas about it (materialism)
• 2) Analysing economy British political economy
• Adam Smith study the division of labour
• 3) Politics French Socialism
• - Saint-Simon must create a new society, based
  on cooperation between classes, not conflict

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Basic Concepts

• 1) 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

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• 2) Human nature
• a) Human being is fundamentally a social animal
• (agreement with Durkheim)
• b) Human nature changes over time
• - shaped by particular societies
• (e.g. human nature in capitalism selfish
• human nature in communism cooperative)

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• c) Part of human nature remains constant
• i) Humans creative / creativity in making things
• ii) Making things creatively allows
  self-expression
• iii) Humans like working (if allowed to do so
  freely creatively but not if forced to)
• iv) Good society allows creativity in work
• v) Bad society people forced to work, work
  uncreative

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• 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)

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• Ideal aspects of society
• Ideas and beliefs (e.g. morals and religion)
• Ways of thinking
• Culture
• (Emphasis on ideal comes from Hegel)

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• Marxs 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

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• Historical Materialism
• Materialism
• looks at material factors in society
• emphasises production and labour over ideal
  factors (culture)
• Historical
• i) looks at changes over time in material factors
• ii) social change produced by changes in material
  factors
• iii) Human history changes over time in how
  people work make things

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• 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

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• i) Classes are antagonistic to each other as each
  class has its own interests
• ii) Class interest to be the most powerful group
  in society
• (especially in terms of wealth)
• iii) Class struggle classes always in conflict
  with each other to be the most powerful
• iv) Human history driven by conflicts between
  classes classes win, classes lose

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• Dominant class(es) Subordinate class(es)
• Rulers Ruled
• Leaders Followers
• Power Powerless
• political economic politically/economically
• Political
• Control the government Ruled by government
• Economic
• Control production Carry out production
• Controllers of economy Workers
• Exploiters Exploited

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Mode of Production

• ECONOMIC BASE
• Forces Relations
• of production of production
• KEEPS FUNCTIONING---------------------------SHAPES
  
• SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• - Ways of thinking, values, ideas
• - Social institutions

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Mode of Production (1)

• Most important idea of Marx (in later writings)
• i) Production making things
• - Production is essential for human life
• food, clothes, shelter, etc.
• ii) Making things transforming Nature
• Making things using TOOLS to transform RAW
  MATERIALS into useable GOODS
• iii) Consumption using those goods ( thus
  staying alive)

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Mode of Production (2)

• i) Production is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY
• ii) Individual humans cannot make much on their
  own
• - Must work cooperatively with others
• - Division of labour different people have
  different jobs
• iii) Production has to be managed
• Different forms of management different types
  of society

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Mode of Production (3)

• In class-based societies
• i) Ruling class controls production
• ii) Ruling class OWN tools, raw materials and
  finished goods (class of OWNERS)
• iii) Subordinate classes do the actual work
  (class of NON-OWNERS) (workers)
• iv) Division of labour
• OWNERS NON-OWNERS
• Ruling class reaps the benefits
• Subordinate classes exploited

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Mode of Production (4)

• - Most important things in society are
• MATERIAL FACTORS (production, work, division of
  labour)
• - Less important are IDEAL FACTORS (ideas and
  beliefs)
• ECONOMIC BASE (primary)
• shapes
• SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE (secondary)

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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
(ruling class) controls class of
NON-OWNERS (workers)
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• SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• 1) Ways of thinking, values, ideas
• (Forms of social consciousness)
• (Ideologies)
• 2) Social institutions
• Religion
• Family
• Education
• Government / the State

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• ECONOMIC BASE
• shapes
• SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• BASE controlled by RULING CLASS
• SO
• 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

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• Social institutions work in ruling class
  interests
• (Marxist functionalism)
• Family
• instils dominant ideologies in young
• breeds and maintains workers
• Education instils dominant ideologies in young
• Media spreads dominant ideologies
• Government controls NON-OWNERS / protects
  OWNERS interests / ensures social stability

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Mode of Production

• ECONOMIC BASE
• Forces Relations
• of production of production
• FUNCTIONING----------------------------------
  SHAPES
• SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• Ways of thinking, values, ideas
• Social institutions

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Types of Mode of Production

• 1) 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) Capitalism
• 5) Socialism / Communism

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Social Change Revolution

• i) Social change transition from one mode of
  production to another
• That transition entails a revolution
• ii) Revolutions occur in the ECONOMIC BASE
• iii) Forces of production change, transforming
  relations of production
• iv) Changes in BASE lead to changes in
  SUPERSTRUCTURE whole society transformed
• Forces ? Relations ? Superstructure ? Society

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Revolution from feudalism to capitalism

• FEUDALISMS ECONOMIC BASE
• Forces Relations
• of production of production
• Agriculture Aristocratic lords
  peasants
• ------------------------------------------
• FEUDALISMS SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• Ways of thinking Catholic Christianity
• Social institutions Catholic Church, family

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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 innovations
• Technological developments Peasants move to
  cities
• Become workers in factories
  (proletariat)

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CAPITALISM

• CAPITALISMS ECONOMIC BASE
• Forces Relations
• of production of production
• Industrialism Capitalists proletariat
• ------------------------------------------
• CAPITALISMS SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• Ways of thinking capitalist ideologies
• (religion no longer required)
• (Capitalism allows individual freedom, democracy,
  social mobility, etc.)
• Social institutions family, media, government

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CAPITALISM TODAY?

• CAPITALISMS ECONOMIC BASE
• Forces Relations
• of production of production
• Post-Industrialism Capitalists
• (service sector, Managerial class
• computers IT, Proletarians stock
  markets) (white collar, McWorkers)
• ------------------------------------------
• CAPITALISMS SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
• Ways of thinking capitalist ideologies
• (social mobility, meritocracy, consumerism)
• Social institutions media, welfare state

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From Capitalism to Communism

• Forces of production develop, they change the
  relations of production
• (technology develops no need for manual labour
  no need for a working class)
• 2) Capitalism contradictory
• (capitalists 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

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Communist Mode of Production

• ECONOMIC BASE
• Forces Relations
• of production of production
• Highly 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, community
  spirit
• Social institutions withering away of the
  state communities govern themselves true
  democracy

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Evaluation

• 1) 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?

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Evaluation (2)

• 1) Production at the heart of human life
• 2) Outdated? Still applicable
• We still live in capitalist society
• Marxs ideas can be reworked to fit todays
  conditions
• 3) Requires sociologist to be highly critical of
  current society
• reject dominant ideologies
• get at deeper truths