Marxist Theory of Power

1
Marxist Theory of Power

• www.educationforum.co.uk

2
Essential Ideas

• Society is ruled by those who control the means
  of production the economic base
• Power is therefore held by the owning class
  (bourgeoisie) who dominate and exploit the
  working class (proletariat). These are the only 2
  classes in society you are either one or the
  other!
• Proletarian obedience in an unfair system is
  achieved both through force and through
  ideological power with the creation of false
  consciousness by the superstructure.

3
Base and Superstructure
4
Capitalism

• Marxists define capitalism as commodity
  production. A commodity being an item produced
  for sale in a market place.
• Marxists oppose capitalism because they see it as
  anti social workers get exploited via the wages
  system, and goods and services are only produced
  if they can be sold for profits
• The motivation for production is therefore
  greed rather than need
• There is an essential conflict in capitalist
  society between owners and workers
• Political Marxists suggest that eventually this
  conflict will lead to proletarian consciousness
  leading to communist revolution.
• Power in capitalist society (both force and
  ideological power) is therefore deployed by the
  bourgeoisie to make sure such revolution does NOT
  happen and that existing capitalist system is
  reproduced and perpetuated.
• Capitalism is seen by Marxists as the latest
  economic system in history earlier systems such
  as feudalism were brought down by class conflict
  as will capitalism eventually. The struggle
  between classes is seen as the motor which drives
  history forwards.

5
Criticisms of Marxist View of Power

• Determinism Marxism sees economics as the
  determinant of everything in society and
  everything in history
• Capitalism has not developed in the ways Marx
  predicted the class structure is more complex
  than the two class model offered the
  distribution of power in society could therefore
  also be more complex
• Contradictory? Revolutionary consciousness and
  false consciousness early Marxists suggested
  that the experience of capitalism (low wages,
  long hours and exploitation) would result in the
  working class becoming conscious and
  revolutionary. Later Marxists have emphasised the
  role of the superstructure creating false
  consciousness amongst the workers leading to the
  working class accepting and consenting to the
  capitalist system as natural and desirable.