Contemporary Analysis Of Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is the political, economic, and social principles and policies presented and advocated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, two German philosophers. It includes theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat.
Marxism is an economic and social system based upon the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. While it would take absolute amount to explain the full implication and outcome of the Marxist social and economic ideology, Marxism is summed up in the Encarta Reference Library as “a theory in which class struggle is a central element in the analysis of social change in Western societies.”
Marxism is the direct opposite of capitalism which is defined by Encarta as “an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods, characterized by a free competitive market and motivation by profit.”
Marxism is the system of socialism of which the main attribute is public ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange.
Under capitalism, the working class or “the people,” own only their ability to work. They have the ability only to sell their own labor. According to Marx a class is defined by the relations of its members to the means of production. He says that history is the description of class struggles, wars, and uprisings. Under capitalism the workers, in order to support their families are paid a minimum wage or salary. The worker has no control over the labor or product which he produces. The capitalists sell the products produced by the workers at a comparative value as related to the labor involved. Surplus value is the difference between what the worker is paid and the price for which the product is sold.
An increasing distance of the “proletariat” from capitalist class occurs as the result of economic recessions. These recessions result because the working class is unable to buy the full product of their labors and the ruling capitalists do not consume all of the surplus value. A proletariat or socialist revolution must occur, according to Marx, where the state is a dictatorship of the proletariat.
Religion, according to Marx was the response to the pain of being alive, the response to earthly suffering. In Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right (1844), Marx wrote, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feeling of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless circumstances.” Marx said in this writing that the working class, the proletariat was a true revolutionary class, universal in character and familiar with universal suffering. This provided the need for religion.
What is Marxism?
Marxism is an economic and social system based upon the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. While it would take absolute amount to explain the full implication and outcome of the Marxist social and economic ideology, Marxism is summed up in the Encarta Reference Library as “a theory in which class struggle is a central element in the analysis of social change in Western societies.”
Marxism is the direct opposite of capitalism which is defined by Encarta as “an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods, characterized by a free competitive market and motivation by profit.”
Marxism is the system of socialism of which the main attribute is public ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange.
Under capitalism, the working class or “the people,” own only their ability to work. They have the ability only to sell their own labor. According to Marx a class is defined by the relations of its members to the means of production. He says that history is the description of class struggles, wars, and uprisings. Under capitalism the workers, in order to support their families are paid a minimum wage or salary. The worker has no control over the labor or product which he produces. The capitalists sell the products produced by the workers at a comparative value as related to the labor involved. Surplus value is the difference between what the worker is paid and the price for which the product is sold.
An increasing distance of the “proletariat” from capitalist class occurs as the result of economic recessions. These recessions result because the working class is unable to buy the full product of their labors and the ruling capitalists do not consume all of the surplus value. A proletariat or socialist revolution must occur, according to Marx, where the state is a dictatorship of the proletariat.
Religion, according to Marx was the response to the pain of being alive, the response to earthly suffering. In Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right (1844), Marx wrote, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feeling of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless circumstances.” Marx said in this writing that the working class, the proletariat was a true revolutionary class, universal in character and familiar with universal suffering. This provided the need for religion.
Comparison of Marxism & Capitalism
Capitalism and Marxism, both are competing social, economic and political theories that have dominated the organization of society since the 19th century. Capitalism emerged during the end of feudalism in the 14th century, and is based on the right to own private property and exercise autonomy in making economic decisions. Marxism, is mostly identical with communism, emerged from the writings of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in the 19th century, and is based on the theory that class conflict will eventually result in the establishment of a society where the public owns the means of production.
The two theories are historic enemies, and their differences are most severe when examining their attitudes toward individualism, private property and profits.
1. Individualism
Individualism, which places the rights of the individual above the rights of a collective, is crucial to capitalism and is most commonly associated with economic theorist Adam Smith, who posited in the "Wealth of Nations" that the search of a rational self-interest in a market free from regulation would result in economic and social well-being. Karl Marx was influenced by Smith, and also adopts the qualities of personal freedom. Marx however believed that capitalism dehumanized individuals, particularly those in the work force, and that only through common equality would the individual truly be free.
2. Private Property
This concept grow in capitalist theory to mean that ownership of the means of production indicate ownership of what is produced. On the other hand Marx was concerned to eliminate the concept of private property, which he thought as the rejection of private property of others. According to the "Communist Manifesto," collective ownership over
(1) the means of production and
(2) what is produced will result in the liberation of humanity.
For Marx, private property is an expression of man's relation to the natural world, and the desire of it transforms man into an object. When man is freed from private property he is given the freedom to be purely human.
Capitalism permit for the individual to decide the profit margin resulting from the sale of private property in a free market, which was a source of extreme criticism from Marx. Marx's labor theory of value, a foundation stone of Marxian economics and the basis for his criticism of capitalism, equated the value of a product to the number of labor hours needed to produce it. Therefore profits could only be taken by exploiting the working class. In Marx's vision for a communist state all profits from the previous rule are applied to public purposes and the surplus from production is distributed equally.
Neo-Marxism is a free word for a variety of twentieth-century theories that modify or broaden Marxism and Marxist theory, generally by incorporating elements from other intellectual traditions, such as: critical theory, psychoanalysis or Existentialism.
Comparison of Marxism & Neo-Marxism
The basic difference between classical Marxism and Neo-Marxism is that classical Marxism's economic determinism and the Neo-Marxism's broader thought of social and intellectual influence that complete the explanation of cruelty to the working-class.
Marx believed that contradictions in society could be resolved only through actual social change, or revolution. One key contradiction that Marx told was between human nature and the conditions for labor in capitalism. He said that under capitalism, our labor is sold as a commodity he done this through number of theories like the theory of value, theory of accumulation, and theory of surplus value, and this leads to unfriendliness from everything, our productive activity, the product itself, our fellow workers and ultimately our selves. According to Marx this contradiction in the capitalist process would produce an economic crisis where the capitalist system would fail & eventually will be replaced by socialism.
About a century later in 1930's, a number of critics come forward, not to finish classical Marxism but to elaborate the theories by allowing for new views developed by Weber which focus more on the social influences that perpetuate the economic oppression & social oppression. This new school of thought was the foundation for neo-Marxist social theory. They argued that Marx saw the economic sector as preeminent, but ignored the dialectical processes such as politics, religion, mass-media and so on for which neo-Marxist argue could not be reduced to something determined purely by the economy
The notable Hegelian Marxist, Georg Lukacs would propose a new version of a number of Marx's theories. Marx's concept of the fetishism of commodities was the basis for Lukacs's concept of reification but the fundamental difference however was that while Marx's concept was restricted to the economic system, Luckas broaden this concept to include all systems of society (state, law and economic).
Lukacs believed that all the social structures come to have an objective character, one that is out of the control of the individual. Lucas also argued that the ability to achieve class consciousness is particular to capitalistic societies and that a number of factors prevented the development of a class consciousness. He believed that the state was independent of the economy and still affected society. In fact he believed that status consciousness superseded class consciousness. It was the uncertainty social positions that disallowed the emergence of a class consciousness.
Another notable neo-Marxist was Antonio Gramsci who also paved the transition from classical Marxism's economic determinism to a more socially holistic view. Though Gramsci did recognize the importance of structural factors, particularly the economy, he did not believe that it alone could lead to praxis. He believed that in order for class-consciousness to occur and give rise to revolutions, a revolutionary ideology was necessary, one that would emerge from collective ideas rather than social structures. The social contradiction lied in the concept that the intellectuals generated the ideology and extended it to the masses. In other words the masses could not become class conscious on their own but only through the help of the social elite. Gramsci argued that this hegemony was a cultural leadership exercised by the ruling class. For the working class to achieve class-consciousness they would need cultural leadership to guide them, and that the economic and state apparatus alone could not spontaneously build this culture through their share experience alone.
Obviously, neo-Marxism was a repose of the economic determinism and positivism of classical Marxist theories. It included other sociological views came after the Marx to give a more precise view of social class structures with a focus on society than the economic system alone. Both Lukacs and Gramsci offer views on the importance of social and intellectual forces on the emergence of class-differences and explanation to the importance of Marxism.
References
http://www.socialistworld.net
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marxism
http://www.ehow.com
www.wikipedia.org/
3. Profit
Capitalism permit for the individual to decide the profit margin resulting from the sale of private property in a free market, which was a source of extreme criticism from Marx. Marx's labor theory of value, a foundation stone of Marxian economics and the basis for his criticism of capitalism, equated the value of a product to the number of labor hours needed to produce it. Therefore profits could only be taken by exploiting the working class. In Marx's vision for a communist state all profits from the previous rule are applied to public purposes and the surplus from production is distributed equally.
Comparison
of Marxism
& Communism
Communism
|
Marxism-Socialism
|
|
viewpoint:
|
Emphasis is on Free-access to the item
of consumption by advances in technology
|
Emphasis is on profit distribution
among the society & workforce in addition to their wages.
|
thoughts:
|
Human society has been divided into
warring classes. The Industrial Revolution has improved the prosperous and broke
the poor. The workers must bring down the bourgeois.
|
All people should be given an equal
beginning. Workers should have participation in their factory's management.
Looking out for general welfare. Control of production by ideology rather
than consumer desires.
|
Salient
Features:
|
An advanced type of the principle of
"Production for use"( a
defining criterion for a socialist economy, and is
used in contrast to production
for profit)
|
Economic activity and
production especially are adjusted, by the state, to meet human needs and economic demands. "Production
for use": useful goods and services are produced specifically for their
usefulness.
|
Ownership
structure:
|
The means of production are
commonly-owned, it means no entity or individual owns productive property.
Importance is recognized to "user ship" over "ownership".
|
The means of production are
socially-owned by the state
|
Economic
management:
|
Free-access distribution of resources.
|
Planned-Socialism relies principally
on planning to decide investment and
production decisions.
|
Political
Aspect Movements:
|
Leninism, Trotskyism,
Marxism-Leninism, Maoism, Left-Communism
|
Democratic Socialism, Communism,
Libertarian Socialism, Anarchism, Syndicalism
|
Observation
in practice:
|
Requires hand over individual liberty,
complete satisfaction to government bureaucracy. China and N.Korea show some
success. But happiness is contestable as are ethics and human rights.
|
Again requires give up liberties,
expensive compared to most free-market choices. Some benefits however set up
an entitlement approach. It can negatively affect free-trade and employment.
As seen in EMEA and US.
|
Key
supporter:
|
Karl Marx, Fredrich Engels, Vladimir
Lenin, Leon Trotsky
|
Robert Owen, Pierre Leroux, Karl Marx,
Fredrick Engels, John Stuart Mill, Albert Einstein
|
Neo Marxism
Neo-Marxism is a free word for a variety of twentieth-century theories that modify or broaden Marxism and Marxist theory, generally by incorporating elements from other intellectual traditions, such as: critical theory, psychoanalysis or Existentialism.
Comparison of Marxism & Neo-Marxism
The basic difference between classical Marxism and Neo-Marxism is that classical Marxism's economic determinism and the Neo-Marxism's broader thought of social and intellectual influence that complete the explanation of cruelty to the working-class.
Marx believed that contradictions in society could be resolved only through actual social change, or revolution. One key contradiction that Marx told was between human nature and the conditions for labor in capitalism. He said that under capitalism, our labor is sold as a commodity he done this through number of theories like the theory of value, theory of accumulation, and theory of surplus value, and this leads to unfriendliness from everything, our productive activity, the product itself, our fellow workers and ultimately our selves. According to Marx this contradiction in the capitalist process would produce an economic crisis where the capitalist system would fail & eventually will be replaced by socialism.
About a century later in 1930's, a number of critics come forward, not to finish classical Marxism but to elaborate the theories by allowing for new views developed by Weber which focus more on the social influences that perpetuate the economic oppression & social oppression. This new school of thought was the foundation for neo-Marxist social theory. They argued that Marx saw the economic sector as preeminent, but ignored the dialectical processes such as politics, religion, mass-media and so on for which neo-Marxist argue could not be reduced to something determined purely by the economy
The notable Hegelian Marxist, Georg Lukacs would propose a new version of a number of Marx's theories. Marx's concept of the fetishism of commodities was the basis for Lukacs's concept of reification but the fundamental difference however was that while Marx's concept was restricted to the economic system, Luckas broaden this concept to include all systems of society (state, law and economic).
Lukacs believed that all the social structures come to have an objective character, one that is out of the control of the individual. Lucas also argued that the ability to achieve class consciousness is particular to capitalistic societies and that a number of factors prevented the development of a class consciousness. He believed that the state was independent of the economy and still affected society. In fact he believed that status consciousness superseded class consciousness. It was the uncertainty social positions that disallowed the emergence of a class consciousness.
Another notable neo-Marxist was Antonio Gramsci who also paved the transition from classical Marxism's economic determinism to a more socially holistic view. Though Gramsci did recognize the importance of structural factors, particularly the economy, he did not believe that it alone could lead to praxis. He believed that in order for class-consciousness to occur and give rise to revolutions, a revolutionary ideology was necessary, one that would emerge from collective ideas rather than social structures. The social contradiction lied in the concept that the intellectuals generated the ideology and extended it to the masses. In other words the masses could not become class conscious on their own but only through the help of the social elite. Gramsci argued that this hegemony was a cultural leadership exercised by the ruling class. For the working class to achieve class-consciousness they would need cultural leadership to guide them, and that the economic and state apparatus alone could not spontaneously build this culture through their share experience alone.
Obviously, neo-Marxism was a repose of the economic determinism and positivism of classical Marxist theories. It included other sociological views came after the Marx to give a more precise view of social class structures with a focus on society than the economic system alone. Both Lukacs and Gramsci offer views on the importance of social and intellectual forces on the emergence of class-differences and explanation to the importance of Marxism.
References
http://www.socialistworld.net
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marxism
http://www.ehow.com
www.wikipedia.org/
