Marxism Karl Marx (1818-83) saw the harm caused by modern industrial society in 19th century Europe, and looked to progress the human condition for the better. Marx believed that it is possible to understand society scientifically, and that knowledge used to improve the future, so can be said to be continuing the Enlightenment tradition. However, unlike functionalists, Marx believed progress would not be smooth. He believed capitalism would increase human misery before giving way (via revolution) to a classless society.

Stages of History Card Sort Socialism Capitalism Primitive Communism Feudalism Imperialism Communisim

Materialism ‘Materialism’ is the idea that humans have core needs, such as food, shelter, etc. We must work to meet these. This is called the means of production. As we develop tools and systems to help us produce, we must cooperate with others. This is called the social relations of production. Over time, Marx claims a division occurs between the class that owns the means of production and a class of labourers. For Marx, this relationship creates the economic base in society, and shapes everything else in society (the superstructure of institutions). Discussion: How could you link the capitalist mode of production to the institutions of religion, the criminal justice system, education, or the family? Ancient Society: Exploitation of slaves, legally tied to their owners. Feudal Society: Exploitation of serfs, legally tied to the land. Capitalist Society: Exploitation of free wage labourers.

Capitalism Like previous class societies, capitalism is based on a class division: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Unlike slaves, the proletariat are legally free and separated from the means of production. However, they have to sell their labour to survive. But they do not receive the true value of their labour, instead they receive the cost of subsistence (what they need to survive). The difference is the surplus value, which is the profit made by selling the product. Draw Capitalism – Widget + add labour = Product = Profit

From this to this?

Capitalism Marx believes that our true nature is to create things that meet our needs. Alienation is a result of our loss of control over our labour, which we sell to receive subsistence. Marx says that alienation reaches it’s peak in capitalism for two reasons. Question: Marx saw religion as originating in the alienation of human labour. Why?

Capitalism Through competition, the ownership of the means become in the hands of fewer people (think multinationals). This forces smaller owners into the ranks of the proletariat (e.g. milk farmers & Tesco), and wages are lowered. Capitalists will continue to expand their businesses and accumulate profits. These processes will polarises society into a minority ruling class and a majority working class, who will “face each other as two warring camps.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0&feature=relmfu (7.49 onwards) – Maybe?

Capitalism Marx claimed that capitalism sows the seeds of it’s own downfall. Polarisation brings workers together through impoverishment, which will lead to an awareness of their economic and political interests. Marx predicted that because of this, the workers will break free from their chains and overthrow capitalism.

Labouring without meaningful contact with others. Work becoming dominated by machinery. A sense of your live having no real purpose or value. Labour that is focussed on one particular task. Having no control over your own labour. Being a stranger to yourself, losing your sense of who you truly are.

How to Prevent a Revolution - Force Marx defines the state as ‘armed bodies of men’ (army, police, prisons, etc.) which exists to protect the interests of the class of owners who control it. They use the state as a weapon to protect their property, suppress opposition and prevent revolution. To lead a revolution, the proletariat must organise and overthrow the existing ruling class. Question: How might you argue that education and the family socialises children to submit to the powerful in society? REPRESSIVE STATE APPARATUS

How to prevent a revolution - Ideology For Marx, the class that owns the means of production also controls the means of mental production – the production of ideas. The dominant ideas are those of the dominant class. All institutions that produce ideas (religion, media, education, etc.), serve the dominant class by legitimising the existing social order. They attempt to create a false consciousness. Question: How might you argue that education and religion serves the existing social order? IDEOLOGICAL STATE APPARATUS

False Consciousness in the Media Find an example of a news story that could be said to help a ‘false consciousness’ in the working classes. It could be something that encourages people to accept their position in society… …or that diverts their attention from their exploitation. GIVE THEM IMAGES INSTEAD – GET THEM TO WORK OUT WHY THEY ARE FALSE CONSCIOUSNESS

The Coming Revolution? Marx wrote that eventually the majority working class will overthrow capitalism, and abolish the state and create a classless society. Abolish exploitation, replace private ownership with social ownership, and replace production for profit with production to satisfy social need. It would end alienation as humans regain control of their labour and its products. Marx predicted this as the ultimate victory of the proletarian revolution and the establishment of a communist society on a global scale. Starting with the most advanced societies.

The BIG Idea ‘Humanistic’ Marxism We are Learning to... Discover the ‘Humanistic Marxism’ of Antonio Gramsci. Explore Gramsci’s ideas for challenging the ruling class dominance and bringing about revolution. In today’s lesson... GOOD learning … Be able to outline a brief description of Gramsci’s version of humanistic Marxism. GREAT learning … Be able to outline a detailed description of Gramsci’s version of humanistic Marxism, including key concepts. EVEN BETTER … Be able to outline a detailed description and of Gramsci’s version of humanistic Marxism, including key concepts and a modern example of how it could be put into practice. 14

Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) First leader of the Italian Communist Party. Rejected economic determinism (that capitalism will inevitably collapse). Gramsci saw the ruling class maintaining its dominance in two ways: Coercion: the army, police, prisons ad courts of the capitalist state force the proletariat to accept its rule. Consent: the ruling class use ideas and values to persuade the proletariat that their rule is legitimate. Gramsci’s saw this hegemony (or dominant ideology) as the most important factor in maintaining the ruling class’s position.

Gramsci & Hegemony For Gramsci, ideas were the ultimate route to revolution. Because of his focus on the ideas of people, his Marxism is described as ‘humanistic.’

Gramsci & Hegemony However, ruling class hegemony is never complete because the proletariat will see through the dominant ideology because of their worsening material conditions. THINK/PAIR/SHARE – what are ‘material conditions,’ and which might the poorest in society experience in a capitalist society? Gramsci claimed that because of the poverty they experience in capitalist society, the working classes would begin to see through the dominant ideology and realise their exploitation.

Gramsci & Hegemony For Gramsci, the working class can only win the battle of ideas by producing their own ‘counter- hegemony.’ In other words their own moral and ideological leadership which win people over from the ruling class hegemony. This can sometimes be called ‘counter-culture.’ To do this, Gramsci argued for the production of working class ‘organic intellectuals’ - leaders from the working classes, organised within a revolutionary political party who could offer a new vision of how society should be.

Gramsci & Hegemony To do this, Gramsci argued for the production of working class ‘organic intellectuals.’ Leaders from the working classes, organised within a revolutionary political party who could offer a new vision of how society should be.

Louis Althusser (1918-90) A leading French Marxist philosopher who criticises the humanistic approach to Marxism. Believed it is not people’s actions that shape history, but the social structures they act within. Thought these structures to be the proper subject of scientific enquiry. Believed in the deterministic view of capitalism, that it ‘contained the seeds of its own destruction.’

Althusser’s Criticisms of Marx’s Historical Materialism Althusser's believed that Marx’s stressing the importance of the economic base was too simplistic. He claimed that society is made up of three levels; Economic Level Political Level Ideological Level For Althusser, each level has ‘relative autonomy,’ meaning they are connected, but act relatively independently from each other. Althusser was deterministic, he agreed with Marx that capitalism “contained the seeds of its own destruction.” So that it doesn’t collapse, capitalism has ‘conditions of existence’ which must be met. Althusser identified two types of ways in which capitalist societies do ensure this.

Repressive State Apparatus (RSAs) Ideological State Apparatus (ISAs) Repressive State Apparatus (RSAs) Institutions that express the dominant ideology and manipulate the proletariat into to accepting capitalism as legitimate. The “armed bodies of men” who use force to ensure that the working classes comply with the will of the bourgeoisie. MATCHING EXERCISE WITH IMAGES & EXPLANATION & MODERN EXAMPLES – THEN GET THEM TO SAY ISA OR RSA

Organisations, usually owned by the ruling class, that socialise workers into accepting capitalism’s legitimacy by transmitting the values of the dominant class. Contemporary Example News stories in the British press demonising benefit claimants as ‘scroungers’ who are too lazy to get a job. This institution teaches young people the skills they need to take their place in a capitalist society, and socialises them to accept their position at the bottom of the social system. Contemporary Example Working class children achieve less well, and so are more likely to be unemployed or in low-pay employment. MATCHING EXERCISE WITH IMAGES & EXPLANATION & MODERN EXAMPLES – THEN GET THEM TO SAY ISA OR RSA This institution teaches the proletariat to accept their exploitation through the claim of divine will and the promise of heavenly reward for their position in society. Contemporary Example "It is very beautiful for the poor to accept their lot . I think the world is being much helped by the suffering of the poor people.“ Mother Theresa

This institution ensures that the working class conform to the formal rules and regulations of the ruling class capitalist system, often through physical force. Contemporary Example The student loan protests and anti-capitalist protests broken up with physical force and ‘kettling.’ This organisation represents the ultimate physical expression of state power. It ensures the survival of the ruling class from internal and external threats. Contemporary Example In 1989 Chinese soldiers shot dead thousands of unarmed student protesters campaigning for free speech and anti-corruption. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/16/south-african-police-shoot-striking-miners http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 This system reflects the prejudices of the dominant class and targets its attention on groups at the bottom of the system and ensures they can not revolt. Contemporary Example In the USA young black men are a disproportionately large percentage of the prison population.

Evaluations of Althusser’s Structural Marxism Gives a more complex understanding of how capitalist society is constructed. Helps us understand the forces that help keep capitalism dominant. Neglects the influence of individuals on society. Ignores the struggles of working class organisations like trade unions to change society for the better.

- p.229 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21970879 READ SECTION IN BOOKS – p.229

Causes of Conflict in Society Some would argue that conflict in society is not always caused by economic factors. Demonstrations against the war in Iraq. Anti- ‘Western’ protests in Muslim countries. What could the causes of these conflicts be? Extension: How might Marxists respond?

Where is this Revolution?! Marx predicted that the revolution would begin in the most advanced economies. Since Marx’s death in 1883, the absence of revolution in the West has led many to reject the economic determinism of the base/superstructure model. Instead they have tried to explain why capitalism has persisted and how it might be overthrown.