1. Present New Information
Task: For the duration of the song – write as many things as you can remember about functionalism
You are not allowed to share ideas!

2. Lesson Objective
To know and understand Marx's main ideas and concepts.

3. What are the key elements to Marxism?
Bourgeoisie
Ideology
Proletariat
Capitalism
These are some key words which relate to Marxism - what do these words mean? Provide definitions on your whiteboard
What are the key elements to Marxism?

4. Instability and change: Conflict of Interests:
Classic Marxism: Marx
Classical Marxism was founded by Karl Marx
Like Functionalism, Marxism is also a structural theory – society is a structure or system that shapes individuals’ behaviour and ideas.
It is also a macro theory
Like Durkheim, Marx believed we could study society scientifically and this knowledge would point the way to a better society – ‘scientific socialism’.
However, Marxism differs from functionalism in two ways:
Instability and change:
Marx did not see progress as a smooth and gradual evolution. He saw historical change as a contradictory process in which capitalism would increase human misery before giving way to a classless communist society in which people would be free to fulfil their potential
Conflict of Interests:
Marxism is a conflict theory and suggests that within society there is a conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariats – the proletariats are exploited to benefit the ruling class
Can you think of an example of this?

5. Marxism: Historical materialism
Marx believed the economy was the driving force in society.
Materialism – we have material needs e.g. food, shelter etc.
Therefore we work to meet these needs – using a means of production (e.g. machines, factories, land etc.)
People work together in order to assist in production to help meet our needs – they enter a social relations of production
Over time as the forces of production grow – so does the social relations of production
As division of labour develops this leads to a division between social classes:
A class that owns the means of production
A class of labourers
What are these called??

6. Base and superstructure:
Society is divided into two main parts:
Infrastructure (economic base) which underpins and determines everything else in society. This includes:
Means of production – land, factories, raw materials, technology and labour necessary to produce society’s goods.
Relations of production – the relations between those involved in production such as who controls production, the relationship between the owner and non owners e.g. the Bourgeoisie and proletariat.
2) Superstructure – includes society’s social institutions such as the family, education, law, religion, mass media, beliefs and values (ideology) are all determined by the economic system.

7. Marxism: Class society and exploitation
Before class societies - In early history there was no classes, no private ownership or exploitation (‘primitive communism’)
In class societies - one class owns the means of production which exploits the labourers. They control society’s surplus product.
Marx identifies three successive class societies, each with its own form of exploitation:
Ancient society
Feudal society
Capitalist society

8. Ancient society Feudal society Capitalist society
Exploitation of slaves legally tied to their owners
Agricultural labourer tied to working on his Lord’s estate
Feudal society
Exploitation of serfs legally tied to the land
Capitalist society
Exploitation of free wage labourers

9. Question……
What would society look like if it became communist? Would there be a class society and exploitation?

10. Marxism: Capitalism
Capitalism is based on a division between a class of owners (bourgeoisie) and a class of labourers (proletariat).
Capitalism has three distinct features:
The proletariat are legally free and separated from the means of production – they have to sell their labour to the bourgeoisie in return for wages in order to survive. The proletariat do not receive the value of their goods that their labour produces, but only the cost of subsistence – keeping them alive.

11. Transnational cooperations controlling the means of production
Marxism: Capitalism
As competition between capitalists increases, ownership of the means of production becomes concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. Small independent producers therefore fall into the ranks of the proletariat, until the vast majority are proletarianised.
Transnational cooperations controlling the means of production

12. Marxism: Capitalism
Capitalism expands the forces of production in its pursuit of profit. This will push production into even-larger units; technological advances will de-skill the workforce and will result in class polarisation – society divides into a minority capitalist class and a majority working class.

13. Marxism: Class consciousness
Marx believes that polarising the classes, bringing the proletariat together in ever-larger numbers, and driving down their wages, capitalism creates the conditions under which the working class can develop a consciousness of its own economic and political interest in opposition to those of its exploiters.
The proletariat move from being a class in itself to becoming a class for itself – members are now class conscious and aware they need to overthrow capitalism.

14. Marxism: Ideology
The bourgeoisie not only control the means of production, but also the mental production – the production of ideas
The dominant ideas in society are therefore the ideas of the economically dominant class.
Social institutions (e.g. Religion, education, media) spread ideas which reflect the bourgeoisie – they produce ideologies
These ideologies legitimise (justify) the existing social order as desirable and inevitable e.g. you do not have a good job because you didn’t work hard at school.
Ideology creates a false class consciousness – unaware of their true exploitation and this helps sustain class inequality.

15. Marxism: Alienation
Alienation is where individuals feel isolated because of their lack of power to control their lives – the working class lack control over the production process.
Under capitalism, alienation reaches its peak for 2 reasons:
Workers are completely separated from and have no control over the forces of production
A worker is reduced to an unskilled labourer mindlessly repeating a meaningless task

16. Marxism: The state, revolution and communism
The state (repressive state apparatus) – e.g. Police, prisons, courts; protect the interests of the class of owners – they form a ruling class
They use the state as a weapon to protect their property, wealth, suppress opposition and prevent revolution.
A revolution can occur and they can overthrow the existing ruling class.
Marx says a proletarian revolution will be the first revolution by a majority against a minority. It will:
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 human needs.
End alienation as humans regain control of their labour.
An end of capitalism will bring about communism on a world scale.

17. Elaborate
You now need to turn this into a cartoon strip demonstrating the Marxists ideas of conflict.

18. Present new Information
Watching the following clip how could Marxists explain what happened? Is this theory useful within society or not?
Can you identify any strengths and weakness or Marxism?

19. Lesson Objective
To be able to fully evaluate Marxism and compare it to other theories.

20. Construct
Read the following evaluation points and in pairs decide which ones are supporting or criticising Marxist’s understanding of society.
Why does it support/challenge their contributions to understand society?

21. Elaborate
Write these up as fully developed evaluation points onto page 15 in your booklet

22. Apply / Review:
Question: How would you explain the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of the way society is organised. What info would you select to go into this question so far?

23. Lesson Objective
To be able to understand Neo-Marxist theories of society.

24. Neo-Marxism
Since Marx’s death, and no sign of a revolution, many Marxists reject the economic determination of the base-superstructure to explain society.
Instead they have tried to explain why capitalism has persisted and how it may be overthrown.
Neo-Marxism is a new type of thinking. It is influenced by traditional Marxism but is a more contemporary view of society.
There are two types of Marxism:
Humanistic Marxism - more about free will / interpretivism.
Structural Marxism - i.e. More about science /objectivity/falsification/positivism

25. Animazing storyboard
In pairs using your information sheet - you are going to make a series of pictures that sum up either Gramsci or Althusser. You can use it anyway you like but it must be creative so that another pair can understand the neo-Marxist ideas. You will then TEACH another pair your theorist. You will also prepare 4 questions which will then test your group to make sure each group was listening!

26. Review
Do you see yourself as more in agreement with Marxists or Functionalists? Explain why.

27. Extension questions:
Do you think an analysis of Britain today fits more closely with functionalism (consensus) of Marxism (conflict)? Explain your views with examples.
Think about the information you would use to answer the following question:
‘Marxism and other conflict theories have little to contribute to an understanding of contemporary society’
Examine the extent to which sociological arguments and evidence support this view.

28. Graffiti tables – essay plan: