1. Karl Marx - Historical Materialism

2. 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

3. History of Marx & Marxism
Karl Marx ( )
Friedrich Engels ( )
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

4. 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)

5. Influences 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)
Analysing economy: British political economy
Adam Smith: study the division of labour
Politics: French Socialism
- Saint-Simon: must create a new society, based on cooperation between classes, not conflict

6. 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

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

8. Part of human nature remains constant:
- Humans creative / creativity in making things
- Making things creatively allows self-expression
Humans like working (if allowed to do so freely & creatively; but not if forced to)
Good society: allows creativity in work
Bad society: forced to work, work uncreative

9. 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)

10. ‘Ideal’ aspects:
Ideas and beliefs (e.g. morals and religion)
Ways of thinking
‘Culture’
(Emphasis on ‘ideal’ comes from Hegel)

11. Marx’s 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

12. Historical Materialism
looks at material factors in society
emphasises production and labour over ‘ideal’ factors
Historical:
looks at changes over time in material factors
social change produced by changes in material factors
Human history = changes in how people work & make things

13. 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

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

15. 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
Economy benefits them Exploited

16. Mode of Production ECONOMIC BASE Forces Relations
of production of production
FUNCTIONING SHAPES
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking, values, ideas
Social institutions

17. Mode of Production (1) Most important idea of Marx (in later writings)
Production = making things
Production is essential:
food, clothes, shelter, etc.
Making things = transforming Nature
Making things = using TOOLS to transform RAW MATERIALS into useable GOODS
Consumption = using those goods (& so staying alive)

18. Mode of Production (2) Production is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Individual humans cannot make much on their own
- Must work cooperatively with others
- Division of labour: different people have different jobs
- Production has to be managed
Different forms of management = different types of society

19. Production is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Mode of Production (3)
Production is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY
In class-based societies:
Ruling class controls production
Ruling class OWN tools, raw materials and finished good (class of OWNERS)
Subordinate classes do the actual work (class of NON-OWNERS) (workers)
Division of labour:
OWNERS & NON-OWNERS
Ruling class reaps the benefits
Subordinate classes lose out

20. ECONOMIC BASE (primary) SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE (secondary)
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)

21. PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
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 controls class of NON-OWNERS (workers)

22. SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE 1) Ways of thinking, values, ideas
(“Forms of social consciousness”)
(“Ideologies”)
2) Social institutions
Religion
Family
Education
Government / the State

23. SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE BASE controlled by RULING CLASS SO
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

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

25. Mode of Production ECONOMIC BASE Forces Relations
of production of production
FUNCTIONING SHAPES
SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking, values, ideas
Social institutions

26. 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

27. Social Change: Revolution
Social change = transition from one mode of production to another
That transition entails a revolution
Revolutions occur in the ECONOMIC BASE
Forces of production change, transforming relations of production
Changes in BASE lead to changes in SUPERSTRUCTURE: whole society transformed

28. Revolution: from feudalism to capitalism
FEUDALISM’S ECONOMIC BASE
Forces Relations
of production of production
Agriculture Aristocratic lords & peasants
FEUDALISM’S SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking: Catholic Christianity
Social institutions: Catholic Church, family

29. 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)

30. CAPITALISM CAPITALISM’S ECONOMIC BASE Forces Relations
of production of production
Industrialism Capitalists & proletarians
CAPITALISM’S SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking: capitalist ideologies
(religion no longer required)
(Capitalism allows individual freedom, democracy, social mobility, etc.)
Social institutions: family, media, government

31. CAPITALISM TODAY? CAPITALISM’S ECONOMIC BASE Forces Relations
of production of production
Post-Industrialism Capitalists
(service sector, Managerial class
computers & IT, Proletarians stock markets) (white collar, McWorkers)
CAPITALISM’S SOCIAL SUPERSTRUCTURE
Ways of thinking: capitalist ideologies
(social mobility, meritocracy, consumerism)
Social institutions: media, welfare state

32. From Capitalism to Communism
Forces of production develop, change relations of production
(technology develops – no need for manual labour – no need for a working class)
2) Capitalism contradictory
(capitalist 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

33. 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, truth
Social institutions: ‘withering away of the state’: communities govern themselves; true democracy

34. 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

35. Evaluation (2) 1) Production at the heart of human life
2) Outdated? Still applicable:
We still live in capitalist society
Marx’s ideas can be reworked to fit today’s conditions
3) Requires sociologist to be highly critical of current society
reject dominant ideologies
get at deeper truths