MARXISM

Question 1

Why does Marxism differ from Functionalism?

Answer 1

• The social structure is seen to be based on a conflict of economic interests.
• Reject the view of a stable society and believe change could occur at any moment.

Question 2

What is historical materialism?

Answer 2

• Materialism refers to the basic needs that humans have which we must work to achieve e.g. Forces of production.
• Social relations of production emerge from this when we begin to organise production and use machines to assist.
• Two classes emerge with this development: owners of the means of production and wage labourers.

Question 3

Class society and exploitation
Ancient Society:

Answer 3

• exploitation of slaves legally tied to their owners.
  Feudal Society: exploitation of serfs legally tied to the the land.
  Capitalist Society: exploitation of free wage labourers.

Question 4

Capitalists exploitation

Answer 4

• Proletariat are legally free and separate from the means of production.
• but they have no choice but to work in order to survive.

Question 5

Class Consciousness

Answer 5

• Capitalism creates conditions for the proletarian to realism their exploitation, through driving the together and lowering their wages.

Question 6

Marx Ideology

Answer 6

• The class that owns the means of production also controls mental production.
• Institutions in society such as the education system reproduce and legitimise the capitalist format.
  Produce a false class consciousness.

Question 7

What is alienation?

Answer 7

• Alienation reaches its peak within capitalism because they have no control over the means of production,
• completely isolated.

Question 8

The state, revolution and communism

Answer 8

• The ruling class consists of the army, police, courts etc.
• Which serves to protect it.
  If the working class overthrow capitalism, they will be the first majority to overthrow the minority.
• Society will become call less with the production for profit being changes to production to satisfy human needs.
• Alienation, and exploitation will end.

Question 9

Criticisms of Marx:

Answer 9

• View of Class
  One-dimensional view of inequality, whereas Weber argues inequality is down to status and power differences and feminists believes it’s down to gender.
• The two-class model is very simplistic. Weber divides the proletariat into skilled and unskilled, and includes a white-collar middle class, and a petty bourgeoise.
  Class polarisation has not yet occurred, in western countries the middle class is increasing and the working class decreasing. But in Asian counties the proletariat is growing as a result of globalisation.

Question 10

Criticisms of Marx:

Answer 10

• Economic Determinism
  Ignores the free will that humans have Ignores concept of new ideas.
• e.g. Weber’s Calvinistic Protestant which helped to emerge modern capitalism.
• Predicted revolution would occur in the modern modern capitalist societies, but actually it is more economically backward societies that have seen revolution e.g. Russia in 1917.

Question 11

The ‘Two Marxisms’ Gouldner (1973)

Answer 11

Humanistic/critical marxism
Scientific/structural Marxism

Question 12

Hegemony

Answer 12

• The ruling class withholding power and maintaining its position

Question 13

Gramasci and Hegemony

Answer 13

• The proletariat must develop counter-hegemony to overthrow the bourgeoisie.
  Ruling class maintain dominance through coercion which is institutions such as the police and army which force classes to accept its rule.

Question 14

Hegemony and Revolution

Answer 14

• The ruling class is a minority which means they have to make some compromises within the middle class to maintain dominance.
  The only way to overthrow capitalism is for the working class to develop organic intellectuals and create a counter-hegemony.