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MARXIST THINKING

MARXIST THINKING. “ Workers of the World Unite” “The Philosophers Have Only Interpreted the World— The Point, however, is to Change It”. Marx Biography.

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MARXIST THINKING

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  1. MARXIST THINKING “Workers of the World Unite” “The Philosophers Have Only Interpreted the World— The Point, however, is to Change It”

  2. Marx Biography • Born in Trier, Germany in 1818, 3rd of 7 children. Father descended from rabbis but converted to Protestantism to practice Law. Mother was related to industrialists. • Earned PhD in Philosophy from Humboldt University in Berlin. • Married Jenny von Westphalen in 1843; 7 children, only 3 survived to adulthood. • After losing his job editing a newspaper in Germany, moved to Paris to work on a revolutionary journal. • Met Friedrich Engels (The Condition of the Working Class in England) in 1844, lifelong collaborator.

  3. Studied French Revolution & influenced by socialist intellectuals. Engels inspired Marx to become a communist & interest in working class. • Wrote Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844: alienated nature of labor under capitalism v. a communist society in which humans freely develop their nature in cooperative production. • Historical Materialism: nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production. • After Communist Manifesto & revolutionary uprising of 1848, Marx was arrested & expelled from Belgium.

  4. Moved to London in 1849: revolutionary organizer & studied political economy and capitalism. • Served on the General Council of International Workingmen's Association (IWA): socialist organization of leftist political groups & unions. Workers’ movements in EU were bloody & violent. • Published Capital : A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production in 1967. Capitalist ideas of value and exploitation would ultimately lead to a falling rate of profit and the collapse of industrial capitalism. • Died in 1883 from bronchitis & pleurisy. Ideas became influential after his death & considered one of most important thinkers in 20th century.

  5. MODES OF PRODUCTION 1. Slavery = Slaves are property & laborers, Slave Owners control the means of production 2. Feudalism = Laborers (cultivators or herdspeople) have access to the means of production. Feudal Lords extract tribute by political and military means 3. Capitalism = Laborers (Proletariat) sell their labor power for a wage. Property Owners (Bourgeoisie) control the means of production

  6. MARXIST TERMINOLOGY • Means of Production = System of labor and property relations (i.e. a farm, factory, etc.) • Labor = Activities that transform raw nature into something to use/exchange • Property = Social connection between people and things • Use Value = Immediate value of a product • Exchange Value = Value of product for sale or trade, including the profit

  7. MARXIST TERMINOLOGY • Classes = Social groups defined by their relationship to the means of production 1. Bourgeoisie = owners of means of production (factories, mines, large farms, etc.) 2. Proletariat = (working class) people who sell their labor to survive • Exploitation = Owner’s profit exceeds laborers’ wages

  8. MARXIST TERMINOLOGY • Social Relations of Production = Relationships between humans engaged in the system of labor and property relations • Specialized Labor = Laborers perform specialized tasks that depend upon other specialized labor (i.e. Assembly Line labor) • Alienated Labor = Laborer is separated from: the means of production, the product of the work, other laborers

  9. MARXIST TERMINOLOGY • Commodity = Product of labor • Commodity Fetishism = Product of labor takes on a meaning/value that exceeds the exchange value; commodity has a spirit/life of its own that gives it power

  10. Why do we labor under conditions of inequality? Ideology of Class • Belief that dividing society into classes is “natural” and “right” • If ruling class controls institutions that teach people how to view the world (churches, schools, media, etc.), it can promote the view that their dominance is in everyone’s best interest.

  11. How to Challenge Inequality? • Class Consciousness = Members of a social class recognize their collective interests and personally identify with their economic group • Revolution = working class unite to overthrow the bourgeoisie • Organizing = Workers develop organizations to protect their interests and increase their share of industrial profits (i.e. trade unions, socialist parties)

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