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Plan for Today: Marxism and Dependency Theory

Plan for Today: Marxism and Dependency Theory. Highlighting general principles of Marxist thought. Applying to international relations: Marxist theory on imperialist war. Neo-Marxist explanations for Third World underdevelopment. Marxi$m. Introduction to Marxism.

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Plan for Today: Marxism and Dependency Theory

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  1. Plan for Today: Marxism and Dependency Theory • Highlighting general principles of Marxist thought. • Applying to international relations: • Marxist theory on imperialist war. • Neo-Marxist explanations for Third World underdevelopment.

  2. Marxi$m

  3. Introduction to Marxism • Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto (1848). • Ontology: economic classes main actors. • Causal argument: Class conflict  social/ political change. • System of economic production  institutional & ideological structures.

  4. Introduction to Marxism • Impoverishment & growth of proletariat  proletarian overthrow of bourgeoisie. • Capitalism = exploitation of workers by bourgeoisie. • Pay subsistence wage and pocket surplus.

  5. Introduction to Marxism • Teleological theory: cycle of change as inevitable  classless societies and peace.

  6. Marxist IR Approaches:Theory of Imperialist War • John Hobson: • Imperialism from problems in capitalism. • Bourgeoisie acquires profits & system produces goods. • Eventually low-wage working class can’t afford goods. • Crisis of overproduction & underconsumption  Need to invest in overseas production to maintain profits.

  7. Marxist IR Approaches:Theory of Imperialist War • Lenin: • Inter-state wars caused by imperialist expansion. • Expansion to colonies necessary for capitalist survival (stave off workers’ revolution). • Eventually all territory grabbed and capitalist states must fight one another to reallocate.

  8. Critiques of Marxist Theory of Imperialism • Empirical events: • How to explain Soviet expansionism & conflicts among Communist states? • Most advanced capitalist states should be most imperialist – but not. • Few colonies profitable to colonizers. • Most wars in capitalist era not for economic motives.

  9. Critiques of Marxist Theory of Imperialism • Theoretical attacks: • Economic drive for imperialism only ephemeral – real timeless reason is hunger for power. • Business bourgeoisie not main foreign policy decisionmakers.

  10. Neo-Marxist IR Approaches:Dependency Theory • Flourished in 1970s. • International system has own class structure: metropolis (exploiters) and satellite (exploited).

  11. Marxist IR Approaches:Dependency Theory • Andre Gunder Frank • Hypotheses: • Metropoles develop; satellites underdevelop. • Satellites develop when ties with metropoles weakest. • Most underdeveloped regions today had closest ties to metropole in past.

  12. Marxist IR Approaches:Dependency Theory • How metropoles subjugate satellites: • Foreign investment in poor countries limited to extractive industries. • Westernizing domestic elites in poor countries.

  13. Marxist IR Approaches:Dependency Theory • Critique of modernization theory. • Modernization theory: 3rd world must emulate Western societies to develop. • Problem is bad traditions. • Development = Westernization.

  14. Marxist IR Approaches:Critiques of Dependency Theory • No direct relationship between states’ reliance on extractive industries and poverty/ underdevelopment. • States are dependent because underdeveloped; not vice versa. • Why do some satellite states escape (NICs)?

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