1 / 18

The Marxist Tradition “ Introduction” to RCP

The Marxist Tradition “ Introduction” to RCP. Background. Marx’s Intellectual Sources German Speculative Philosophy Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach French Socialism Proudhon, Fourier, Saint-Simon English Political Economy Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Thomas Malthus. Marx’s Political Activities.

wang-rosa
Download Presentation

The Marxist Tradition “ Introduction” to RCP

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Marxist Tradition“Introduction” to RCP

  2. Background • Marx’s Intellectual Sources • German Speculative Philosophy • Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach • French Socialism • Proudhon, Fourier, Saint-Simon • English Political Economy • Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Thomas Malthus

  3. Marx’s Political Activities • Communist League - Communist Manifesto • 1848 Revolutions - in Germany • First International (1864-1872) • Dies in 1883

  4. Engel’s Marxism • Engels Survivied Marx • 2nd International (1898-1914) • Engels, Kautsky, Bernstein • Social Democracry - Revolutionary Marxism Split • WWI - Russian Revolution

  5. USSR & Orthodox Marxism • Success of Bolsheviks • Undermines other revolutionaries (e.g., anarchists) • Puts power of Soviet State behind Marxism-Leninism • Marxism = theory of capitalism • Leninism = theory of socialism

  6. Orthodox Marxism-Leninism • Theory: Historical Materialism • Theory: Dialectical Materialism • Pactice: dictatorship of proletariat • Pactice: building state capitalism

  7. Orthodox Spin-offs • Chinese Communism: Maoism • 3rd World Communist Parties • sometimes reform • sometimes revolution • Trotskyism: 4th International

  8. “Western Marxism” • Non-orthodox • Critical Theory • Georgy Luckas • Karl Korsch • Gramsci • Frankfurt School • Marcuse, Adorno, Horkheimer, Pollock

  9. Autonomist Marxism • Anarcho-communism • Council Communism • Johson-Forest, Tony Cliff, Cornelius Castoriadis • Italian New Left -Wages for Housework • Zerowork - Midnight Notes

  10. Reading Capital • As political economy • As philosophy • Politically

  11. Reading Capital as Political Economy • Capital = work in economics • Laws of Motion • Competition • Working Class as Victim • Leaves politics to the Party • Basic Problem: one-sided, working class has no effective subjectivity

  12. Reading Capital as Philosophy • Capital as exercise in dialectical/historical materialism • Neo-Hegelian Western Marxist emphasis on manipulation of consciousness via culture • Althusserian revamping of historical materialism • Basic Problem: one sided, working class has no effective subjectivity

  13. Reading Capital Politically - 1 • Denies split between economics & politics • Emphasizes working class subjectivity • within capitalist society • against against capitalist society • transcending capitalist society

  14. Reading Capital Politically - 2 • Recasts dynamic of capitalist development as dynamic of class struggle • within production • within culture (reproduction) • Insists on two-sided, strategic reading of Capital and of all the elements of capitalist society

  15. Example #1: Part VIII • Can be read one-sidely • as economic history, story of capital, working class victimized • as philosophy, case study of historical materialism • Can be read two-sidedly • capital’s coming into being, imposition of its rules • people’s resistance to that imposition

  16. Example #2: Chapter One-1 • Can be read one sidedly • as economic “value” theory, narrowly defined • as story of money (pre-K, K) • as correction of Classical labor theory of value • as example of “commodity fetishism”

  17. Example #2: Chapter One-2 • Can be read two-sidedly • in terms of class relations • substance (work) = core of class relationship • measure (work time) of that core • form (exchange value) = form of class relationship • so, money = embodiement of class relation • imposed and contested rules of game

  18. --END--

More Related