KARL MARX AND MARXISM

“Workers of the world unite – you have nothing to lose but your chains!”

Marxism

The key to history is economics

The key to economics is class conflict

All of history is the struggle between the dominant economic class and the exploited economic class

Superstructure (everything we see around us)

The dominant economic class

The Means of Production

Key point: When the means of production change

then everything above it changes as well!

For example: ancient world (Roman empire) to feudalism (Middle Ages) to capitalism (Renaissance) to industrialism (Modern)

The Modern World (circa 1848)

• Capitalism (c.1500)• Industrial Revolution (c.1750)

Two Classes

• The Bourgeoisie/Middle Class/Exploiters• The Proletariat/Urban working class/Exploited

The Dictatorship of the Proletariat

•Violent overthrow of the Old Order•One government with absolute power to remold society

Re-education•“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.”•How long? Maybe hundreds of years?•Abolition of all private property

True Communism•No classes•No conflict•No government•No exploitation

The Final Stages of History

Problems with Marxism

Is it true that economics is the key to history?

The conditions of workers in 1848 vs. the early (and late!) 20th century

The test of World War One