CSS PMS Sociology Short Notes/ Solved Past Papers ; major Marxist theories

 

What are the major Marxist theories? Critically analyze in the light of society’s structure.

Outline

1.     Introduction

2.     What is Marxism – key postulates and point of focus

3.     What is society’s structure

4.     Theories of Marxism

a.      Class conflict theory.

b.     Theory of surplus-value.

c.      Theory of alienation.

d.     Theory of religion.

5.     Modern-day relevance – A critical analysis

6.     Conclusion

Introduction: Marxism – A conflict perspective

                   The philosophy of Marxism is attributed to its founder Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It is the conflict perspective that delineates the relations among different classes of society. Marxism explains many social changes and is one of the very important phenomena of sociology.

What is Marxism – key postulates and points of focus?

                   The crux of Marxism lies in the book title ‘the communist manifesto’ written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The key postulates and points of focus of Marxism are written below:

1.     Economy determines all social relations.

2.     Anti- capitalism.

3.     Critique on religion.

Delineating society’s superstructure

  According to Marx and Engels, the social superstructure was like a pyramid where the economic base would determine all the social relations. However, capitalism lying at the economic base was a problem for the whole superstructure. The whole of Marx's thesis would revolve around the deeply entrenched capitalism at the economic base.

Theories of Marxism

a.     Class conflict theory:

According to Marx at the economic base, there were two classes:

i.                   Bourgeoisies – owners of economic resources.

ii.                 Proletariat – workers who work for the bourgeoisie.

According to Marx, the nature of relationships would be exploitive on behalf of the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie themselves keep the proletariat away from accessing economic resources. Consequently, the proletariat will revolt and establish the dictatorship of the proletariat.

        Infographic analysis of class conflict theory

 

    Top-down relation                                                         Realistically exploitative

·        Ideally balanced                                                       relation in the super

·        Bourgeois should                                                          structure

work for welfare                                                           

for their workers                                                            Proletariat will revolt

                                                                                                 and establish the

                                                                                                 dictatorship of

                                                                                                 proletariat.

 

b.     Theory of surplus value:

According to this theory, labor produces an excess of what is required by the bourgeois. However, the owners of the means of production do not share surplus profits with the proletariat.

           Illustration:

i.                   Top twenty percent of the global elite holds 99% of global economic resources according to economist magazine.

ii.                 Recently, PM Imran Khan requested the industrialists to increase the salaries of unpaid workers in the wake of surplus profit in the last fiscal year.

iii.              The menace of child labor and cheap labor in the globalized world whereas multinational cooperation makes humongous profits.  

c.      Marx's theory of alienation:

According to Marx, the economic base is so bad that it leads to alienation of the individual. Marx himself describes alienation as the sense of alienation from the system and the work.

Types of Marxist alienation

 

 

Alienation from                              Alienation from                       Alienation from

Product                                            work                                        the system

Illustration:

i.                   Emerging artificial intelligence and useless utility of traditional blue-collar workers.

ii.                 Changing rules and favorable rules towards the market alienate individuals from the system.

iii.              Majority of the people who manufacture a product find it out of reach for them and feel alienated.

d.     Theory of religion:

Marx claimed that capitalism has a deep nexus with religion. He expounded that religion was a way to satisfy the masses and it exacerbated the class conflict.

          Illustration:

i.                   Vested interest in religious markets and rich religious elite.

ii.                 Sectarianism, terrorism, and its nexus with capitalism.

 

Modern-day relevance of Marxist theories: A Critical Analysis

                   Though the predicted revolution has not been engendered anywhere in the world, still Marxism has not lost its relevance. The difficulty of social mobility and conflicts in society can be explained by this theory.

Conclusion

                   To sum up, Marxism has also evolved and has taken up the shape of neo-Marxism from a conflict perspective. Neo-Marxism not only focuses on the economic base but also on other discords that define social relations.