1.2.1

Marxism

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Marxism

Marxism is an economic and social theory developed by Karl Marx (1818-1883). Marxism sees society as divided by conflict between two opposing social classes (the working class and the middle class).

Key ideas

Key ideas

  • Marx argued that in order to understand the development of society, it’s necessary to examine how people produce the things they need to live (or subsist).
  • The term ‘mode of production’ refers to the way people produce the means of subsistence.
The mode of production

The mode of production

  • According to Marx, there are two key aspects of the mode of production:
    • The means of production.
    • The social relations of production.
Capitalist means of production

Capitalist means of production

  • Under the capitalist mode of production (capitalism) these include:
    • Capital (money).
    • Machinery.
    • Factories.
    • Land.
Marx and capitalism

Marx and capitalism

  • Marx was critical of capitalism (an economic system in which private owners of capital invest money in businesses to make a profit) because he saw it as unfair.
Social relations of production

Social relations of production

  • The social relations of production are the relationships between people as they engage in production.
  • The two main social classes are the bourgeoisie (the middle classes) and the proletariat (the working classes).

Social Class

Marx argued that the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat was the key to social change.

Main social classes

Main social classes

  • The bourgeoisie:
    • The minority ruling (middle) class who own the means of production and private property (e.g. factory owners).
  • The proletariat:
    • The majority working class who own nothing other than their ability to work as labourers (e.g. factory workers).
Other classes

Other classes

  • Other classes include:
    • The petty bourgeoisie (small business owners).
    • Lumpenproletariat (the underclass or ‘dropouts’) who sometimes sell their services to the bourgeoisie.
Exploitation

Exploitation

  • The bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat by making money or profiting from their labour.
  • According to Marx, the gap in the resources of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat would widen over time, while the petty bourgeoisie would sink into the proletariat.
Class struggle

Class struggle

  • Marx argued that the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat was the key to social change and that eventually the proletariat would develop a class consciousness (see themselves as a social class with common interests) and would overthrow the capitalist class, leading to a period of social revolution and a move to communism.
Communism

Communism

  • Under communism, the means of production would be held communally (by everyone) rather than the minority and a classless society will emerge.
Jump to other topics
1

The Sociological Approach

1.1

Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?1.1.2Culture & Socialisation
1.2

Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism1.2.2Marxism 21.2.3Functionalism1.2.4Feminism
1.3

The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach
2

Families

2.1

Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family2.1.2Marxist Views on Family2.1.3Feminist Views on Family
2.2

Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?2.2.2Nuclear Family2.2.3Families in a Global Context2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms
2.3

Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles
2.4

Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline2.4.2Domestic Abuse2.4.3Symmetrical Family
2.5

Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families2.5.2Marxist Views of Families2.5.3Feminist Views of Families2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families
2.6

Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate2.6.2Consequences of Divorce2.6.3Functionalist Views2.6.4Marxist Views2.6.5Feminist Views2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce
3

Education

3.1

Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives3.1.3Types of School3.1.4Alternative Education3.1.5State & Private Schools
3.2

Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes3.2.2External Processes
3.3

Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success3.3.2Social Class & Education3.3.3Social Class & External Factors3.3.4Gender & Education3.3.5Ethnicity & Education3.3.6Parental Choice3.3.7History of UK Education Policy3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education
4

Crime & Deviance

4.1

The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime
4.2

Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control4.2.2Formal Social Control4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime
4.3

Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime4.3.2Social Class & Crime4.3.3Gender & Crime4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime4.3.5Age & Crime4.3.6Criminal Responsibility4.3.7The Prison System4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime
4.4

Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5

Social Stratification

5.1

Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?5.1.2Functionalism5.1.3Socio-Economic Class5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 25.1.5Life Chances5.1.6The Affluent Worker5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion
5.2

Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty5.2.3Explanations of Poverty5.2.4Impact of Globalisation5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue
5.3

Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber5.3.2Sociological Perspectives5.3.3Power Relationships5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority
6

Sociological Research Methods

6.1

Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

Practice questions on Marxism

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Key aspects of the mode of production: Fill in the list
  2. 2
    According to Marxism, which social class would factory owners fall into?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    According to Marx, how do the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat?Multiple choice
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Culture & Socialisation

Marxism 2