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Karl Marx & Frederick Engels
Historical Materialism
Roots of Marx?s Ideas
German Idealist Philosophy.
The only things that really exist are minds and their contents. Human progress comes through the advancement of reason.
Marx rejected Idealist Philosophy in favour of a materialist approach.
The materialist approach is that it is the economic and political relations upon which human progress rest.
Historical Materialism
The structure of economic relations was viewed by Marx as the most basic and important element in society as a whole.
Means of Production
The tools and techniques of production, necessary for survival in a hostile world. The physical resources. And the skills of agriculture, woodwork etc?
In Capitalism the means of production is Capital.
Historical Materialism
Relations of Production
Class relations that produce an unequal structure. An unequal structure that results in unequal distribution of wealth and power over ideology. The critical question being , who owns the means of production? Any surplus, or ?profit? goes to the owners and those working for the owners. Although the have not created the surplus directly. Leading to...
Historical Materialism
Class relations.
In all non-communist societies class relations produce an unequal structure of economic benefit and political and ideological domination. The self-interests of those involved in the relations of production have not been built into a consensus. There is no ?common interest?.
All conflicts, no matter what form they take are ?class conflicts?. "?the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." (Communist Manifesto,
1848)
Ownership and Non-
ownership
Ownership of the means of production divides society into two classes . Further divided into four classes
Ruling class - or Bourgeoisie, Bosses.The owners of the means of production. - Petit Bourgeoisie. Shop Keepers and so on. Temporary class, because capitalism favours large scale producers. Monopolies*.
Subject class - or Proletariat, Workers. The propertyless individuals who must sell their labour. Wage earners. Lumpenproletariat. Unemployed and marginalised.
Mode of Production
Means of Production + Relations of Production = Mode of Production.
Mode of Production means the social system of economic, social and political relations.
The structure of the production process determines the rest of the structure of society. Or the ...
Base and Superstructure analogy.
Base & Superstructure or Marx?s model of society.
Karl Marx continued...
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