Marx
May 19th 2006 00:07
No one can deny the impact Marx has had on the world. But sometimes his theories can seem vague and confusing. This is a very brief introduction to Marxism.
Background:
Marx’s theory was the first major criticism of Capitalism and was a reaction to the classical economists-that is Adam Smith and David Ricardo. Adam Smith was the person who came up with the theory of division of labour-that is things will get done more quickly if individuals do different tasks. For example: it would take one person a day to make a pin, but if one person was in charge of carving, another for polishing etc many pins could be made in a day. Adam Smith’s theory corresponded to the rise of factories.
Marx argued that profits that the capitalist system made were the result of the labour of workers. Workers work for long enough to pay their own wages (necessary labour) but they have to work for longer periods to create profit (surplus labour). While ‘profit’ is created from the labour of Workers-it is not paid to them but rather kept by the capitalist class (ie the people who own the factory.)
The Class System:
Marx divided society into two main classes:
Poroletariat:
Marx himself describes them as: “those individuals who sell their labor power, (and therefore add value to the products), and who, in the capitalist mode of production, do not own the means of production" In a nutshell-the working class.
The Bourgeoisie:
Are the people who “own the means of production” ie, the factories. They buy labour from the proletariat-paying them a salary by exploiting them to get profit. There is a sub division here of the petty bourgeoisie-that is those who employ labour but also work for themselves.
Marx Quotes:
Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it to him. Teach a man to fish, and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.
From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.
Necessity is blind until it becomes conscious. Freedom is the consciousness of necessity
Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.
Religion is the opium of the masses
Small point:
Many argue that Marx played a huge role in the liberation of women-especially post Russian revolution. Marx sees women as equal to men and thus to be treated equally. It is an interesting thought to ponder.
Information taken from:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/k/karl_marx.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism.
Background:
Marx’s theory was the first major criticism of Capitalism and was a reaction to the classical economists-that is Adam Smith and David Ricardo. Adam Smith was the person who came up with the theory of division of labour-that is things will get done more quickly if individuals do different tasks. For example: it would take one person a day to make a pin, but if one person was in charge of carving, another for polishing etc many pins could be made in a day. Adam Smith’s theory corresponded to the rise of factories.
Marx argued that profits that the capitalist system made were the result of the labour of workers. Workers work for long enough to pay their own wages (necessary labour) but they have to work for longer periods to create profit (surplus labour). While ‘profit’ is created from the labour of Workers-it is not paid to them but rather kept by the capitalist class (ie the people who own the factory.)
The Class System:
Marx divided society into two main classes:
Poroletariat:
Marx himself describes them as: “those individuals who sell their labor power, (and therefore add value to the products), and who, in the capitalist mode of production, do not own the means of production" In a nutshell-the working class.
The Bourgeoisie:
Are the people who “own the means of production” ie, the factories. They buy labour from the proletariat-paying them a salary by exploiting them to get profit. There is a sub division here of the petty bourgeoisie-that is those who employ labour but also work for themselves.
Marx Quotes:
Catch a man a fish, and you can sell it to him. Teach a man to fish, and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.
From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.
Necessity is blind until it becomes conscious. Freedom is the consciousness of necessity
Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.
Religion is the opium of the masses
Small point:
Many argue that Marx played a huge role in the liberation of women-especially post Russian revolution. Marx sees women as equal to men and thus to be treated equally. It is an interesting thought to ponder.
Information taken from:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/k/karl_marx.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism.
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