Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Marx's work in economics laid the basis for the current understanding of labour and its relation to capital, and has influenced much of subsequent economic thought.

Marx born into a wealthy middle-class family in Trier, Marx studied at the University of Bonn and the University of Berlin where he became interested in the philosophical ideas of the Young Hegelians.

He moved to Paris in 1843, where he began writing for radical newspapers and met Friedrich Engels, who would become his lifelong friend and collaborator. In 1849 he was exiled and moved to London together with his wife and children, where he continued writing and formulating his theories about social and economic activity.

was a German social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, together with Karl Marx.

In 1848 he co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx, and later he supported Marx financially to do research and write Das Kapital. After Marx's death, Engels edited the second and third volumes. Additionally, Engels organized Marx's notes on the "Theories of Surplus Value," which he later published as the "fourth volume" of Capital.

The Communist Manifesto: one of the most influential political manuscripts published in 1848. It presents an analytical approach to the class struggle, the problems of capitalism and the capitalist mode of production.

The book contains Marx and Engels' theories about the nature of society and politics, that in their own words, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles".

Capital: Critique of Political Economy is a critical analysis of political economy published in 1867 intended to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production.

Karl Marx proposes that the motivating force of capitalism is in the exploitation of labor, whose unpaid work is the ultimate source of surplus value and then profit both of which concepts have a specific meaning for Marx.

Marxism??????

Marxists believe that they and they alone have an empirical, scientific

approach to human history and society

All societies are divided into two groups:All societies are divided into two groups:

All of human history can be explained and predicted by the competition between antagonistic economic classes. Or Marx said, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”

Owners exploit workers and live off the Owners exploit workers and live off the money which the workers earn.money which the workers earn.

Workers put up with this inequality because:Workers put up with this inequality because:

1.1.They are oppressed wage slaves and They are oppressed wage slaves and cannot fight the system.cannot fight the system.

2.2.They are indoctrinated by ideology and They are indoctrinated by ideology and religion into believing what they are told by religion into believing what they are told by the powerful.the powerful.

Social classes are competing in essence for control of the state.

As Marxists would put it: the class that controls the Mode of Production also controls the State.

Marx did not spend much time examining the state or political institutions. Political life is an illusion or distortion of reality, so why study that distortion? It is better to concentrate on the reality behind the veil of politics: the economic structure of society.

Power was held by a minority (the elite or bourgeoisie) who had access to capital and could use their money and power to generate more wealth.

The majority of the population (the mass or proletariat) had only their labor (strength and time) to help them make a living.

Industrialization had meant that the elite were the only ones who had access to the means of production.

Without the ability to produce for themselves, the mass were dependent on the elite for survival.

To maximize profits, the elite needed to get as much labor from the mass for as little cost as possible.

The elite needed the mass to accept their position as powerless workers.

What is communism?

Communism is a political philosophy which argues that all men (and women) should have equal rights to wealth.

Communism is a political philosophy which argues that all men (and women) should have equal rights to wealth.

A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.

Communist symbolism consists of a series of symbols that represent (either literally or figuratively) a variety of themes associated with communism. These themes may include:

Revolution

The proletariat

The peasantry

Agriculture

International solidarity.

The hammer stands for the industrial working-class while the sickle represents the agricultural workers; together the hammer and sickle represent the unity of these two groups.

The five-pointed red star: It sometimes understood to represent the five fingers of the worker's hand, as well as the five continents. Or it represents the five social groups that would lead Russia to communism: the youth, the military, the industrial laborers, the agricultural workers or peasantry, and the intelligentsia.

Capitalism is an economic system in which trade, industry, and the means of production are largely

owned and operated for profit.

Capitalism generates inequalities of income and wealth.

Disadvantages

Rich get richer, the poor get poorer. It’s not accepted in most societies. People in power limit diversity and competition (weakens the system as a whole).The consumer holds power in the economy.

Marx’s 6 stages of history

Primitive Communism

Slave society

Capitalism

Socialism

CommunismMarx thought all of history is a STRUGGLE between haves and have nots.

Feudalism

Primitive Communism: this is how humans first lived together – in small tribes. Primitive means ‘not very advanced’ e.g. hunting and gathering. Communism means that everything was shared amongst the tribe – food, jobs, belongings. No-one owned land.

Slave Societies = Greeks & Romans, this is the beginning of class struggle between the haves and have nots.

Slave Societies = Greeks & Romans, this is the beginning of class struggle between the haves and have nots.

The king becomes the ruler over all the people. He gives land and privileges to ‘nobles’ who rule the people for him. The people are kept uneducated and told that God chose the king to rule. The church helps the king this way. As trade develops, some people get richer. This leads to Capitalism…..

The business owners or capitalists get richer while the workers do all the hard work. The capitalists get more power to serve their own interests

Capitalism creates a huge working-class of people who soon get angry at the way they are treated. They organize in unions and demand changes. This will lead to a revolution and Socialism…

In the Socialist revolution all the rulers – kings, churches, capitalists are got rid of.

The workers take control of the country to produce things for everyone. So nothing is made for profit, all people benefit from education and health. These ideas spread across the world to create Communism….

Means of Production = All

of the expensive goods

that you need to be

wealthy in a capitalist

society.

Communism = No government controls the means of production…no classes in society