Marxism

Marxism

1. Similarities with Functionalism

   • Shares the view that society is a structure or system that shapes individuals' behaviour and ideas

2. Differences to Functionalism

   • Conflict of interests
     • Marxists, unlike functionalists, see the social structure as based on a conflict of economic interests between social classes of unequal power and wealth
   • Instability and change
     • Marxists stress the possibility of sudden, profound and revolutionary change within society.

3. Marx

   • It was possible to understand society scientifically - 'scientific socialism'
   • Historical change = a contradictory process in which capitalism = increase human misery = classless communist society
   • Revolutionary socialist
   • Historical materialism
   • Classless society & exploitation
   • Capitalism
   • Class consciousness
   • Ideology
   • Alienation
   • The state, revolution and communism
   • Criticisms
     • Marx has a simplistic, one-dimensional view of inequality - he sees class as the only important division
     • Marx's 2-class model is also simplistic
     • Class polarisation has not occurred
     • His base-superstructure is criticised for neglecting the role of ideas and for being economically deterministic - the view that economic factors are the sole cause of everything in society, including social change.

4. Humanistic/critical Marxism

   • e.g. Gramsci and hegemony
     • Gramsci sees the ruling class maintaining its dominance over society in 2 ways:
       • Coercion
       • Consent
     • Criticisms
       • He over-emphasises the role of ideas and under-emphasises the role of both state coercion and economic factors

5. Scientific/structuralist Marxism

   • e.g. Althusser
     • He rejects Marx's original model in favour of a more complex one, in which capitalist society has three structures:
       • The economic level
       • The political level
       • The ideological level
     • In his model, the state performs political and ideological functions that ensure the reproduction of capitalism - he splits the state into 2:
       • RSAs e.g. army/police
       • ISAs e.g. media/education system
     • We are products of social structures that determine everything about us
     • Criticisms
       • Gouldner argues that this 'scientific approach' discourages political activism
       • Thompson argues that Althusser ignores the fact that it is the active struggles of the working class that can change society