Who is Karl Marx?

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 was born into a wealthy middle-class family in Trier, he 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.

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.

► Superstructure: The superstructure of a society includes Culture, Institutions, Political

Power structures, Roles, Rituals, and norms.

► Base: The basic way a society organizes the production of good e.g. Employer-
employee work conditions, the technical division of labor and property relations, which
people enter into for the necessities and facilities of life.
From a Marxist perspective, the major Structures or social institutions in society (law,
religion, Education, The family, media etc) Play a key role in shaping our beliefs &
limiting our behaviours in order to benefit Capitalism & maintain the separation between
the Bourgeoisie & the Proletariat through the process of Ideological State Apparatus

Ideological State Apparatus is a tool or part of society which is used to encourage

people to accept the values of the ruling class in order to maintain capitalism.

Education System
⚫ it is Instilled in you that you need to have qualifications in order to get a good job. The
hidden curriculum teaches you to manage your time, abide by rules, wear a uniform &
comply.

religion

• There is a God & if you accept your fate now you will be rewarded richly in your after
life. • It is God's will

Ideological state apparatus

•The Family

•The Mass Media

•Politics

In essence we are conditioned (through the various ideological state Apparatus) into
believing that we need the goods that Capitalism produces & can only prove our worth
& status by working hard & being able to have material goods around us. We are in fact
feeding capitalism & keeping the Rich even richer.

Marx believes that the only way to end this ideology is for the workers to revolt & to see
a return to Communism: A system were everyone is equal & works Together for the
benefit of society as a whole.

Write up
Karl marx

Karl Marx was an influential German philosopher, economist, and revolutionary. He was born in Prussia in 1818 and
died in London in 1883. Marx was born into a wealthy middle-class family in Trier, he 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.

Marx is best known for his theories of socialism and communism, which formed the basis of the Marxist worldview.
Marx believed that the existing economic and political systems of his day were oppressive and unjust, and he sought
to create a new order based on the principles of economic equality and social justice.

Marx's most famous work, Das Kapital (1867), presented a systematic critique of capitalism and its effects on
society. Marx argued that capitalism was a system of exploitation, in which the wealthy and powerful few exploited
the labor of the masses in order to maintain their own wealth and power. He proposed a revolutionary new system of
economics and politics in which the means of production and distribution would be owned and managed by the
working class, and the rewards of production would be shared equally among all.

Marx's ideas had a profound impact on the development of modern socialism and communism. His theories have
inspired countless political movements and have been used to justify some of the most drastic changes in society.
Although his ideas have been controversial, they have also provided a valuable framework for understanding the
dynamics of modern society.

Base and superstructure theory

Karl Marx's base and superstructure theory is an important part of his philosophical system. The
theory proposes that class relations, ownership of production and production relations, such as
those of capitalist societies, are determined by the underlying economic infrastructure, or base.

The base of a society is composed of the means of production, which are the natural resources,
technology, and labor necessary for the production of goods and services. This includes the
material forces of production, such as land, tools, and machines. It also includes the social
forces of production, such as the organization of labor, class structure, and the division of labor.

The base shapes the superstructure of society, through the social relations of production. The
superstructure of a society is composed of the ideas, beliefs, and ideologies of its citizens.
These include the legal and political systems, religion, art, culture, and other forms of social
expression. Ideas within the superstructure are shaped by the economic base, as the
superstructure is determined by the base, and reflects the economic interests of the dominant
class.

Marx believed that the base determined the superstructure, and that class struggle was the
main driving force of history. He argued that, in a capitalist society, the wealthy elite controlled
the means of production, and thus had the power to shape the superstructure of society to serve
their own interests. This would lead to a cycle of exploitation, as the dominant class would use
the superstructure to maintain their power, and to increase their wealth by exploiting the working
class. Marx believes that the only way to end this ideology is for the workers to revolt & to see a
return to Communism: A system were everyone is equal & works Together for the benefit of
society as a whole.