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    marxism

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    Foundation course in Humanities- Bachelor of

    technology in computer science & Engineering.-3rd sem.

    Unit 3
    Meaning of Marxism:
    During his lifetime (1818-1883) Marx himself was not at all acquainted with
    the word Marxism. After his death Engels and his adherents circulated the
    term and since then we use the word Marxism.

    The interesting fact is that he once said, “All I know is that I am not a
    Marxist.” But one cannot infer from this that Marx rejected the main tenets
    of his doctrine. The interpreters of Marxism say that Marx never claimed
    that he had presented a clear and correct view about the social political and
    economic conditions of the world.

    He studied the social, economic and political conditions of the various


    countries and specially the capitalist states of the world and on the basis of
    his study and investigation he drew certain conclusions. Behind every
    conclusion there are facts. Of course he has interpreted the facts and social-
    political-economic conditions.

    In general terms Marxism is the world view of social, economic and political
    conditions. He has interpreted the facts he collected in the background of
    the particular idea or thought or what may be called philosophy. This we
    call Marxism.

    So we quote Plekhanov:

    Marxism is a whole world view and this view has been explained by a
    method or principle which is called dialectical materialism.

    Marx explained and interpreted the political economy of the entire capitalist
    world and arrived at the conclusion that the economically powerful class
    which is capitalist exploits the entire society for its own benefits. He had not
    only exposed the naked character of exploitation, but also pointed out
    vehement protest against this exploitation.

    The proletariat class is the victim of exploitation and naturally this class
    started to protest and the method of protest is revolutionary. Hence
    Marxism includes nature or various aspects of capitalism and revolutionary
    protest against it. He explained the nature of capitalist society in details and
    reactions against it.

    Marx explained nature of capitalist society consciously and those who


    protested against it, they did it quite consciously. Marx explained capitalism
    with the help of facts contained in history. He never resorted to imagination
    and for this reason Marxist method is called materialist method as well as
    dialectical method. So Marxism is interpretation of history or bourgeois
    society by way of dialectical materialism.

    Marxism consists of three elements. First is a dialectical philosophy


    borrowed from Hegel but transformed into dialectical materialism, from
    which, in turn, historical materialism derives.

    In the second place Marxism is a system of political economy. It consists of


    labour theory of value and theory of surplus value. Marx drew his
    conclusions from these two concepts.

    The labour theory of value was first formu-lated by Locke. Finally Marxism
    is a theory of state and revolution. Generally, Marxism includes all these
    three elements.

    Marxism is, therefore, a composite social, political and economic picture of


    bourgeois society viewed through dialectical materialism. Karl Korsch (1886-
    1961) a German Marxist, has redefined Marxism in an essay published in
    1935. The essay is entitled “Why I am a Marxist”.
    Features of Marxism:
    According to Korsch there are few important features of Marxism:

    1. All the tenets of Marxism are particular and not general. It has not built
    up any general theory which is applicable in all places. Marx’s concept of
    “base” and “superstructure is a real concept, but its application differs from
    place to place. The only statements that are valid are particular descriptions
    of particular phenomena at a given stage of history”.

    2. Marxism is not science or philosophy. It is simply a critical and practical


    analysis of existing society. Naturally it can be called a praxis. Marxism is
    based on exact and verifiable knowledge. It can be empirically tested or
    verified. Hence it is an empirical doctrine.

    3. The central subject of Marxism is capitalist society. Marx scanned almost


    all the important aspects of capitalist society by applying dialectical
    materialism.

    4. Its chief aim is not simply to analyse the capitalist society, but to change
    it. Marx has said that the philosophers have interpreted the world, but the
    real task is to change the world or society.

    In the Third World countries Marxism means a guide to national liberation


    movement. Up to the end of the Second World War, Marxism was generally
    confined within anti-capitalist and anti-exploitation thought. But during the
    fifties and sixties of the last century almost whole of Asia and Africa was
    plunged in anti-imperialist struggle and the leaders of the liberation
    movement were inspired by Marxism.
    In several cases Marxism was synonymous with anti-imperialism and anti-
    colonial- ism. In the light of Marxism (to some extent orthodox Marxism)
    colonial and imperial questions were being interpreted and this considerably
    enhanced the scope of meaning and definition of Marxism.

    Particularly Lenin’s National and Colonial Questions were drafted in the


    light of Marxism. The ill-designs and conspiracy of imperialist powers were
    not only interpreted in the background of Marxism, but Marxism was
    treated as a powerful weapon to fight imperialist powers. In this way the
    purview of Marxism has increased perceptibly.

    Fundamental Principles of Marxism:


    It has been asserted that Marx in all his works followed certain fundamental
    principles and Kolakowsky puts it more categorically in the following words.
    There are certain “fundamental principles of Marx’s theory, from which he
    never departed. The whole of his work, down to the last page of Capital, was
    a confirmation and elaboration of these ideas”.

    Let us briefly state (following Kolakowski) these fundamental


    principles:
    1. Both Hegel and Marx have dealt with a basic question – How is man to be
    reconciled with him and with the world? Hegel was of opinion that mind of
    man passes through history and finally comes to realize what is the world.

    This realisation is truth. Hegel also speaks of Spirit and man understands it
    through his realisation of the world. But Marx did not support the
    contention of Hegel. The opposite view of Hegel was first formulated by
    Feuerbach and Marx borrowed it from him.

    According to Marx man is not concerned with Absolute Idea or Spirit but
    with the stark reality. This he tries to understand and explain in the
    background of his own life. He always interprets the world around him.
    2. Both Hegel and Marx thought that man was the product of self-knowledge
    and he goes on reconciling with the world. But to Hegel the concept of self-
    knowledge is associated with Spirit or Absolute Idea. Marx has rejected it
    and has laid down the famous doctrine of alienation. That is, he tries to
    under-stand himself or the world around him through the alienation. The
    theory of alienation is the product of the alienated labour. In fact, alienation
    occupies a very important place in Marx’s theory.

    3. In capitalist economy there is a division of labour which means that a


    labour produces a single or small part of an article. The capitalist system
    has introduced this division of labour to have better results. But its harmful
    consequence is with the passing away of time man is gradually alienated
    from the whole production system and finally the society.

    He is ultimately converted into a machine. The division of labour no doubt


    helps the progress of industry of capitalist society. But man is the victim of
    its harmful effects. Again, this alienation is responsible for dehumanisation.
    According to Marx this dehumanisation is the greatest evil of capitalist
    society.
    4. The general meaning of alienation is that it is the “subjugation of man by
    his own work, which has assumed the guise of independent things”. The
    entire economic process including production and distribution is beyond the
    control of workers. They work just like machine.

    In other words, the workers are alienated from the mainstream of productive
    process and from here the dehumanisation starts. Hence alienation and
    dehumanisation are closely related and the entire capitalist system is
    absolutely responsible for this.

    5. In the opinion of Marx, since alienation is the greatest evil of capitalist


    system the workers must be freed from this evil. But he has warned us by
    saying that there is no scope of freeing individuals from the curse of
    alienation because it is an integral part of the capitalist system.
    The only way is the curses of alienation are to be removed. But in a
    capitalist system there is no possibility of freeing man from alienation.

    6. If we go through Marx’s analysis we shall find that the only way of freeing
    man from alienation is the establishment of communism or communist
    society.

    “Communism puts an end to the division of life into public and private
    spheres and to the difference between civil society and the state, it does
    away with the need for political institutions, political authority and
    governments, private property and its source in the division of labour. It
    destroys the class system and exploitation; it heals the split in man’s nature
    and the crippled one-sided development of the indi­vidual”.

    Hence communism and disappearance of alienation is almost same thing.


    That is why it has been rightly observed that the transcendence of alienation
    and communism are identical. The building up of a communist society will
    completely transform the existence of men and women.

    7. Only in communism man gets the full opportunity to flourish his latent
    qualities and this makes him a perfect human being. In a capitalist society
    he is deprived of this. Man has many good qualities and abilities.

    Capitalism suppresses them. But in communism he gets full scope to


    develop them and ultimately he arrives at the stage which he desires. Only
    in communism man frees him from all sorts of exploitation and bondage.
    Communism creates an atmosphere which ensures the “realization of
    freedom, not only from exploi-tation and political power but from immediate
    bodily needs. It is the solution to the problem of history and is also the end
    of history”.
    8. The Utopian socialists “imagined” that communism could be achieved
    through the repeated and fervent appeal to the capitalists. But Marx did not
    accept it. He thought that only through an intense struggle against the
    bourgeoisie a communist society can be finally built up. In his opinion the
    present age (when Marx was writing 1845-1883) is quite ripe for an intense
    struggle.
    It is the duty of the working class to fully utilize the situation. The
    contradictions within capitalism have achieved the stage of maturity. There
    was maximum dehumanisation and this is intolerable.
    A worker is no more than a commodity. He gets no respect as a human
    being. In other words, the capitalists treat him as a commodity. This is an
    unimaginable humiliation only communism can save him and to achieve it
    workers will have to fight.
    Kolakowski says:
    “The proletariat is not a mere agglomeration of suffering, degradation and
    misery but also the historical instrument by which man is to recover his
    heritage.”
    9. About consciousness Marx’s opinion is clear. He says that the
    consciousness of the proletariat is not all. That is, it may be passive or
    active. If the consciousness is of the former type emancipation from
    exploitation will not be possible because the passive consciousness cannot
    do the job.
    The consciousness must be active and must have a revolutionary spirit. The
    proletariat must be prepared for all sorts of hazards. Workers must fight
    against these. Naturally, consciousness of revolutionary category is the only
    way of emancipation. What Marx means is that without struggle
    emancipa-tion is not possible.
    10. Marx also talked about various aspects of consciousness. For example,
    proletarians will be conscious of their own class. Again, be conscious of the
    fact that only struggle against the bourgeoisie is the way of freedom.
    Without prolonged struggle, communism cannot be achieved. Moreover,
    communism can be protected through continuous struggle.

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