Marxism: Political Ideologies | Philosophy Optional Notes for UPSC PDF Download

Forms of Marxism

1. Classical Marxism
2. Orthodox Marxism
3. Modern or Neo-Marxism

Classical Marxism

• Classical Marxism encompasses philosophy, economics, and politics.
• It is grounded in historical materialism, emphasizing the scientific analysis of society and its transformation.
• Karl Marx introduced historical materialism, which rejected the idealism of Hegel in favor of the significance of material conditions.
• The production of basic necessities (food, shelter, etc.) shapes all aspects of life, establishing the relationship between social existence and consciousness.
• Economic factors, modes of production (feudalism, capitalism, socialism, etc.), form the economic base that influences the political, legal, cultural, religious, and artistic aspects of society.
• Historical progress is driven by internal conflicts, influenced by Hegelian dialectics but with a materialistic interpretation.
• Capitalism's internal contradiction, the conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, will lead to the establishment of a socialist and eventually communist society.
• Marx's theory of history is teleological, aiming at a classless, stateless communism as the end goal.

Four Stages of Historical Development

1. Primitive communism or tribal society, characterized by material scarcity.
2. Slavery, marked by the conflict between master and slave.
3. Feudalism, defined by the conflict between landowners and serfs.
4. Capitalism, dominated by the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

• History is a struggle between the oppressed and the oppressor, leading to the achievement of communism as a classless society.

Economics

• Karl Marx's criticism is rooted in the concept of alienation in capitalism.
• Capitalism alienates humans from the products of their labor, as they produce goods for profit rather than necessity.
• Workers are alienated from the labor process, as they often work under supervision.
• Social aspects of work are lost, with workers reduced to commodities and labor becoming depersonalized.
• Marx analyzed capitalism in terms of class conflict and exploitation, identifying two main classes: bourgeoisie and proletariat.
• Class struggle is the driving force of historical change, with history being the history of class struggle.
• Capitalism exploits workers by extracting surplus value, as profit can only be attained by paying workers less than the value their labor generates.
• Economic exploitation is intrinsic to capitalism and operates regardless of individual employer generosity.

• Karl Marx predicted that capitalism would ultimately be overthrown by a proletariat revolution, which would lead to a social revolution establishing a new mode of production and full communism.
• He believed that the revolution would primarily occur in mature capitalist countries and would depend on both objective conditions and a class-conscious proletariat.
• The revolution would be a spontaneous act led by the proletariat, with the initial target being the bourgeois state.
• Following the revolution, a transitional phase called the dictatorship of the proletariat would emerge to protect the gains of the revolution against counter-revolution by the dispossessed bourgeoisie.
• As class antagonism fades with the development of full communism, the state would gradually wither away, leading to a stateless and classless communist society.
• In this communist society, the principle of "from each according to his ability to each according to his need" would be realized.

Orthodox Marxism

• The image of communism in the 20th century was dominated by the Russian Revolution and Soviet communism, which became the dominant model of communist rule.
• However, 20th-century communism differed significantly from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' original ideas.
• Communist parties of the 20th century had to adapt to the realities of winning and retaining political power, focusing on issues like leadership, political organization, and economic management.
• Communist regimes developed in backward and rural countries like Russia and China, where urban proletariats were small and incapable of leading a class revolution. This resulted in the rule of communist elites and leaders.

Neo or Modern Marxism

• In Western Europe, a more complex form of Marxism known as Modern Marxism, Neo-Marxism, or Western Marxism emerged.
• Modern Marxism aimed to revise or reinterpret classical Marxist ideas while adhering to some fundamental Marxist principles.
• Class struggle was no longer the sole focus of social analysis in modern Marxism.
• Modern Marxists were often critical of the Bolshevik model of orthodox communism and sought to develop Marxism in new directions.