Marxism

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Marxism is the name for a set of political ideas. The base of these ideas comes from the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. They have had a lot of influence in many countries. Very often, both authors are named, as it is difficult to say which of the two wrote what piece of the theory.

Modern Communism is based on Marxist ideas, but many Marxists disagree about whether Communist countries have understood Marxism correctly.

[change] The working class and the capitalist class

Marxism says there are different economic classes (or groups) of people. Most people need to work to get money. They are called "workers". They belong to the "working class" (or "proletariat"). Another group, usually business owners, are called "capitalists" because they live by amassing capital which is money made by selling something for a higher price than they payed for it. In the Marxist view, not all money is "capital", only money made by buying something and then selling it -- in other words, the same thing other people refer to as "profit".

Most workers work for companies owned by other people or groups. The capitalist pays a wage to the worker. The capitalist has bought work from the worker, which according to marxist economic thinking is the only thing that can add exchange-value to a product, and then sells the product for more money than the worker was paid. The capitalist amasses capital by paying the worker less money than the value added to the product by the work done and then selling the product for more money. Exchange-value is the value something has on a market. Exchange-value is created by adding work to something. A products exchange-value is determined by the average work needed to create the product for the market. Exchange-value is often described in work-time.

As an example: Peter and Sonja are the only hairdressers in town. Peter cuts one persons hair in 20 minutes while Sonja cuts one persons hair in half an hour. Because of this the average time to cut someones hair on the hairdressing market is 25 minutes and therefore the exchange-value of the product "hairdressing".

Peter and Sonja are both employed by Carl who owns the business and buys their work as hairdressers in order to sell it as the product "hairdressing" to consumers. Carl pays Peter and Sonja for only a part of the exchange-value they have created. The part he doesn't pay them for is called surplus value. It is this surplus value that makes it possible for Carl to live on the work of Peter and Sonja. He can also use it to invest in more work and thereby make more capital. In order to do that Carl and all other capitalists have to make a profit. To make a profit Carl has to sell his product, "hairdressing", for a higher price than Peter's and Sonja's wages and his investments in things like scissors and other needed materials.

It is important to understand that things like scissors and housing can't generate any exchange-value by themselves. To generate exchange-value the capitalist have to hire workers.

Peter and Sonja and all other workers want, according to marxist thinking, a greater part of the value they have created, usually higher wage, while Carl and all other capitalists want a larger surplus value. This conflict is called class struggle and is, in different forms, seen by most marxists as the main driving force in the history of human societies. In feudal economies for example, the class struggle was centered at the surplus production of the farmers which the nobles wanted.

[change] Materialism

From a philosophical standpoint, Marxists are materialists. A materialist is someone who believes that the world around us is made of material, that there are no gods or other supernatural things. "Economics" (money and property) are the forces that govern society. "Spiritual" matters are secondary, or unimportant, as the existence of a spirit is not scientifically proven.

Dialectic. A dialectic is an argument or conflict between different groups. The different groups or classes have their own interests and needs.

Dialectical materialism is the idea that the history of humans is the history of conflict between classes. Different classes with different interests argue or fight each other. Social change is the result.

Many Marxists believe that there will be a revolution. In the revolution, the workers will fight the capitalists and will (eventually) win. After this, they will set up a Socialist "workers' state" (a government for the workers) that will serve as a temporary state (just for a time) until all capitalist-countries have been defeated. In the end, class conflict will finish, and there will be a "classless society" - a society which has no social groups are in conflict and there is no government anymore, and the state will be dismantled, voluntarily or not, and it will be a borderless world with world-wide communes and worker-councils.