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Book No. – 3 (Political Science – Western Political Thought)
Book Name – Western Political Thought (OP Gauba)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. What is Marxism?
2. Broad Streams of Marxism
3. Contemporary Debate on the Nature of the State
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Basic Tenets of Marxism
Chapter – 23

What is Marxism?
Marxist tradition of political theory is based on the philosophy of Marxism, named after Karl Marx (1818-83), a German economist and social philosopher.
The term “Marxism” was unknown during Marx’s lifetime; Marx himself reportedly said, “All I know is that I am not a Marxist.”
Marx likely did not claim to offer a comprehensive worldview, possibly out of modesty.
By the late nineteenth century, G.V. Plekhanov (1856-1918) described Marxism as a whole worldview.
Marxism should not be seen as an exclusive system of Marx’s thought but as a rich, living tradition of social thought with immense possibilities.
Marxism emerged in the mid-nineteenth century as a response to oppressive conditions created by capitalism.
Liberalism, originating in the seventeenth century as a philosophy of human freedom, had by the mid-nineteenth century failed to secure true freedom for the working class.
Classical liberalism’s doctrines of laissez-faire and free market economy led to the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a small capitalist class.
Although legal and political equality were achieved, they were accompanied by tremendous economic inequalities and social injustice.
Unrestricted capitalism resulted in huge wealth for capitalists but forced the working class into sub-human living conditions.
Wealthy bankers and speculators grew richer while the working classes lived in slums and constant threat of poverty.
These outcomes contradicted liberalism’s humanitarian hopes of universal economic progress.
The early socialist movement emerged as a first response, opposing free market competition and highlighting the deteriorating condition of workers.
Early socialists like Saint-Simon (1760-1825) and Louis Blanc (1811-82) in France advocated for a centralized economy under state control.
Others, like Robert Owen (1771-1858) and Charles Fourier (1772-1837), proposed model communities based on free cooperation rather than capitalist competition.
P.J. Proudhon (1809-65) envisioned a nationwide system of decentralized workers’ cooperatives exchanging goods and services.
These thinkers correctly diagnosed the ills of capitalism but lacked clear, practical remedies.
Their proposals were visionary and idealistic, disconnected from harsh realities.
Hence, they are rightly called “utopian socialists”.
During the 1830s and 1840s, utopian socialism faced severe criticism from writers committed to fundamental social change, notably Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Marx was a German scholar, and Engels was a young German businessman residing in England.
They aimed to replace utopian socialism with scientific socialism for a rigorous analysis of social problems and solutions.
Their philosophy, now known as Marxism, provided a scientific foundation for socialism.
The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Marx and Engels interpreted the role of the working class in humanity’s past, present, and future.
The Manifesto issued a call for workers of all countries to unite for their emancipation and, through that, the freedom of all mankind.
Other key works include Marx’s A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859), Capital Volumes I (1861-79), II (1885), and III (1894) (Volumes II and III edited by Engels), and Engels’ Anti-Dühring (1877-78).
Marxism is a set of political and economic principles founded by Marx and Engels to establish the scientific foundations of socialism.
It seeks to understand human society’s problems through historical analysis, viewing history as a process of conflict between antagonistic classes.
This conflict stems from flaws in the mode of production, where one class gains ownership and control of the means of production and economically exploits the other class.
The exploited class is forced to sell its labour power to survive.
The conflict peaks under capitalism, where the resolution lies in overthrowing capitalism.
This entails placing all means of social production (buildings, mines, forests, machinery, capital, etc.) under social ownership and control.
It also involves enforcing universal labour and ensuring the full development of productive forces.
Worldview
Worldview refers to a system of thought which explains the present status of world society, tries to find solution to its problems, and determines the way to shape its future.
Capitalism
Capitalism refers to an economic system of the modern age, largely based on industrial production where means of social production (land, buildings, mines, forests, machinery and capital), distribution and exchange are owned by private entrepreneurs, a large number of workers are employed on wages at the market rate, and economic activity is primarily devoted to private profit. Here workers are free to work anywhere according to their skills and capacities as well as market demand. The state follows the policy of laissez-faire, i.e. non-intervention in the economic activities of individuals.
Utopian
Utopian refers to a person who builds a utopia, i.e. the vision of a perfect society where everyone is happy. In social sciences, the term ‘utopia’ is applied to designate a set of fascinating but unrealizable principles.
Socialism
Socialism refers to an economic system of the modern age, largely based on industrial production where means of social production (land, buildings, mines, forests, machinery and capital), distribution and exchange are placed under social ownership and control, and economic activity is primarily devoted to the fulfilment of social needs.
The social needs are estimated by the organized power of the community (i.e. usually the government) which makes efforts for their fulfilment by deploying all natural and human resources and getting the results over a definite time frame. Socialism, therefore, relies on planning which ensures full employment, and elimination of wastage of resources on meeting the needs of a particular segment of customers, solely with profit motive.
Scientific Socialism
Scientific socialism refers to a theory of socialism based on the scientific laws derived from the historical analysis. Marx (1818-83) and Engels (1820-95) are the chief exponents of this theory. They held that various stages of historical development are the manifestations of contradictions in material conditions which necessarily lead human society to the goal of socialism. Whereas utopian socialism regards socialism as a moral choice, scientific socialism considers it a historical necessity.