We explain what Marxism consists of and its characteristics. Furthermore, the criticisms of this doctrine and his criticisms of capitalism.
The basis of Marxism consists of a criticism of the capitalist system.
What is Marxism?
Marxism is a political and philosophical doctrine developed in the mid-nineteenth century by Karl Marx (German philosopher, economist and journalist), with the collaboration of Friedrich Engels (philosopher, sociologist and journalist). Marxism was formally disseminated in 1848 through the “Manifesto of the Communist Party”, one of the most influential political treatises in history.
The basis of Marxism is a critique of the capitalist system which he accuses of having allowed the design of economies with disastrous results and even horrendous dictatorships. The ideas put forward in the communist manifesto advocated the overthrow of the social class system and the abolition of private property.
Marx proposes that capitalism needs to be reformed, so proposes various analyzes and communist principles which claim to be a solution to the failing system. Marxism is part of socialist ideology and was called “scientific socialism” to differentiate it from other previous socialist currents.
See also: Structuralism
Characteristics of Marxism
The characteristics that describe Marxist ideology are:
- The end of the system of inequality of social classes so that there is a single class or social group.
- The abolition of private property in pursuit of public property.
- A worker’s salary should be determined by the benefits he is able to generate.
- The value of a commodity is determined by the amount of labor that was necessary for its production.
- The creation of a single administrative social class, capable of satisfying the needs of the people.
- The centralization of the economy and the means of production, to achieve a standardization of prices from the State.
- Income tax should be steep but graduated at the same time.
- The control of centralized banking.
- The communication, transportation and education systems must be public.
Criticisms of capitalism from Marxism
Crises are an intrinsic part of capitalist systems.
According to Marx, some of the problems that he managed to identify in capitalism and that need to be corrected are:
- Modern work is alienating. Marx argued that modern work led to alienation, that is, a disconnection between what a person does every day and who they really are. Marx considered that work could be one of the greatest sources of joy for people. For that to happen, work must offer the opportunity to bring out the best in each individual. On the contrary, in capitalism, modern work promotes the extreme specialization of the worker through specific tasks carried out in series.
- Modern work is insecure. For Marx, capitalism considered the human being as something totally expendable, as another component among the rest of the productive forces. A component that could be ruthlessly discarded in case costs increased and the system itself could not afford it or because it could be replaced by technology. Marx presents the ideas of communism not only as an economic theory, but as a way of understanding the emotions of the individual.
- The capitalists get rich while the workers are paid little. For Marx, capitalists reduced workers’ wages as much as possible (to the point of promoting labor exploitation, including child labor) for the sole purpose of obtaining the highest profit margin or surplus value, which Marx called “primitive accumulation.” While capitalists considered monetary profit as “the reward” for their ingenuity and technological talent, for Marx it was theft of the talent and labor of workers, who received a price for their work, and then sold it to someone else at a much higher price.
- Capitalism is very unstable. For Marx, capitalist systems were characterized by a series of crises, even though capitalists themselves dismissed them as abnormal or odd. Marx argued that crises were caused by producing too much, far more than was needed, and called them “crises of abundance.” Factories and production systems are so efficient that they could provide goods, houses, access to education, health care, etc. to everyone. The modern economic system was so productive that it did not require everyone to work. However, most people described the word “unemployment” in a pejorative way, rather than regarding it as “freedom.” Marx believed that leisure should be something to be admired, while everything that society produces is redistributed.
- Capitalism is bad for capitalists. Marx did not consider capitalists to be evil, but was well aware of their sorrows and agonies. Behind bourgeois marriages lay an extension of family business, with ties fraught with tension, pressure and resentment. Most couples only stayed together for financial reasons. For Marx, the capitalist system forced individuals to put economic interests as the absolute priority. He called this psychological tendency a “commodity fetishism” that forced people to value things that, in reality, had no intrinsic value.
Criticism of Marxism
After Marx’s death in 1883, Various theorists and politicians continued to develop their ideas and gave rise to various new currents, some of which were even contradictory.
Currently, no nation considered socialist or communisthas managed to put Marxist ideology into practice in a pure manner, due to corruption and the ideological variants that they have adopted. It often happens that the national authority in charge abuses power instead of returning it to the people.
Along the history, various governments and political movements have appealed to Marxism as an ideological base, such as the party of the obsolete Soviet Union and, currently, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, the People’s Republic of China and Moldova. However, in practice they move away from the original ideas put forward by Marx.
Continue with: Reformism