Marxism is a political, economic and philosophical doctrine, which is based on the materialist theory of the universe. This doctrine is named after its founder, the German philosopher Karl Marx. Together with his like-minded economist Friedrich Engels, Marx developed an understanding of history, economics, and the doctrine of communism based on materialism. Marxism was the only branch of philosophy recognized in the Soviet Union.
Instructions
Step 1
Marxism arose in the 1840s, when a sharp struggle was waged in the most developed European countries between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Worker uprisings swept across Europe. The problem of the relationship between classes was then worried by many. There were all kinds of secret societies, whose members tried to decide how to establish social justice. One such organization, the Society of Communists, was founded in London by German émigrés. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels joined it in 1847. A year later, one of the fundamental works of the new philosophical was published - "The Manifesto of the Communist Party".
Step 2
In general terms, this document contained a program for the transition from capitalism to socialism. The Communist Manifesto spoke of the inevitable death of capitalism. The program included ten points - expropriation of land property, progressive tax, abolition of inheritance rights, confiscation of rebel property, centralization of transport, etc.
Step 3
The new philosophical trend did not arise from scratch. About where it came from, the follower of German thinkers V. I. Lenin told in his work "Three sources and three components of Marxism." He points to classical German philosophy, English political economy and French utopian socialism as sources. As its constituent parts, he points to materialist philosophy, political economy and the theory of scientific communism.
Step 4
Each philosophical system should be different from the previous ones. In Marxist theory, new was the materialist understanding of all natural and social processes, the concept of human society as a single organism, within which there is a constant struggle between productive forces and production relations. The theory of social development is based on the contradiction between these two components. The forms of ownership adopted in a particular society determine all other aspects of its life - division into classes, politics, the structure of state and law, moral principles and much more. The accumulation and exacerbation of contradictions between those who create material wealth and those who use them leads to revolution.
Step 5
The fundamental position of Marxist economics is the theory of surplus value. The predecessors of Marx and Engels spoke about this. According to Marx, surplus value does not arise from either the turnover of goods or from the mark-up on sale. It arises only from the value of the ability to work, which the capitalist finds in the labor market. The predecessors of German thinkers defined surplus value as rent or profit. At the same time, labor power is by no means a commodity for all socio-economic formations, but only when its value is determined.
Step 6
The philosophical and political views of K. Marx and F. Engels are reflected in their fundamental works. The most important and voluminous one is Capital, which has become a reference book for representatives of many socio-economic trends on the left. Marxism, which contradicted the official ideology of most European societies, found many adherents. This theory had many followers both in politics and in science. In Russia, this trend appeared largely thanks to G. V. Plekhanov, who translated Capital. The Bolsheviks were faithful followers of Marx. In the Soviet Union, Marxism was a state ideology.
Step 7
Some provisions of the Marxist theory have retained their relevance today. However, it causes constant controversy among historians and political scientists. Some believe that in some periods of the existence of the USSR and other countries of the socialist camp, this doctrine was distorted. Others believe that it is in itself vicious, and the attempt to apply it in practice has led to the needless death of millions of people.
