Marxist Ideology

Marxists see the world in relation to economic terms:

Economic Determism- meaning that Marxists believe that economics are the sole motivator of our entire culture

• books, films and television programmes have no part to play in bringing about cultural change
• our economic circumstances entirely determine our culture
• the only way to escape from Market Liberalism is revolution

- Predicted the advanced Capitalist societies would gradually would become Communist

- Everything would be equally shared- no hunger or hierarchy

- Predicted for it happening first with the British Empire; instead it happened with the Russian Empire (poorest)

The ruling class do not carry out any work so they cannot learn from anything; whereas the working class do all the work- they have the capacity to learn and grow.

Eventually the working class will grow wise and will sweep away the upper classes

Karl Marx often talked about the four stages of humanity; arguing that Socialism would be the 5th

1. Primative Communism- tribal operative societies (pre historic)

2. Slave Society- tribes move to cities; aristocracy is born

3. Feudalism- aristocrats are the rulling class and merchants evolve into capitalists

4. Capitalism- capitalists are ruling class who create and employ the proletariat

• Marxist ideology is left wing
• Although Marx proposed a revolution, the British Labour party-democratic societal change
• The three countries describing themselves as Communist: China, Cuba, North Korea
• Mankind extracts what it needs from the Earth and environment to survive
• Each succeeding system of civilisation is more civilised than the last