Class Consciousness and Marx Flashcards

Class Consciousness and False Consciousness

• Class consciousness: Awareness of one's own material and economic interests.
• False consciousness: Lack of awareness of one's own material and economic interests, often working against them.

Marx's Theory of Social Change

• Social change is driven by struggles and competition between social classes.
• The ruling class aims to maintain control by creating a false consciousness among the masses.

The Role of Media

• Media serves as a tool in fostering false consciousness by presenting society as ideal or unproblematic.

Wealth vs. Income

• Wealth: Total value of owned assets, including cash and property.
• Income: Earnings received typically in the form of wages.

Marx's Focus

• Studied capitalism and class structures.
• Aimed for the overthrow of bourgeois rule.

Class Structure

• Three main classes:
  • Proletariat: Workers lacking ownership of the means of production.
  • Bourgeoisie: Owners of production seeking maximum profit.
  • Petty bourgeoisie: Small business owners and professionals.

Worker Solidarity

• Communists align with the proletariat, advocating for their common interests globally.

Communist Objectives

• Goals include the overthrow of bourgeois dominance fueled by exploitation of labor.

Means of Production

• Comprised of land, labor, capital, and management essentials for economic production.

Exploitation and Value

• Capitalist exploitation is rooted in the labor theory of value, where workers sell their labor power for wages below the value they produce, creating surplus value.

Capital Accumulation

• Capitalists reinvest profits to increase wealth and production.

Social Relations of Production

• Defines positions within the capitalist system and the relationships among economic players.

Contradictions of Capitalism

• Capital and labor exist in a contradictory, antagonistic state where the gain of one results in the loss of the other.

Core Conflict

• Marx posited a fundamental contradiction between labor and capital.

Equation of Capitalism

• Profit maximization is directly linked to cost minimization strategies.

Historical Context

• Communist Manifesto: Co-authored by Marx and Engels, outlining the principles of communism.
• Dialectical Materialism: Based on Hegel’s philosophy, it suggests that societal changes result from the conflict of opposing forces leading to a new synthesis.

Concept of History

• Marx described capitalism as a "locomotive of history," emphasizing its role in advancing technology and social change.

Birthday Party Analogy

• Socialism: Distribution based on ability and contribution.
• Communism: Distribution based on need, prioritizing equitable outcomes.
• Capitalism: Markets determine distribution with minimal regulation.

Base and Superstructure

• Base: The economic foundation of society, composed of productive relationships.
• Superstructure: All societal institutions (politics, law, culture) that emerge from the economic base, illustrating a reciprocal relationship.