INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN AESTHETICS

MARXISM

Karishma Sahani

3rd Year

Department- Art History

College of Art
 CONTENT

 General Terms
 Marxism
 Features of Marxism
 Basic Principle of Marxism
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
 GENERAL TERMS

 Capitalism- Capitalism also called free market economy is the capitalist economic system
characterized by the private or corporate dominion of capital goods involving
investments under the private decision and manufacture, distribution, and allocation of
goods as determined by the needs of the free market. The term ‘capitalism’ gained
popularity majorly due to Karl Marx, who stated the capitalists as those who owned the
means of production (the private class) and employed other laborers in pursuit of their
profit.
 Feudalism- Feudalism is a type of socialist economic system that was dominant in
medieval Europe roughly from the 8th to 15th century CE. It mainly consisted of the
classes, the royalty, the nobility, the knights, and the peasants. The nobility held lands
under the crown and leased it to the knights in exchange for military service and the

peasants were obliged to live on the lands of the nobles and do them service.

 Socialism- Socialism is a system in which every person in the community has an equal
share of the various elements of production, distribution, and exchange of resources.
Such a form of ownership is granted through a democratic system of governance.
Socialism has also been demonstrated through a cooperative system in which each
member of the society owns a share of communal resources.

MARXISM

Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after Karl Marx. Karl Heinrich
Marx was born in Trier in the Kingdom of Prussia on the 5th of May 1818 and died on the 14 th
March 1883. He was a philosopher and economist who are most famous for the creation,
together with Friedrich Engels, of the thought of Marxism and for the improvement of the idea of
class struggle. In his book called the Communist Manifesto which is assisted by Friedrich
Engels, which outlines power alignments and class struggle.  It examines the effect
of capitalism on labor, productivity, and economic development and argues for a worker
revolution to overturn capitalism in favor of communism.  Marxism put forward that the struggle
between social classes specifically between the bourgeoisie or capitalists and the proletariat or
workers which defines economic relations in a capitalist economy and will inevitably lead to
revolutionary communism. Karl Marx derived his ideas from Hegel’s dialectical method and
Feuerbachian materialism, changing and criticizing these ideas. These two philosophers were the
most influential to his idea of dialectical materialism which was a unique combination of their
concepts.

FEATURES OF MARXISM

 All the principles of Marxism are particular and not general. It has not built up any
general theory which is applicable in all places. 
 Marxism is not science or philosophy. It is simply a critical and practical analysis of
existing society.
 The central subject of Marxism is capitalist society.
 Its chief aim is not simply to analyze the capitalist society, but to change it. Marx has said
that the philosophers have interpreted the world, but the real task is to change the world
or society.

BASIC PRINCIPLE OF MARXISM

The basic principles of Marxism are the following: dialectical materialism, historical
materialism, the theory of surplus value, class struggle, revolution, dictatorship of the proletariat
and communism.

1. Dialectical Materialism

Dialectic as a philosophical idea dates back to the ancient times. In the 19th century in was the
Hegel’s idea of dialectic which gave basis to a modern understanding of this concept. Hegel
refined it by developing the trilogy of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis. It is popularly known as
the Dialectical Triad. In his idea the most important changes were caused by overcoming the
inner contradictions which emerged naturally on the path of development because every term
includes his own contradictions. These contradictions induce further changes, progress, and
development. The thesis is challenged by its anti-thesis. Both contain elements of truth and
falsehood. Truth is permanent, but falsehood is transitory. In the ensuing conflict of the thesis
and the anti-thesis, the truth remains, but the false elements are destroyed. These false elements
constitute contradictions. The true elements of both the thesis and the anti-thesis are fused
together in a synthesis. This evolved synthesis during the course of time becomes a thesis and so,
it is again challenged by its opposite anti-thesis, which again results in a synthesis. This process
of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis continues until the stage of perfection is reached.

The second compound of Marx main theory has its roots in the philosophy of Ludwig
Feuerbachian materialism, which are the ultimate reality and not the idea. Hegel has developed
dialectical idealism. For him, it is the idea, which ultimately matters. Idea lies in the base or the
sub-structure, which determines everything in the superstructure. Society, polity, economy are in
this superstructure which is shaped by the prevalent dominant ideas of the age. Ultimately it is
the idea, which matters, and the other things are only its reflection. Marx replaced idea with
matter.

In the theory of Dialectical Materialism, Marxism advocates that what is real are matter. Matter
evolves by the three laws of Dialectics. Matter evolves and reaches its highest stage, (node) and
then the dialectic leap (Revolution) come, and it enters the next stage. Because of its internal
contradictions, matter is in a state of continuous irregularity and in its evolution one stage is
negated by the next, and the new stage again by the next. This process goes on. In other words
matter evolves dialectically.

2. Historical Materialism

Historical materialism extends the principles of dialectical materialism to the study of society
and its history. Historical materialism recognizes that history and society develop based on
material, economic conditions. Historical Materialism is the Marxian theory of history of society.
It holds that history is the evolution of material means of life. Hunger is the reality which always
leads to the human attempts to own material means of life. Human consciousness is always
determined by the material means of life. Social relations are very closely bound up with the
material means of production.
In acquiring new means of production men change their mode of production. In changing their
mode of production they change their living and their social relations. Marx identifies five stages
of social evolution. The communal stage, the slave stage, the feudal stage, the capitalist stage and
the communist stage. Each is followed by the other. The present capitalist stage is bound to be
followed by the Communist stage. The transformation is bound to come through a revolution.

3. Theory of Surplus Value

This theory is based on the hour theory of value which holds that labor is the real producer of
value. This theory stated that the value of a produced economic good can be measured
objectively by the average number of labor hours required to produce it. For Marx, labor is an
important part in production activity. Working class creates far more surplus production than
what is required to sustain them. But despite this, the workers receive a minimal wage to sustain
himself and his family. The surplus that was created by the worker goes to the capitalists.

In modern industrial society, production system is in the hands of a capitalist class who buy labor
power of the worker. The labor of the worker has become a commodity under the capitalist
economic system. The difference between the exchange value of goods and the wages paid to the
laborers can be called as surplus value. Capitalism is system of exploitation because in it the
capitalists retain this surplus value as their profit. The capitalists exploit the fruits of the labor
and use it for exploiting the labor. For the Marxists, it is the exploitation of the workers, which
has to be abolished. With the growth of capitalism and the rise in competition, the wages of the
workers continue to fall and reach the stage of subsistence level. Subsistence wage is the
minimum possible wage; beyond this the wage cannot be reduced. It is the minimum possible
wage for the survival and sustain from the labor force. Thus, cut throat competition in capitalism
leads to fall of the lot of the proletariat. This intensifies class struggle and eventually leads to
revolution.

4. Class Struggle

The doctrine of class struggle is an important feature in Marxist understanding of society. It is an

extension to historical materialism. If historical materialism contains the theory of social
evolution, class struggle represents its consequence. Karl Marx advocates the view that each
society has been and still continues to be inhabited by two classes- the haves and have not’s. One
class exploits and the other one gets exploited. According to Marx, the history of all hitherto
existing society has been the history of class struggle. All historical ages have been characterized
by the antagonism between the dominant and dependent classes. In the slavery system, they were
the masters and the slaves, in feudalism, the feudal lords and the peasants and in capitalism, the
bourgeois and the proletariat. The masters, the feudal lords and the bourgeois are the owners of
the means of production. However, it is the slaves, the peasants and the proletariat, who carry out
production, but their produce is taken away by their exploiters and in return, they are given just
enough for their survival. This is the main source and cause of class struggle. Marx observes that
with the rise of capitalism, a closer and elaborate organization of the proletariat is possible.
Proletariat may rise as a class for itself and can rebel against the oppressive capitalist system.

5. Revolution

Revolution occurs when there is incompatibility between the forces of production and the
relations of production. To resolve this incompatibility, revolution occurs which brings
corresponding changes in the relations of production and the superstructure to make it
compatible with the forces of production. Marxism accepts and advocates the need to prepare the
workers for a revolution against capitalism. A proletarian revolution is a social revolution in
which the working class attempts to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Marxists argue that since the end
of capitalism is certain and it is to come through a revolution, the workers must prepare and stage
the revolution. Revolution occurs to resolve contradictions. So revolution will not take place, if
there is no contradiction in society. Revolution is to lead the social evolution towards its final
destination the communist society. With the proletarian revolution, revolution itself will come to
an end.

6. Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Marxism holds that after the overthrow of capitalism by a workers revolution, the dictatorship of
the proletariat will be established. To rebel and to overthrow the existing system is a must for the
economically weaker class. To stabilize the results of the revolution the dictatorship of the
proletariat is established. It is also known as the socialist state. It will be used to eliminate all
remaining features of capitalism. Under it, the workers will own and work the means of
production. They will use and direct the organized power of the state against the capitalists and
other enemies of revolution and socialism. In his book the ‘The Critique of Gotha Programme”
Marx says that “Between capitalist and communist society lies a period of revolutionary
transformation from one to another”. During this period, the state and all the means of
production shall be monitored by the proletariat class. Marx argues that if democracy means the
rule of the majority, then the proletariat state is the most democratic state, because for the first
time in the history, power comes into the hands of the majority. Before the proletariat state,
power has always been in the hands of the minority. So if majority rule is the criterion, then only
the proletariat state can be called a democratic state.

7. Communism

A political system based on Marxist ideology is known as Communism. In a communist society,

there will be no private property in the form of private ownership of the means of production. In
a communist society each one works according to his capacity and each one get according to his
needs. Communism also believes in the same transformation, but the differentiating factor
between the two is the path that needs to be taken for the transformation to take place.
Communism believes in the transformation through revolutions. Production will be for
consumption and not to earn profit. Profit motive will be replaced by social needs. Since there
will be no private property, there will be no exploitation. Since there will be no exploitation,
there will be no class division, no property owning and property less class, no haves and have
not’s or no dominant and dependent class. Since there is no class division, there is no class
struggle and so no need of the state. This is the reason why a communist society will be a
classless and stateless society.

CONCLUSION

Marx in his theories, studies mainly the change in the society from a capitalistic to a
communistic society. This period of transition is referred to as socialism. From his theories he
concludes that during this phase the state is in the hand of a revolutionary proletariat dictator.
Socialism in contrast to communism is characterized by the fact that laborer is still rewarded in
proportion to his contribution, he is no longer exploited but receives an income in proportion to
the labor rendered and since different laborers contribute different quantities of socially
necessary labor incomes will differ.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/21029/1/Unit-26.pdf
 https://www.preservearticles.com/articles/15-essential-features-of-marxism-explained/
30543