Marxism

Marxism is a way of thinking about politics and how society works. It started with the ideas of two German thinkers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who lived in the 1800s. They believed that the main force that changes history is the fight between different groups of people, especially those who make things and those who own the factories and land.

Marxism says that the way a society makes and uses things, like factories and farms, shapes everything else in that society. In a system called capitalism, the people who own these places make money by paying workers less than the value of what they make. This creates problems and anger between the two groups.

After Marx died, many other thinkers used his ideas in new ways. Some of these ideas became important in countries that tried to build a new kind of society. Others focused more on culture, ideas, and personal freedom. Because of this, there are many different ways people understand and use Marxism today.

Marxism has had a big effect on the world. It has inspired many changes in governments and inspired many movements of people working together. Ideas from Marxism are used in many subjects studied in schools, from how societies work to how we understand books and art. Even today, people still talk and argue about what Marxism means and how it should be used.

Overview

Karl Marx, after whom Marxism is named

Marxism tries to explain how societies work by looking at how people produce and trade things to meet their needs. It says that the way a society makes and shares things shapes everything else, like laws, culture, and politics.

Marxism thinks that when people improve how they make things, old ways of doing things become problems. These problems often lead to fights between different groups in society, especially between those who own things and those who make things. Marx believed that these fights would eventually lead to big changes in society, where everyone works together instead of some people taking more than others.

Schools of thought

Main article: Marxist schools of thought

Classical

Main article: Classical Marxism

Classical Marxism refers to the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It shows how they thought about society and change. One famous idea is that if some people claim to follow Marx but act in ways he wouldn't support, then they might not truly represent his views.

Libertarian

Libertarian Marxism focuses on freedom and less control in society. It believes that people can work together and make their own decisions without needing strict leaders or rules. This idea comes from some of Marx and Engels' later writings.

Humanist

Main article: Marxist humanism

Marxist humanism started in 1932 and became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Followers of this idea think that Marx's early writings about people's feelings and experiences connect to his later, more detailed works about society.

Academic

Archaeology

Main article: Marxist archaeology

V. Gordon Childe, an Australian archaeologist and one of the 20th century's most prominent Marxist academics

Marxist archaeology began in the Soviet Union in 1929. It looks at how society develops using ideas from Marx. This way of studying history was later used by archaeologists in other countries too.

Sociology

Main article: Marxist sociology

Economics

Main article: Marxian economics

Marxian economics is about understanding how money and work affect society, based on Marx's ideas. It looks at problems in economic systems, how value is created, and how class struggles shape the economy.

Education

Marxist education uses Marx's ideas to think about teaching and learning. It looks at how schools and education fit into society and how they might change to help everyone learn better.

Historiography

Main article: Marxist historiography

Marxist historiography studies history by looking at how classes and money affect what happens. It pays special attention to the lives of ordinary people and how they influence history.

Literary criticism

Main article: Marxist literary criticism

Marxist literary criticism looks at books and stories to see how they reflect the society they come from. It thinks about how the author's background and beliefs shape the story.

Aesthetics

Main article: Marxist aesthetics

Marxist aesthetics is about how art, beauty, and taste are affected by society and money. It uses Marx's ideas to understand these cultural aspects.

History

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Main articles: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels worked together to develop ideas about how society changes. They believed that the way people work and share things in a society is very important. Marx talked about how workers often feel separated from what they make and how they are treated. He thought that history is mostly about groups of people fighting over power.

Fidel Castro at the United Nations General Assembly in 1960

Marx and Engels met in 1844 and started working together. They wrote books and articles about their ideas. In 1848, they published a famous book called The Communist Manifesto. After Marx died in 1883, Engels helped spread Marx's ideas by writing and translating his work.

Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union

In 1917, a group called the Bolsheviks took control of Russia. They wanted to create a new kind of society where everyone shared more equally. They made changes like free education and healthcare. After the leader Vladimir Lenin died, another leader named Joseph Stalin took over. He had his own way of using Marx's ideas.

Hugo Chavez casting a vote in 2007

Chinese Revolution

Main article: Chinese Communist Revolution

Further information: Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, Maoism, Sinicization of Marxism, and Socialism with Chinese characteristics

After World War II, a group called the Chinese Communist Party took control of China. Their leader, Mao Zedong, adapted Marx's ideas to fit China's situation. He focused on getting support from farmers, not just city workers. China became a new kind of society in 1949.

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012

Late 20th century

Further information: Cold War

In 1959, a revolution in Cuba led by Fidel Castro brought changes to the country. In China, a big movement called the Cultural Revolution tried to remove old ideas. Later, under Deng Xiaoping, China changed some of these ideas to focus more on building the economy.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, many socialist countries changed their ways. The Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, and many of these countries started using capitalist ways of running things.

21st century

China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam still use Marxist ideas to guide their governments. In the early 2000s, some countries in Latin America chose leaders who supported socialist ideas. These leaders worked together and tried to help their people in new ways. The leader of China today, Xi Jinping, has said that the country will keep using Marx's ideas to understand and improve the world.

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of Marxism

Many people have questioned Marxism from different angles. Some think the ideas are not clear or can be used in many different ways. Others feel that some parts of Marxism do not match what we see in the real world. For example, some argue that countries with more free markets often have higher incomes than those with less.

Some also say that Marxism can be too focused on studying ideas instead of taking action. Others believe that while some parts of Marxism are useful, the whole idea needs updating or combining with other thoughts. There are debates about whether Marxism's economic ideas work well in practice, and some say that important details were missed.