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5. Marxism and the Growth of Socialist Parties
I. Communist Manifesto (1848) A. The Authors - Karl Marx (1818-1883) - Frederick Engels (1820-1895) - "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle."
B. Dialectical Materialism 1) The moving force in history is economics: every distinct economic system grows to a point of maximum efficiency > develops contradictions > decays > and is replaced by a new system
2) Historical examples - Feudalism: a response to the needs of an agrarian society Lords <----> serfs <----> bourgeoisie
- the lords were overthrown in the course of the French Revolution
- Industrialism: prospers in the new political climate that favors the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie <----> Proletariat
· the proletariat will overthrow their oppressors, seize political power, destroy the instruments of their oppression > Private property
C. How does private property exploit workers? 1) Doctrine of Surplus Labor: all wealth is created by the labor of the worker
2) Example: - cost of producing a dozen pair of shoes: Fixed costs + 6 hours labor $10.00 + $30.00 @ $5.00 p/hr. = 40.00 $10.00 + $15.00 @ $2.50 p/hr. = 25.00 surplus value or profit > $15.00
D. The economic power of the bourgeoisie enables it to control all aspects of society
Superstructure (politics, culture, social institutions, etc.) __________________________________________
Economic base of society
E. Goals: - to represent the interests of the working class - raise the consciousness of the workers - overthrow the bourgeoisie - seize political power - abolish private property
F. The Revolution of the Proletariat 1) Socialism: a dictatorship of the proletariat will bring about a classless society, an end to conflict
2) Communism: achieved as the instruments of the state "wither away"
G. The Paris Commune (1871) - discredited early forms of Socialism leaving Marxism alone untried and the primary form of Socialist thought thereafter
II. The Development of Socialist Parties A. Split in Marxism 1) Purists or Orthodox Marxism > socialism can only be achieved through violent upheaval or revolution
2) Revisionist Marxism > socialism can be achieved through gradual and peaceful means, the ballot box
B. Germany 1) Revisionist Marxism - German Socialist Democratic Party (SPD) > 1875 - the government outlawed the party and introduced progressive reforms for the workers: sickness, accident and disability benefits and old age pensions
- but by 1912 it was the largest single party in Germany
2) Orthodox Marxism - Rosa Luxembourg (1871-1919) - "general strike" - founded the Sparticus League with Karl Liebknecht in 1914
C. France 1) the first Marxist party was founded in 1882, by the end if the century there were six Marxist parties, these combined to form
2) the French Socialist Party in 1905 > revolutionary in rhetoric, but revisionist in practice
D. Russia 1) Social Democratic Party founded in 1891
2) Split in 1903 over tactics: > Bolsheviks - Orthodox > Mensheviks - Revisionists
3) Lenin - formulated the concept of the revolutionary vanguard
E. England 1) Fabian socialists > non-Marxist, non-revolutionary; socialist reforms were to be achieved through the vote - by 1884 > 80% of the men had the right to vote
2) a strong labor movement - by 1875 the right to strike and a 56 hour work week form men had been won
3) the Labor Party - formed by the Fabian Socialists and the labor unions
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