Marxism Theory explained by Riddhi Bhatt

1. MARXISM
Presented by :
Bhatt Riddhi D.
riddhi28bhatt@gmail.com
Sem : 3
Roll no. : 15
Paper name : Contemporary Western
Theories and Film Studies
PG Year : 2020-2022
MAHARAJA KRISHNAKUMARSINHJI BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

2. KEY OBJECTIVES
● What Is Marxism?
● Understanding Of Marxism
● Historical Materialism
● Class Struggle
● Why is Marxism important?
● Marxism Goes To The Movies

3. What Is Marxism?
● Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after
Karl Marx.
● 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 posits that the struggle between social classes—specifically
between the bourgeoisie, or capitalists, and the proletariat, or
workers—defines economic relations in a capitalist economy and will
inevitably lead to revolutionary communism.

4. Understanding Of Marxism
● Marxism is both a social and political theory, which encompasses
Marxist class conflict theory and Marxian economics.
● Marxism was first publicly formulated in the 1848 pamphlet,
The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,
which lays out the theory of class struggle and revolution.
● Marxian economics focuses on the criticisms of capitalism,
which Karl Marx wrote about in his 1867 book, Das Kapital.
Class conflict and the demise of capitalism

5. ‘KARL MARX’ said that..
“In the social production that men carry on, they enter into definite relations
that are indispensable and independent of their will, relations of production
which correspond to a definite stage of development of their material forces of
production. The sum total of these relations of production constitutes the
economic structure of society, the real foundation, on which rises a legal and
political superstructure, and to which correspond definite forms of social
consciousness. The mode of production in material life determines the general
character of the social, political, and intellectual processes of life. It is not the
consciousness of men which determines their existence; it is on the contrary
their social existence which determines their consciousness.”
(A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy)

6. Historical Materialism
● Marx discovered that throughout the history of
human progress, society has taken many
different forms and adjusted itself constantly;
but he identified a certain defining aspect that
governed how different societies were
structured:
● class and its relation to the means of
production. He found that the struggle
between the classes occurred all throughout
history.
● This approach is called historical materialism.

7. CLASS STRUGGLE
● According to Marx, society has
always been divided into the
“haves” and the “have nots” – and
these two classes have always
fought each other.
● EX. -
Bourgeoisie vs. Proletariat

8. 2 CLASS
proletariat,/workers
The
bourgeoisie/busines
s owners
( who control the means of
production)
(whose labor transforms raw
commodities into valuable economic
goods)
● According to Marx, whoever owns the means of production has always controlled
the government and society.
★ Marx's theories on how class conflict would play out in a
capitalist system.

9. ● Ultimately, the inherent inequalities and exploitative economic relations
between these two classes will lead to a revolution in which the working class
rebels against the bourgeoisie, seizes control of the means of production, and
abolishes capitalism
● Thus Marx thought that the capitalist system inherently contained the seeds
of its own destruction. The alienation and exploitation of the proletariat that
are fundamental to capitalist relations would inevitably drive the working
class to rebel against the bourgeoisie and seize control of the means of
production.
● This revolution would be led by enlightened leaders, known as the vanguard
of the proletariat, who understood the class structure of society and who
would unite the working class by raising awareness and class consciousness.

10. Why is Marxism important?
● In the mid-19th century, Marxism helped to consolidate, inspire, and
radicalize elements of the labour and socialist movements in western
Europe, and it was later the basis of Marxism-Leninism and Maoism, the
revolutionary doctrines developed by Vladimir Lenin in Russia and Mao
Zedong in China, respectively.
● It also inspired a more moderate form of socialism in Germany, the
precursor of modern social democracy.

11. Marxism Goes To The Movies
● Marx had argued that the movement from a class existing in itself
(without self-consciousness of its distinct class interests) to a class for
itself was absolutely crucial if it was to become a political agent
capable of leading the fight for social change. The prospect that film
might help the proletariat achieve such a degree of class-
consciousness and self-awareness was not outlandish in pre-
Hollywood American cinema.
(Mike Wayne in ‘Marxism Goes To
The Movies’)

12. Examples
● Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp, already being forged
in the mid-teens, embodied this popular
recognition of class inclusion and exclusion.
● Bosses, the rich in general, policemen, politicians,
the courts, landlords, government officials and
such like, were frequently shown as greedy, petty,
corrupt, vain and vindictive.

15. Charlie Chaplin - Eating Machine

16. REFERENCES
● Chambre, Henri and McLellan, David T.. "Marxism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Mar. 2020,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marxism. Accessed 18 October 2021.
● Feuer, Lewis S. and McLellan, David T.. "Karl Marx". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May. 2021,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Marx. Accessed 18 October 2021.
● Marx, Karl. “A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.” Britannica,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Contribution-to-the-Critique-of-Political-Economy.
● “Modern Times .” Charlie Chaplin - Eating Machine, 17 Feb. 2012,
https://youtu.be/n_1apYo6-Ow. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.
● Prychitko, David L. “Marxism.” Econlib, https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Marxism.html.
● Wayne, Mike. “Marxism Goes To The Movies.” Culture Matters, 30 Jan. 2020,
https://www.culturematters.org.uk/index.php/arts/films/item/3243-marxism-goes-to-the-
movies.

17. THANK YOU