This is a series of short introductions to the ideas of Marx and Marxism by Marxist writer, John Molyneux. John is the author of numerous books and articles on Marxism including Marxism and the Party, What is the Real Marxist Tradition? and The Point is to Change It! An introduction to Marxist Philosophy and he is editor of the Irish Marxist Review.
why Marx refused to draw up any detailed plan for a socialist society but saw socialism as a historical process created by the working class itself after the overthrow of capitalism
13 Oct 2020
Dialectics
how dialectics is a theory of change through contradiction and how Marx took over this idea from Hegel and, interpreting it materialistically, made it a cornerstone of his underlying philosophy
13 Oct 2020
Nationalism and Internationalism
why Marx rejected nationalism and called on workers of the world to unite believing socialism could not be realised in one country alone, but also defended the right of oppressed nations to freedom.
13 Oct 2020
Marx’s theory of the State:
explains how Marx rejected the dominant view of the state as neutral or above class, seeing it as fundamentally an instrument of rule by the dominant economic class, and the revolutionary political implications of this.
13 Oct 2020
The tendency of the rate of profit to decline
deals with why Marx believed that in the long run, the rate of profit would tend to fall and how this would make capitalism prone to recurring economic crises.
13 Oct 2020
The Labour Theory of Value
explains Marx’s core economic doctrine that the value of commodities is determined by the labour-power embodied in them and how this underpins the exploitation of the working class.
13 Oct 2020
What is capitalism?
This sets out what Marx saw as the main features of capitalism as it developed historically and his analysis of its central dynamic- the accumulation of capital.
13 Oct 2020
Historical Materialism, part 2
argues against the interpretation of historical materialism as a theory of mechanical economic determinism and shows how Marx and Engels stressed that ideas and political organisation also play a vital part in shaping history.
13 Oct 2020
Historical Materialism, part 1
outlines the basic ideas of Marx’s theory of history which sees history as driven primarily not by the deeds and ideas of ‘great men’ but by how the mass of ordinary people produce the necessities of life.
13 Oct 2020
The Revolutionary Role of the Working Class
goes further into why Marx considered the working class as the ‘gravedigger’ of capitalism and the class which would liberate humanity.
13 Oct 2020
Class part 2
explains Marx’s view of the class struggle in modern society as polarised between two fundamental classes, the bourgeoisie, and proletariat.
13 Oct 2020
Class part 1
looks at the crucial concept of class and shows how in Marx its meaning, focused on exploitation and social relations, is very different from its use in the media or in sociology.
13 Oct 2020
Alienation
explains what the concept of alienation, especially alienated labour, meant to Marx and why it was so central to his critique of capitalism as a whole.
13 Oct 2020
General Introduction To Marxism
this sets out different basic views of Marx – evil founder of communism, 19th-century economist, etc – and explains the speaker’s view of him as basically a revolutionary and fighter for human freedom. It also briefly outlines the main themes in Marxism as a whole
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