Marxism

History

Marxism's namesake famously claimed that he was not a Marxist, yet Karl Marx’ contributions to the framework are integral, and scholars continually return to his texts in order to uncover new perspectives on a movement that began in the 1840s. Marx’ initial foray into theory was largely a philosophical one, typically characterized as a melding of G. W. F. Hegel's dialectics and Ludwig Feuerbach's materialism. The synthesis of these two frameworks generated a cornerstone of Marxism, dialectical materialism, which can be defined as a progressive tendency of the physical world to work through internal contradictions and to achieve a state of maximum efficiency. Marx applied dialectical materialism to history and economics in order to explain how the social and political order came into being, primarily through the class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie (the worker and the capitalist). Evolving from antiquated feudalism, Marx charted capitalism's development with a keen critical eye, arguing that concentrations of capital would fall into the hands of an elite class who would exploit a much larger population of workers in order to maximize profits and expand industry throughout the world. While capitalism would deliver an abundance of goods ripe for consumption, its unstable, exploitive nature would also create a series of substantial drawbacks for the worker, including increasing economic inequality, periods of unemployment and alienation from one's labour and fellow workers. For Marx, the most effective way to end this oppressive exploitation was for the working class to take back the means of production through revolution. With public ownership of property and capital, capitalism would be usurped by a communist economic system, allowing for greater economic equality and the possibility for human beings to realize their potential.

After Marx death in 1883, Marxism would fracture into several different strands and factions, each emphasizing different elements of Marx’ thought while supplementing it with other theoretical frameworks. Most notably, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky would employ Marxist theory to power the 1917 Russian Revolution. Appropriating Marxism's revolutionary potential and proletariat-centred philosophy, Leninism and Trotskyism stand as the strongest applications of Marxism on a global scale. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union's transition from capitalism to socialism required a form of governmental dictatorship to act as an intermediary, which instead of passing power to the worker, only became more oppressive. This reality, coupled with the collapse of the Soviet Union, stigmatized Marxism for many people, even if Soviet Marxism strayed from many of Marxism's central tenets.

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