What is Marxism?
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Contemporary Marxist theorists envision a democratic, participatory socialist planned economy focused on human needs rather than profit. With technology facilitating coordination without markets, resources are allocated through collective decision-making, emphasizing ecological sustainability and social welfare. This approach fosters empowerment, equality, and genuine democracy, seeking to reshape society for a more just future.
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Karl Marx’s economic theories emphasize class struggle as the driving force behind societal change and historical evolution. Central concepts include the labor theory of value, surplus value, and historical materialism, which illustrate the antagonistic relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. This conflict reflects broader socio-economic dynamics, ultimately predicting a revolutionary transition towards socialism and communism.
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Marxist economic theory critiques capitalism by revealing systemic contradictions that lead to recurring crises. Central to this theory is surplus value, where workers’ labor generates profit for capitalists. The tendency of profit rates to fall exacerbates overproduction and underconsumption, creating inevitable economic downturns, indicating capitalism’s inherent instability and crisis-prone nature.
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The content explores how capitalism distorts human labor into abstract value through Karl Marx’s labor theory of value. It differentiates between absolute and relative surplus value, highlighting methods of exploitation. Marx’s insights reveal value as socially constructed, influenced by class struggle rather than individual preference, challenging the foundations of capitalist society.
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The text explores Marx’s theory of surplus value, asserting that profit under capitalism originates solely from labor. Marx critiques classical economics for failing to explain profit, emphasizing that surplus arises in production rather than circulation. By highlighting the exploitation of labor, he reveals how capital accumulates wealth through unpaid worker contributions.
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The concept of “under-consumption” highlights the paradox of poverty amidst abundance in capitalism, where overproduction leads to unsold goods while many lack means to purchase essentials. This systemic issue, rooted in class exploitation and wage suppression, consistently results in economic crises, revealing flaws in capitalist distribution, not consumer behavior.
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The content explores the dual nature of credit in capitalism, as both a lifeline and a noose. It critically examines how figures like Marx, Luxemburg, and Lenin understood credit as a mechanism allowing capitalism to expand and exploit, ultimately warning of inevitable crises due to unsustainable debt. The analysis highlights historical and contemporary global economic…
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Karl Marx critiqued capitalism as an engine of crisis and exploitation, arguing that its accumulation logic leads to inequality and eventual collapse. While his insights on class struggles and cyclical crises are relevant, capitalism continues to adapt and survive, proving Marx’s predictions of inevitable ruin to be less definitive than he envisioned.
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Money is a complex and misunderstood artifact, seen as a mere facilitator of trade yet deeply intertwined with alienation and exploitation. Marx critiques its role as a commodity that masks social relations and perpetuates inequality. Rather than a neutral tool, money embodies estrangement and fuels capitalist predation, necessitating a reevaluation of its societal status.
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The content critiques the modern bourgeoisie’s self-congratulatory belief that capitalism has evolved beyond Marxist exploitation. It illustrates how constant capital, represented by technology, relies on variable capital—human labor. Despite advancements, the fundamental dynamics of exploitation persist, with labor often obscured in narratives of innovation and progress, revealing Marx’s insights remain relevant today.
Letters from Tomis 