Marxism is the name of political, economic, and philosophical doctrine, which is based on the materialistic theory of the universe. This teaching is named after its founder, the German philosopher Karl Marx. Together with his like-minded economist Friedrich Engels, Marx developed a materialistic understanding of history, economics, and the doctrine of communism. Marxism was the only branch of philosophy recognized in the Soviet Union.
Instruction manual
1
Marxism arose in the 40s of the XIX century, when in the most developed European countries there was a sharp struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Worker uprisings swept across Europe. The problem of relations between classes worried then very many. There were all kinds of secret societies, the members of which tried to decide how social justice could be established. One of these organizations - the "Society of Communists" - was created in London by German immigrants. In 1847, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels joined it. A year later, one of the fundamental works of the new philosophical, the Manifesto of the Communist Party, was published.
2
In general terms, this document contained a program for the transition from capitalism to socialism. The Communist Manifesto spoke of the imminent death of capitalism. The program included ten points - the expropriation of land ownership, a progressive tax, the abolition of the right of inheritance, confiscation of the property of the rebels, centralization of transport, etc.
3
A new philosophical movement did not arise from scratch. About where it came from, a follower of German thinkers V.I. Lenin told in his work "Three sources and three components of Marxism." As sources, he points out classical German philosophy, English political economy and French utopian socialism. As components, he points out materialistic philosophy, political economy and the theory of scientific communism.
4
Each philosophical system should be different from the previous ones. In the Marxist theory, the new was the materialistic understanding of all natural and social processes, the idea of human society as a single organism, within which there is a constant struggle between productive forces and production relations. The theory of social development is based on the contradiction between these two components. The forms of ownership adopted in a particular society determine all the other aspects of his life — division into classes, politics, state structure and rights, moral principles, and much more. The accumulation and aggravation of contradictions between those who create wealth and those who use them, leads to revolution.
5
The fundamental tenet of Marxist economics is the theory of surplus value. This was said by the predecessors of Marx and Engels. According to Marx, surplus value does not arise either from commodity circulation or from a premium on sales. It arises only from the value of the ability to work, which the capitalist finds in the labor market. The predecessors of German thinkers defined surplus value as rent or profit. At the same time, labor is not a commodity in all socio-economic formations, but only when its value is determined.
6
The philosophical and political views of K. Marx and F. Engels are reflected in their fundamental works. The most important and most voluminous is Capital, which has become the handbook of representatives of many socio-economic movements of the left wing. Marxism, which contradicted the official ideology of most European societies, found a lot of adherents. This theory had many followers in politics and in science. In Russia, this trend appeared largely thanks to G.V. Plekhanov, who translated Capital. The faithful followers of Marx were the Bolsheviks. In the Soviet Union, Marxism was a state ideology.
7
Some provisions of Marxist theory have retained their relevance now. However, it causes constant debate among historians and political scientists. Some believe that in some periods of the existence of the USSR and other countries of the socialist camp, this teaching was distorted. Others believe that it is in itself vicious, and an attempt to put it into practice led to the vain death of millions of people.
