Marxism

Marxism is a social, economic, and political theory that analyzes history through class conflict and critiques capitalism. It advocates collective ownership of productive resources and has inspired diverse political movements.

Historical materialism: A theory that explains historical change through material conditions and conflicts between social classes. It supplies Marxism’s framework for explaining how economic arrangements shape societies.
Capital accumulation: The reinvestment of profit to expand capital and production. Marxism analyzes accumulation as a force that expands production while concentrating economic power.
Karl Marx: A German philosopher, economist, and political theorist whose writings founded Marxism with Friedrich Engels. His analysis of capitalism and class conflict supplies the tradition’s central arguments.
Liberalism: A political tradition emphasizing individual rights, legal equality, and limits on state power. Marxist critiques challenge liberal accounts of freedom that leave capitalist property relations intact.
Russian Revolution: The revolutions of 1917 that ended the Russian monarchy and brought the Bolsheviks to power. The Bolsheviks claimed Marxist legitimacy while adapting Marxist theory to Russian conditions.
Class struggle: Conflict between social classes over power, resources, and control of production. Marxism treats class conflict as a central driver of historical change.
Wage labor: A labor arrangement in which workers sell their capacity to work in exchange for wages. It is the employment relation through which capitalists purchase labor power.
Friedrich Engels: A German philosopher and political theorist who collaborated with Karl Marx and helped develop Marxism. He co-authored foundational texts and edited Marx’s unfinished economic manuscripts.
Anarchism: A political tradition opposing coercive hierarchy and advocating social arrangements without a state. Anarchists and Marxists have differed over political authority and the role of the state in social transformation.
Chinese Communist Revolution: The revolution that established the People’s Republic of China in 1949 under the Chinese Communist Party. Maoist leaders reshaped Marxism around peasant mobilization and China’s revolutionary history.

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