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The Marxist Tradition “ Introduction” to RCP. Background. Marx’s Intellectual Sources German Speculative Philosophy Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach French Socialism Proudhon, Fourier, Saint-Simon English Political Economy Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Thomas Malthus. Marx’s Political Activities.
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Background • Marx’s Intellectual Sources • German Speculative Philosophy • Kant, Hegel, Feuerbach • French Socialism • Proudhon, Fourier, Saint-Simon • English Political Economy • Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Thomas Malthus
Marx’s Political Activities • Communist League - Communist Manifesto • 1848 Revolutions - in Germany • First International (1864-1872) • Dies in 1883
Engel’s Marxism • Engels Survivied Marx • 2nd International (1898-1914) • Engels, Kautsky, Bernstein • Social Democracry - Revolutionary Marxism Split • WWI - Russian Revolution
USSR & Orthodox Marxism • Success of Bolsheviks • Undermines other revolutionaries (e.g., anarchists) • Puts power of Soviet State behind Marxism-Leninism • Marxism = theory of capitalism • Leninism = theory of socialism
Orthodox Marxism-Leninism • Theory: Historical Materialism • Theory: Dialectical Materialism • Pactice: dictatorship of proletariat • Pactice: building state capitalism
Orthodox Spin-offs • Chinese Communism: Maoism • 3rd World Communist Parties • sometimes reform • sometimes revolution • Trotskyism: 4th International
“Western Marxism” • Non-orthodox • Critical Theory • Georgy Luckas • Karl Korsch • Gramsci • Frankfurt School • Marcuse, Adorno, Horkheimer, Pollock
Autonomist Marxism • Anarcho-communism • Council Communism • Johson-Forest, Tony Cliff, Cornelius Castoriadis • Italian New Left -Wages for Housework • Zerowork - Midnight Notes
Reading Capital • As political economy • As philosophy • Politically
Reading Capital as Political Economy • Capital = work in economics • Laws of Motion • Competition • Working Class as Victim • Leaves politics to the Party • Basic Problem: one-sided, working class has no effective subjectivity
Reading Capital as Philosophy • Capital as exercise in dialectical/historical materialism • Neo-Hegelian Western Marxist emphasis on manipulation of consciousness via culture • Althusserian revamping of historical materialism • Basic Problem: one sided, working class has no effective subjectivity
Reading Capital Politically - 1 • Denies split between economics & politics • Emphasizes working class subjectivity • within capitalist society • against against capitalist society • transcending capitalist society
Reading Capital Politically - 2 • Recasts dynamic of capitalist development as dynamic of class struggle • within production • within culture (reproduction) • Insists on two-sided, strategic reading of Capital and of all the elements of capitalist society
Example #1: Part VIII • Can be read one-sidely • as economic history, story of capital, working class victimized • as philosophy, case study of historical materialism • Can be read two-sidedly • capital’s coming into being, imposition of its rules • people’s resistance to that imposition
Example #2: Chapter One-1 • Can be read one sidedly • as economic “value” theory, narrowly defined • as story of money (pre-K, K) • as correction of Classical labor theory of value • as example of “commodity fetishism”
Example #2: Chapter One-2 • Can be read two-sidedly • in terms of class relations • substance (work) = core of class relationship • measure (work time) of that core • form (exchange value) = form of class relationship • so, money = embodiement of class relation • imposed and contested rules of game