Political Science 2231E Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Vladimir Lenin, Mercantilism, Global Politics
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11 Dec 2014
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See text book for more details
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Ideas derived from Karl Marx (and Fredrich Engels)
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private property: means of production (that is, productive land) is owned by individuals or
companies
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industrial society: mass production in factories
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market consumerism: commodify everything into buyable/sellable good or services for sale in
the market
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access to goods or services determined by ability to purchase
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pursuit of profit
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highly complex division of labour: production of any good or service involves a complex inter-
linked system
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mode of production: organization of the economy and economic relationships forms the material
base of society
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means of production
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base = economic basis of society (drives change in the superstructure)
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superstructure = political, social & legal institutions (help to perpetuate base)
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structure is in two parts::
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capitalists pay workers less than the actual value of the product or service
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this difference between workers' pay and the value of their product (exchange value/price)
creates surplus value or profit for the capitalists
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labour theory of value: congealed value of human labour in goods or services
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new markets
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push down workers' pay
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replace workers with technology
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capitalism is driven by continuous & expansive accumulation of surplus value -- that is, driven by
profit -- and this can be done in 3 ways:
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mercantilist states seeking power & wealth accommodate capitalists
mercantilist states carved up world for exploitation
cooperation among these competing mercantilist states & their capitalist allies failed, so
they fought each other (WWI)
imperialism -- mercantilist states & capitalism
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From J.A. Hobson and Vladimir Lenin:
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Background
Analysis of social relationships (humanist)
1.
Human nature is not fixed; people are the social and historical products of their societies
2.
Humans can be grouped into identifiable collectivities (especially classes), which have concrete
interests
3.
Key actors: a) bourgeiosie/capitalists, who own the means of production and sell goods & services
in a market; and b) proletariat/workers, who sell their labour to access goods & services through a
market
4.
States are dependent on capitalists, and reflect their interests
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Global capitalism connects everything
6.
Politics and economics are connected -- holistic analysis (analyze the whole system, and how each
part fits into the system)
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Critiques liberalism and realism as "knowledge" produced by dominant class (elites)
8.
'Historical materialist' approach: understanding the specific conditions of particular economic
systems (ie. capitalism), and the resulting political & social institutions -- capitalism has different
institutions than feudal system (ie. capitalism needs freedom from central authority, being able to
9.
General Marxist Assumptions
Lecture 6 - Marxist Structuralism
October-24-12
11:51 AM
POLITICS 2231E Page 1