POL S 6 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Materialism, Economic Planning, Opiate
Communism, Equality, and the Nature of Human Relations
Communism: a political economic system in which all wealth and property
are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and ultimately, the
need for political institutions such as the state
Seeks to create human equality by eliminating private property and
market forces
§
○
Communism originated with Karl Marx (German philosopher)
Believed that human beings impart value to the objects they create
by investing their own time and labor into them
Surplus value of labor: the value invested in any human-
made good that can be used by another individual…
exploitation results when one person or group extracts the
surplus value from another
□
§
Rejected liberal democracy
§
○
Base: the economic system of a society, made up of technology (the
means of production) and class relations between people (the relations of
production)
○
Superstructure: all noneconomic institutions in a society (e.g. religion,
culture, national identity) derived from the base and serve to legitimize
the current system of exploitation
Rests on the base
§
Viewed by Marx as a system of institutions used to justify and
perpetuate the existing order
§
○
False consciousness: failure to understand the nature of one's
exploitation; essentially amounts to "buying into" the superstructure
People believe they understand the true nature of the world around
them
§
Naïve
§
People are deluded by the reality of the superstructure imposing
capitalism on them
§
○
Communism: according to Marxists, the final stage of history once
capitalism is overthrown an the dictatorship of the proletariat destroys its
remaining vestiges
In communism, states and politics would disappear, and society and
the economy would be based on equality and cooperation
§
○
Dictatorship of the proletariat: temporary period after capitalism has
been overthrown during which vestiges of the old base and
superstructure are eradicated
○
•
Revolution and the Triumph of Communism
Marx said that human history developed in phases
Each phase was driven by a particular kind of exploitation
§
In each phase, the form of exploitation was built around the existing
level of technology
§
○
Technology is always dynamic and its inevitable change would increase
tension between rulers and the ruled
○
Bourgeoisie: the property-owning middle class
Members sought to gain political power and remake the economic
and social order in a way that better fit capitalist ambitions
§
○
Tensions due to technological advancements would eventually prompt
revolution
○
Dialectical materialism: process of historical change that is not
evolutionary, but revolutionary
The existing base and superstructure (thesis) comes into conflict
with new technological innovations, generating growing opposition
to the existing order (antithesis)
§
This would culminate in revolution, overthrowing the old base and
superstructure (synthesis)
§
Dialectic: the term Marx used to describe history as a struggle btwn
the existing order (thesis) and the challenge to that order
(antithesis), resulting in historical change (synthesis)
§
Materialism: refers to the fact that tension is over economic
material factors
§
○
Capitalist democracy (displacing feudalism) would be overthrown by its
internal flaws
Corruption between firms would intensify
§
The working class (proletariat) would become more unsuccessful
§
Greater technology reduced the number and necessity of workers
§
Unprofitable businesses went bankrupt because of intense
competition
§
Bourgeoisie shrunk smaller and smaller
§
Wealth was concentrated in the hands of very few
§
Rise of monopolies in the economy
§
Lower wages for working class
§
Increase in unemployed
§
○
The above flaws of capitalist democracy pushed the proletariat (working
class) to rebel by "gaining consciousness" (realizing the true source of
their poverty)
Revolution = taking control of the state and the economy
§
○
•
Marx's Phases of Human History
Feudalism1.
Revolutionary rise of the bourgeoisie (lead to the rise of the……)2.
Capitalist democracy3.
Revolutionary rise of the proletariat (leading to the…..)4.
Dictatorship of the proletariat (leading to the……)5.
Withering away of the state6.
Communist utopia7.
•
Putting Communism into Practice
Two main followers of Karl Marx's ideas: Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong
Lenin = Russia
§
Zedong = China
§
Lead communist revolutions in weakly capitalist countries
§
○
Lenin's belief in revolution for less advanced countries
Believed opposite of Marx
§
Vanguard of the proletariat: Lenin's argument that because of false
consciousness, an elite community party would have to carry out
revolution; otherwise, historical conditions wouldn't automatically
lead to capitalism's demise
§
Small revolutionary movement that could seize power on behalf of
the people who lack the necessary consciousness to rise up
§
Meant that communism spread where economic development was
low
§
○
Communist states accrued high level of autonomy and capacity
○
Transformation of human institutions was entrusted to the communist
elite who came to direct/staff the state
○
Communist Party = apex of political power
Small "vanguard" organization
Typically comprised of less than 10% of population□
§
Leading role in country was written into the constitution
There was no constitutional way to remove the party from
power
□
§
○
Communist parties maintained control over society thru repression and
co-optation
Co-optation: carefully allocating power throughout the country's
various institutions
§
○
Nomenklatura: politically sensitive or influential jobs in the state, society,
or economy that were staffed by people chosen or approved by the
Communist Party
Encompasses a wide range and variety of positions in society
§
Party approval is necessary as well as party membership
Both come with benefits□
§
Many join to pursue their own benefits like certain career paths
§
○
Political power rested entirely within the Communist Party as opposed to
state or government
○
Politburo: the top policy-making and executive body of a communist
party
Short for Political Bureau
§
Like the cabinet
§
○
Central committee: the legislature-like body of a communist party
○
Cells: basic party organizations intended to represent the interests of the
people
However, they were primarily mechanisms used by the party to
closely monitor the population
§
○
•
Communist Political Economy
Markets and property are wholly absorbed by the state
○
Central planning replaces the market mechanism
A communist economic system in which the state explicitly allocates
resources by planning what should be produced and in what
amounts, the final prices of goods, and where they should be sold
§
○
Individual property rights, individual profit, unemployment, competition
btwn firms, and bankruptcy are all virtually eliminated
○
Most of the nation's means of production are nationalized
○
The economy functions in essence as a single large firm whose sole
employees are the public
○
The state provides extensive public goods and social services, including
universal systems of public education, health care, and retirement
○
Inequality and poverty are reduced but not eliminated
○
•
Societal Institutions under Communism
Religion
Ideal: religion as the "opiate of the masses" will disappear
§
Reality: religion was suppressed but not eliminated
§
○
Gender roles
Ideal: men and women will be economically, socially, and politically
equal
§
Reality: opportunities for women increased, but women were still
expected to be traditionally domestic
§
○
Sexuality
Ideal: repressive institutions like marriage will be replaced by an
openly legalized system of free love
§
Reality: many communist countries remained very sexually
conservative
§
○
Nationalism
Ideal: nationalism will be eliminated because it will be exposed as
part of the elite's "divide and conquer" method
§
Reality: though discouraged from doing so, people clung to old
national and ethnic identities
§
○
•
The Collapse of Communism
Two factors played a role in the sudden decline of communism
○
The first was the reemergence of Cold War struggles between the Soviet
Union and the United States
○
Détente (period of mutual peace) between US and Soviet Union lasted
less than a decade
○
Ronald Reagan viewed the Soviet Union as an "evil empire"
○
•
CH 9: Communism and Post Communism
Monday, May 28, 2018
3:16 PM
Communism, Equality, and the Nature of Human Relations
Communism: a political economic system in which all wealth and property
are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and ultimately, the
need for political institutions such as the state
Seeks to create human equality by eliminating private property and
market forces
§
○
Communism originated with Karl Marx (German philosopher)
Believed that human beings impart value to the objects they create
by investing their own time and labor into them
Surplus value of labor: the value invested in any human-
made good that can be used by another individual…
exploitation results when one person or group extracts the
surplus value from another
□
§
Rejected liberal democracy
§
○
Base: the economic system of a society, made up of technology (the
means of production) and class relations between people (the relations of
production)
○
Superstructure: all noneconomic institutions in a society (e.g. religion,
culture, national identity) derived from the base and serve to legitimize
the current system of exploitation
Rests on the base
§
Viewed by Marx as a system of institutions used to justify and
perpetuate the existing order
§
○
False consciousness: failure to understand the nature of one's
exploitation; essentially amounts to "buying into" the superstructure
People believe they understand the true nature of the world around
them
§
Naïve
§
People are deluded by the reality of the superstructure imposing
capitalism on them
§
○
Communism: according to Marxists, the final stage of history once
capitalism is overthrown an the dictatorship of the proletariat destroys its
remaining vestiges
In communism, states and politics would disappear, and society and
the economy would be based on equality and cooperation
§
○
Dictatorship of the proletariat: temporary period after capitalism has
been overthrown during which vestiges of the old base and
superstructure are eradicated
○
•
Revolution and the Triumph of Communism
Marx said that human history developed in phases
Each phase was driven by a particular kind of exploitation
§
In each phase, the form of exploitation was built around the existing
level of technology
§
○
Technology is always dynamic and its inevitable change would increase
tension between rulers and the ruled
○
Bourgeoisie: the property-owning middle class
Members sought to gain political power and remake the economic
and social order in a way that better fit capitalist ambitions
§
○
Tensions due to technological advancements would eventually prompt
revolution
○
Dialectical materialism: process of historical change that is not
evolutionary, but revolutionary
The existing base and superstructure (thesis) comes into conflict
with new technological innovations, generating growing opposition
to the existing order (antithesis)
§
This would culminate in revolution, overthrowing the old base and
superstructure (synthesis)
§
Dialectic: the term Marx used to describe history as a struggle btwn
the existing order (thesis) and the challenge to that order
(antithesis), resulting in historical change (synthesis)
§
Materialism: refers to the fact that tension is over economic
material factors
§
○
Capitalist democracy (displacing feudalism) would be overthrown by its
internal flaws
Corruption between firms would intensify
§
The working class (proletariat) would become more unsuccessful
§
Greater technology reduced the number and necessity of workers
§
Unprofitable businesses went bankrupt because of intense
competition
§
Bourgeoisie shrunk smaller and smaller
§
Wealth was concentrated in the hands of very few
§
Rise of monopolies in the economy
§
Lower wages for working class
§
Increase in unemployed
§
○
The above flaws of capitalist democracy pushed the proletariat (working
class) to rebel by "gaining consciousness" (realizing the true source of
their poverty)
Revolution = taking control of the state and the economy
§
○
•
Marx's Phases of Human History
Feudalism1.
Revolutionary rise of the bourgeoisie (lead to the rise of the……)2.
Capitalist democracy3.
Revolutionary rise of the proletariat (leading to the…..)4.
Dictatorship of the proletariat (leading to the……)5.
Withering away of the state6.
Communist utopia7.
•
Putting Communism into Practice
Two main followers of Karl Marx's ideas: Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong
Lenin = Russia
§
Zedong = China
§
Lead communist revolutions in weakly capitalist countries
§
○
Lenin's belief in revolution for less advanced countries
Believed opposite of Marx
§
Vanguard of the proletariat: Lenin's argument that because of false
consciousness, an elite community party would have to carry out
revolution; otherwise, historical conditions wouldn't automatically
lead to capitalism's demise
§
Small revolutionary movement that could seize power on behalf of
the people who lack the necessary consciousness to rise up
§
Meant that communism spread where economic development was
low
§
○
Communist states accrued high level of autonomy and capacity
○
Transformation of human institutions was entrusted to the communist
elite who came to direct/staff the state
○
Communist Party = apex of political power
Small "vanguard" organization
Typically comprised of less than 10% of population□
§
Leading role in country was written into the constitution
There was no constitutional way to remove the party from
power
□
§
○
Communist parties maintained control over society thru repression and
co-optation
Co-optation: carefully allocating power throughout the country's
various institutions
§
○
Nomenklatura: politically sensitive or influential jobs in the state, society,
or economy that were staffed by people chosen or approved by the
Communist Party
Encompasses a wide range and variety of positions in society
§
Party approval is necessary as well as party membership
Both come with benefits□
§
Many join to pursue their own benefits like certain career paths
§
○
Political power rested entirely within the Communist Party as opposed to
state or government
○
Politburo: the top policy-making and executive body of a communist
party
Short for Political Bureau
§
Like the cabinet
§
○
Central committee: the legislature-like body of a communist party
○
Cells: basic party organizations intended to represent the interests of the
people
However, they were primarily mechanisms used by the party to
closely monitor the population
§
○
•
Communist Political Economy
Markets and property are wholly absorbed by the state
○
Central planning replaces the market mechanism
A communist economic system in which the state explicitly allocates
resources by planning what should be produced and in what
amounts, the final prices of goods, and where they should be sold
§
○
Individual property rights, individual profit, unemployment, competition
btwn firms, and bankruptcy are all virtually eliminated
○
Most of the nation's means of production are nationalized
○
The economy functions in essence as a single large firm whose sole
employees are the public
○
The state provides extensive public goods and social services, including
universal systems of public education, health care, and retirement
○
Inequality and poverty are reduced but not eliminated
○
•
Societal Institutions under Communism
Religion
Ideal: religion as the "opiate of the masses" will disappear
§
Reality: religion was suppressed but not eliminated
§
○
Gender roles
Ideal: men and women will be economically, socially, and politically
equal
§
Reality: opportunities for women increased, but women were still
expected to be traditionally domestic
§
○
Sexuality
Ideal: repressive institutions like marriage will be replaced by an
openly legalized system of free love
§
Reality: many communist countries remained very sexually
conservative
§
○
Nationalism
Ideal: nationalism will be eliminated because it will be exposed as
part of the elite's "divide and conquer" method
§
Reality: though discouraged from doing so, people clung to old
national and ethnic identities
§
○
•
The Collapse of Communism
Two factors played a role in the sudden decline of communism
○
The first was the reemergence of Cold War struggles between the Soviet
Union and the United States
○
Détente (period of mutual peace) between US and Soviet Union lasted
less than a decade
○
Ronald Reagan viewed the Soviet Union as an "evil empire"
○
•
CH 9: Communism and Post Communism
Monday, May 28, 2018 3:16 PM
Document Summary
Communism, equality, and the nature of human relations. Communism: a political economic system in which all wealth and property are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and ultimately, the need for political institutions such as the state. Seeks to create human equality by eliminating private property and market forces. Believed that human beings impart value to the objects they create by investing their own time and labor into them. Surplus value of labor: the value invested in any human- made good that can be used by another individual exploitation results when one person or group extracts the surplus value from another. Base: the economic system of a society, made up of technology (the means of production) and class relations between people (the relations of production) Superstructure: all noneconomic institutions in a society (e. g. religion, culture, national identity) derived from the base and serve to legitimize the current system of exploitation.
