The Marx Notes Flash Cards
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
A German immigrant to London, probably the most famous liberal of the last 200 years, wrote on the concept of historical materialism, completely against concept of capitalism.
Bourgeoisie
Factory owner (middle class)
Praxis
Define: A concept of massive social change created by Karl Marx.
Socialism
Define: A modified form of Communism where big government spending tries to close the poverty gap.
Allegory
Define: A story where plot or characters represent something else.
Revolution
Define: An event which completely overturns society- the French and Russian revolutions WERE real revolutions while the American was not.
Capitalism
Define: Free enterprise - private ownership of land and business.
Bolshevik
Define: Majority in Russian
Satirizes
Define: Makes fun of
Communism
Define: No private property - the state/gov't owns everything.
Philosophy
Define: Study of wisdom and knowledge. Explanation: stretches the ninth grade mind.
Social Action
Define: When a group of people gets together to do something (good or bad)- first born in the mind of someone with a controversial idea.
Cause and Effect Style
Ex: I should be able to answer "Why is such and such in the notes?"
By-Rote Memorization
Ex: Matching vocabulary quiz
Marc's ideas may seem crazy today
Lived in the worst time of capitalism where strike breakers beat workers, they died of disease and starvation and had no rights.
Industrial Revolution- Effects
Made the middle class very wealthy, but also widened the gap between the middle class and working class.
Frederick Engels
Marx's writing partner- owned a family factory (ironic), sometimes gave the "non-working" Marx money.
"Religion is the opiate of the people"
Marx- religion makes you feel good but destroys potential- ironic because the civil rights movement in America began in the Black Churches.
Animalism
Marxism/Communism=?
1770 vs. 1812
One woman in ____ could spin as much wool as 200 could in ____
"Philosophers have sought to interpret the world in many ways, the point however, is to change it."
Quote: Karl Marx- that's what he did, he changed the world but he was dead before the change happened.
Industrial Revolution
Turned international trade upside down- moved from trade of upper class luxury goods to middle class subsistence goods.
Atheist
Someone who believes there is no God or supernatural anything (a radical belief)
Marx's problem with capitalism?
Surplus Value
Hens' Eggs and Cows' Milk
Surplus value in AF
Surplus Value
The extra wage that the factory owner makes due to the workers' low wages and high output (profit)
Massive Revolution
The only solution to breaking the control of the bourgeoisie.
Sugarcandy Mountain
The pigs quickly grasp what is vital to the revolution- destroying religion so that the animals will be spurred to do something NOW instead of waiting for an afterlife reward.
Old South Slave Owner
Used religion to keep the people down.
Advocating violent takeover
What's so extreme about Marx's solution?
1776
Year of: American Revolution
1917
Year of: Russian Revolution
"I shall die a proletariat revolutionist, a Marxist, a dialectical materialist and, consequently, an irreconcilable atheist." - Leon Trotsky, Testament (1940)
You have to be an atheist to be a Marxist (1)