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)