Marxism - Karl Marx

Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a German philosopher who believed that material goods are at the root of the social world.

He said that dominant classes create dominant ideology; how culture is constructed in a way that enables the groups holding the power to have maximum control with the minimum of conflict.

His theory looks at how society is built in ‘classes’ and argues that lower classes cannot better themselves and that upper class people are the powerful and control ideological views put to society.

He stated that power was held by a minority group known as the ‘elite’ or ‘bourgeoisie’ and that these people have access to capital and because of this they could use their money and power and keep within their group to make more wealth.

The majority of the population who are the ‘mass’ or ‘proletariat’ had their labour to help them make a living. Marx stated because of this industrialisation, the elite were the only ones who had access to means of production.

Because the elite help the money and the power it meant that the mass were dependent on the elite, the elite took advantage of this power and to maximise their own profits and accountability they need to get as much labour for as little money as possible. Because the workers were dependent on the elite for resources and money the elite group needed the mass od people to accept their role as powerless workers.