Basics of Marxism
History 104 / March 4, 2013

I. Introduction: Marx’s fundamental assumptions
          A. Materialism: there is nothing beyond this world
          B. All cultures & ideologies are just “superstructures”
II. Two patterns of exploitation
          A. The “feudal” economy
          B. The capitalist economy
          C. To Marx, is capitalism more progressive than feudalism?
III. The solution: workers of the world, unite!
          A. History (and science) is on the side of revolution
                   1. Exploitation will intensify
                   2. Capitalism will collapse under its own contradictions
          B. The role of communists
          C. How revolution will come
          D. Life under communism
                   1. “Dictatorship of the proletariat”
                   2. “Withering away of the state”
IV. Socialist movements, 1850-1914
          A. Social Democracy (esp. in Britain, Germany)
          B. “Syndicalists” (esp. in France, Italy)
          C. Anarchists (esp. in Russia)