Without ado, let’s get into the second instalment of this international relations crash course. Click here for part one – you’ll probably want to give that a read first.
Marxism, aka “Hey Guys? I Think We’re Being Exploited Question Mark? We Should Probably Do Something About That Question Mark? Gee I Sure Hope We Don’t Do Something Drastic.”
For all the attention this one gets from the media etc., you’d think that good ol’ Marxism deserves a blog post of its own. Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Marxism is not the same as communism. It’s the basis for it, and is the reason why Marxism has had such a profound effect on our society, but Marxism as an IR theory runs much deeper than that.
As you probably know or have surmised, Marxism was pioneered by a guy named Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher. If I had a nickel for every time Karl Marx was kicked out of a European country in some shape or form, I’d have three nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened thrice.
Maybe less weird, however, if one considers the incendiary nature of his thoughts. Marx was not alone in these; he made many friends among other exiled socialists he met along his path to what may at this stage be tantamount to immortality as a historical figure.
So what exactly did he believe? Marxism is the idea that history is driven on a fundamental level by class conflicts, and that this never changes. It was a reaction to the deepening disparity between classes during the Industrial Revolution (grade 10 social studies, anyone) and a criticism of the emergence of capitalism at the time. The rich (the bourgeoisie) get richer; the poor (the proletariat working class) get poorer.
In terms of international relations, Marxism does not primarily concern itself with nations or states; rather, it advocates a view of the world where class conflict is the only thing which matters. Marxism believes in open borders between nations, and collaboration between the proletariat of each individual state to overthrow the rich. If the primary mode of interaction between actors with realism is conflict, and that for liberalism is cooperation, then that of Marxism is exploitation. That exploitation is the problem Marxism seeks to solve.
Another important aspect that one should examine with regards to Marxism and international relations is historical materialism, which argues that historical changes in social structure stem from material and technological conditions rather than ideals. This is the basis for how he wishes to solve the problem of exploitation. After all, the ultimate goal of Marxism—an aspect which differentiates it from other IR theories—is not solely to interpret the world, but to change it. Marx’s central idea was a battle cry; a call for a revolutionary approach, for the workers of the world to unite and rise up.
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I said I would do a few theories today, but according to the consensus of my classmates in the IR course I took this semester, the final three theories this series will cover kind of all go together, so I’ve decided to group them together for structure’s sake. I guess Marxism really did get its own post!
Tune in next time for the third and final part of this series, featuring constructivism, aka “The DIY/Self-Help Book Of IR Theories,” and a couple of theories focused on popular social justice issues. This was one of my favourite units of the course, so I hope you’ll join me in wrapping it all up!