POL 315
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MARXISM
MODULE 2
MARXISM AND THE MEANING OF
IDEOLOGY
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Alienation
Ideology and False Consciousness
Base and Superstructure
State Power and the Superstructure
Vanguard Party/Proletarian Revolution
UNIT 1
ALIENATION
CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Objectives
3.0 Main Content
3.1 Alienation
4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
7.0 References/Further Reading
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In The Communist Manifesto (1848) Marx takes a rather dim view of
earlier socialists, largely dismissing them as naive idealists responsible
for fantastic pictures of future society. He contrasts their pipe dreams
with his own hard headed scientific socialism which is founded on the
notion of class struggle as the driving force behind historical progress.
Marx's communism is a militant form of socialism that can be attained
only through violent revolution; ending industrial capitalism, together
with the capitalist class (bourgeoisie) who profit from its exploitative
returns, will, as a matter of historical necessity, be overthrown in
spontaneous uprisings of the working class (proletariat). Eventually, the
social class controlling the new dominant means of production will win
the struggle to create its own political and social conditions.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
• justify alienation as a distortion of reality
• describe alienation as a veil of false consciousness
• explain alienation as a propeller of the market economy.
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