Marxism Flashcards
Who are the Proletariat?
They are what Marx deemed the “masses” of people who are under the control of the rich and influential bourgeoisie.
What did Marx believe the Proletariat would eventually do?
Rise up and have a revolutionary class war as they rebelled against the repression they faced from those above them. He thought this was crucial for the restructuring of society and for it to progress to become more fair and equal.
From a Marxist perspective, what is the role of advertising and what is its purpose?
To create a sense of false needs within the working classes to lure them into buying products of no real value or use to them.
This is all part of the exploitation of the lower classes for a purely profit driven incentive that aims to capitalise off their vulnerabilities.
How does the media and the prevalence of mass culture benefit the capitalist class?
The use of mass culture is seen to be dumbing down the minds of the proletariat. This causes them to be passive, uncritical consumers who will take anything they’re given which allows these false needs to be easily put upon them by the capitalist businesses.
What does a Marxist think is the origin of Mass Cultural products?
To be made by big businesses to simply profit from the people with no real creative individuality but made for pure monetary incentive.
Outline False Class Consciousness.
The working classes may believe they are autonomous consumers with their own individual free will about the purchases and decisions they make.
Marx thought that this was false and they were being constantly misled which led to a false sense of freedom and conscious thought when actually this “lumpen mass” was acting with a herd mentality.
What was the role of the Administrative Class?
They ran the affairs and logistics of the upper classes who were at the top of society. The admin class often had significantly better lives than the working classes did though.
What was the eventual result of the Proletariat revolution?
Communism was deemed as the ultimate state of societal evolution and the abolition of private businesses and interactions to be all eventually state run.
