Accounto fhistory and social change inte ms of

dilacetc
: understand base and stupersturce interms of
diealcetc, unger wil s ahtat just liked ukrhiem in
aguing that its possible to prescribe what ought
to happen given what is existing in capistalist
society
: marx influenced by hegel
: emphiezes mateirlaist dimeiosn of history of
socieal change
: problem of history of social hchange, go bakkc
to pbase ands uperstucre methaph and ocnept of
class, cpaitslim contains eeds of own
destruction.
:: whole goal of emploign dilacece inc , how
progress happened given conflicts in
contradiction on sustaintin gthings. E unviersal
: base and superstuce will give us a metrialst
accoutno fhistory,
: for universalism/ particularism: the unieversal
application of hegels concept of dialectic,
history entails progress in what sense?
:
: problem of social order, order as result of
marx, by virte of peoples class postiont which
will have consequences for the assets they have
for the matrieal ggods they will get in the first
palce
: some people morea ffluent can obtain quality
education
: class determines life chances
: we encounter notion of ideology, as a result of
class or proetry relations, peoplf orce to sell
labor to dominant class in exchange for wages,
since captilast class owns means of production ,
tii ahs control over entirl production process.
: subjet/objective- it is the casetreats itself as
object,
: see state as over and above. Seek laws of
casuea nd effect which are externa la nd
coercive of the idniduval
:: amny of ideas we encounter in society can be
explained interms of economic base.
: Marxist theory

>metaphor for society, we employ hegels

dialectic, base and superstructure. Base
made up of parts but to continue story o
fhistor and social change and
pplyhegelsnotion of dialectic, marx will say

that hegel s account shoubel be reseversed,

not dialectic of ideas that leads to social
change. Starting point of history is that the
first act of human istory is when they began
to produce for their own existence
> at a ceratin point of hisitry existing
relations of production the existing relations
of production will act as hin>
> capitalism able to harness sie and
technology
> even labor power cannot use labor power
to utlize fullest potential
Materialist account of social change
Working classes are truly the niversal
subject in a sense that cpaitlsitm capitalism
will rcrate conditions to enable working
lcass to relaie their role in hiostyr
Gives rise to the factory sstem , and
to urbanization
> given those sturutal
There is a posblity for working lcass
to be a class for thselves to replace
idleogy that there is a faird days pary
for a fair days work because of
private means of prudction, workers
will always suffer alienation under
capitalism theyw ownt have control
hat are stucutal amateriof production
forces,
> marx wil provide stuructaural basis
for soicla change, the factory sstem
as a set of material conditions that
will make possible the first class
> problem o social change reconcile
apparently ireeoncilable opppsites
whoing that agency of working
lcasses will not happen as s areult of
hacnge of ideas . what are the
material conditions that willenable
them to change subjective maning,,
structural changes.
Problem of social order, their ear
eprevialing ideas that will
legiamtizae exitin conditions, what
conditions will let the working lcass

abandon those iideas. Compared to

peasantry, the working conditions of
proleitarali
> sorce of surplus powe is albor
power, rate of production,
.> while Marxists insit that there are
soicl and historical las, they are
soiclaly and isotriclaly conditioned.
Variable
Transient o from capilistm to
socialism
> wkring lcases will expeirince
alinentaiotn ot uestoin idelaoy
because of material condiotn sof
mateiralim itself.
There are only four possible modes
of pu
>metaphor for society, we employ hegels dialectic, base and superstructure. Base made up of
parts but to continue story o fhistor and social change and pplyhegelsnotion of dialectic, marx
will say that hegel s account shoubel be reseversed, not dialectic of ideas that leads to social
change. Starting point of history is that the first act of human istory is when they began to
produce for their own existence
some peple own control or means inn iof production,
> to meet material needs they need to sell their property is their loabir to the domininatn class
> relationship between clases explitatitve, the exhcnge value of labor, the wage is always less
than the exchange value of goods and action by the owkrers, wgaes lways less than exchange
value of goods
> as capitalism progresses in leads tod evelpment of productive forces
> there will always be an explotion of the the working class
> because clas srelatinos are pexlotiative this leds to economic base giving rise to ideologies
which serve to legitimate the iex=sting explotiatin vorder
> fairs day pay for a days work idealogy
> at a ceratin point of hisitry existing relations of production the existing relations of production
will act as hin>
> capitalism able to harness sie and technology
> even labor power cannot use labor power to utlize fullest potential
the divions of labor leads to more effeiint productoinleads to alientaiton forom their own essence which is
to use labor as to fulfill mateirnal neds but also fuflifl crative potential. Work doesnt become a source of
creativity. , it becomes mind numbing.
: alienation.

Marx knew that revolutionaries needed a new theory of history. So he took the best
theory of history then available, that of Hegel, and he stood it on its head. The result
was a new theory of history as summarized by Marx in his preface to A Contribution
to the Critique of Political Economy written in 1859.
Marx begins with social class, the relation of people to the means of production: "In
the social production of their existence, men inevitably enter into definite relations,
which are independent of their will, namely relations of production appropriate to a
given stage in the development of their material forces of production. The totality of
these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society, the real
foundation, on which arises a legal and political superstructure and to which
correspond definite forms of social consciousness. The mode of production of
material life conditions the general process of social, political and intellectual life."
Psychological consciousness is very important, but it can only be understood in the
context of social class: "It is not the consciousness of men that determines their
existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness."
Historical change, in the view of Marx, arises out of conflict and contradiction: "At a
certain stage of development, the material productive forces of society come into
conflict with the existing relations of production or - this merely expresses the same
thing in legal terms - with the property relations within the framework of which they
have operated hitherto. From forms of development of the productive forces these
relations turn into their fetters. Then begins an era of social revolution. The changes in
the economic foundation lead sooner or later to the transformation of the whole
immense superstructure."

The writings of Marx clearly showed debts to Hegel. Marx appropriated from Hegel; the method
of dialectic which he believes should be reversed. For Marx, it is not the dialectic of ideas that
leads to social change but the antagonisms between the social classes. Society was comprised of
antithetical forces that generate social change by their tension and struggle. Struggle, rather than
peaceful growth, was the engine of progress; and social conflict was the core of the historical
process. Ideas, according to Marx, are not prime movers but are the material interests that impel
men in their dealings with others.
Marx is not the vulgar materialist that he is often depicted as being, but he did believe that the
forces of production which determine the relations of production was the most important factor
in explaining social change. Marx explains from a materialist perspective that the first act of
human history is when they began to produce for their own needs. As humans appropriate
sources form nature, they enter into social relations, or as Marx calls it class relations, which
are independent of their own will. There is an emergence of class societies, where there are some
who own the means of production (the bourgeoisie) while there are other who dont(the
proletariat.
The relationship between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is exploitative in nature. Because of
ideologies spread by the ruling class to legitimiate the existing exploitation, the working class
are forced to sell labor to dominant class in exchange for wages which are always less than the
exchange value of goods. As a result, workers become alienated from themselves, their
coworkers, work (which becomes a mind-numbing activity instead of fulfilling their creative
potential), and the final product. But as Marx puts it, capitalism also carries the seeds of its own
destruction. It brings into being a class of workers (the proletariat) with class consciousness, who
will have a fundamental antagonism to the capitalist class, and as a result, will eventually band
together to overthrow the regime to which they owe their existence.
Marx believed that this class struggle was the driving force of social change. For Marx, history is
the story of conflict between the exploiting and the exploited classes. This conflict repeats itself
again and again until capitalism is overthrown by the workers and a socialist state is created.
Marx conceived of four major successive modes of production in the history of mankind after the
first stage of primitive communism: The Asiatic, the Ancient, the Feudal, and the Modern
bourgeoisie form.Each of these came into existence through contradictions and antagonisms that
had developed in the previous order. Free men and slaves, patricians and plebians, barons and
serfs, guild masters and journey men, exploiters and the exploited, have confronted one another
from the beginning of recorded times. This is why Marx claims that All history is the history of
class struggle.