Marxism

What is Marxism?

Marxism, or Marxist school, is a current of human thought that developed as a set of philosophical, social, economic and political doctrines, related to communism and socialism.

These doctrines were proposed by the German revolutionary journalist and philosopher Karl Marx and your friend Friedrich Engels.

Broadly speaking, Marxism based on the theory that the capitalist system is a wrong system since, according to Marx, it leads to the exploitation of people.

Another name attributed to the Marxist school is usually scientific socialism; through this, Karl Marx Y Friedrich Engels they managed to distinguish their economy from the other socialist currents of that time.

Among the most important publications on this doctrine are "Capital" and "Communist Manifesto."

Characteristics of Marxism

The main characteristics of the Marxist school are the following:

• Search for social equality: all people in a society are equal, regardless of their economic situation.
• It is based on the concept of surplus value: Because work creates capital, this means generates wealth which the employer takes advantage of, giving rise to capitalist accumulation.
• Equal opportunities for all: Every individual must enjoy the same opportunities and the State must take into account the capacity of each person when giving benefits.
• Establishment of covered needs: Without any discrimination, the State must satisfy the basic needs of clothing, food, employment, health and education.
• Lower consumption: the State must be in charge of providing a good distribution of goods and services, reducing the need for competition in the market and excess consumption.
• Price regulation by the State: price regulation, economic sectorization and centralization of production factors must be in the hands of the state.

Principles of Marxism

The most prominent principles of Marxism are as follows:

• Opposition to an unequal economic system to create a gratitude based society.
• Go against the class struggle, generated by capitalism, between workers and the bourgeoisie.
• The triumph of a socialist society from the working class, putting an end to bourgeois private property, generating socialism and granting benefits to the proletarian class.

Representatives of Marxism

Marx and Engels, main representatives of Marxism.

The main exponents of the Marxist school were:

• Karl Marx (1818-1883).
• Friedrich Engels (1820 - 1895).

Time later, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) would spearhead the doctrine of Marxism-Leninism, which was based on a solid base of Marxist principles and had great importance within the communism of the Soviet Union.