This information is to accompany Unit One of the Curriculum Guide.

Student Information Sheet: Marxist Paradigm

• The story of humanity has been a history of class conflict between the owners of the means of production (land, tools, factories) and the workers, between the exploiters and the exploited and between the ruling class and the oppressed classes.
  • History advanced through conflict; economics was the major force which produced that conflict.
  • The class that controlled production would not freely give up its control of production. The only way to make the ruling class give it up was through revolution. Therefore conflict between the classes was inevitable.

• Capitalism is only one stage in the progress of humankind. The industrial revolution gave rise to two economic classes:
  • the ruling class (bourgeoisie) consisted of the wealthy financiers, large-scale merchants, and factory owners. This class controlled the means of producing goods, the factories and machines.
  • the other class consisted of the workers (proletariat) who had to sell their labour to the highest bidder.

• Capitalism would force the workers into deeper and deeper poverty while the bourgeoisie would become wealthier as the means of production fell into fewer and fewer hands. This would lead to depressions, imperialism, wars and finally a revolution led by the proletariat.

• Since the bourgeoisie would fight to retain its power and wealth, as had all ruling classes in history, and because they controlled the police, government and courts, violence was almost inevitable.

• The proletariat, following the revolution, would create a classless society.