Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy developed by the 19th- century German philosopher and economist Karl Marx. It encompasses a range of ideas, including a philosophical anthropology, a theory of history, and an economic and political program
. The core concepts of Marxism include:
- Class struggle : Marx believed that the struggle between social classes, specifically between the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the proletariat (workers), is a fundamental aspect of human history. He argued that this struggle would eventually lead to a revolution and the establishment of a communist system
- Capitalist system : Marx criticized the capitalist system for exploiting workers and leading to uneven distribution of wealth. He predicted that competition would grow so fierce that most businesses would fold and be absorbed into unwieldy trusts, eventually leading to a decline in the economic system
- Labor theory of value : This is a major pillar of traditional Marxian economics. Marx claimed that the value of goods and services is determined by the amount of labor required to produce them, rather than by supply and demand or market forces
- Alienation : Marx believed that human alienation, or the feeling of being disconnected from one's true self, is a result of living in a capitalist society. He believed that this alienation would be resolved under a communist system
Marxism has been interpreted and applied in various ways, including the Soviet Marxism-Leninism, which became the doctrine of the communist parties, and other offshoots such as Trotsky's interpretation and Mao Zedong's Chinese variant of Marxism-Leninism
. Additionally, there have been post-World War II nondogmatic Marxisms that have modified Marx's thought with principles from other philosophers and thinkers
