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Concept of Marxism:
Marxist ideas about man and matter are generally known as Marxism.
Marxism constitutes a general view about the world and the human society.
Marxism developed as a protest against the idealist conception of man and
the world as represented by Hegel (1770-1831).
Hegel represented Dialectical Idealism. Marx was influenced by Hegelian
dialectics, French socialism and English economics. But Marxism is a
fundamental and total philosophy of life. Marxism is, on the one hand, a social
and political theory and, on the other, it is a scientific plan for complete social
change and revolution.
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But in their interpretations of history they stand in two opposite poles. Where
Marx ended, Hegel started. Both of them recognize the existence of
contradictions (thesis and antithesis) in the fields of matter and spirit.
These thesis and anti-thesis are nothing but positive and negative aspects of
the same matter or idea. There is constant struggle between these two
opposites. As a result, a new matter or idea comes into existence (synthesis)
unity of opposites and, again, the struggle starts. The history or the
civilisation changes or evolves due to this continuous struggle.
According to Hegel, this concrete world is the product of Abstract Idea
through the Dialectic Method. According to Marx this concrete (real) world is
the product of Matter through the Dialectic Method. Marxian interpretation is
commonly known as Dialectic Materialism. That is why it is said Marxism is
Hegelianism turned upside down. Hegelian interpretation is known as
Dialectic Spiritualism.
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Dialectic Materialism simply means that this real world is the only true reality.
Beyond this there is no existence of spirit or idea. Idea comes from matter.
There can be no existence of mind without body. Physical existence is the
only true existence.
All elements of this material world are intimately related or connected. Man
establishes connection among these elements with the help of idea or
imagination. Marx said, To Hegel the real world is the external phenomenal
form of the Idea.
With me the Idea is nothing else than the material reflected by the human
mind and translated into forms of thought. Material world and ideal world are
intimately connected and the latter is the product of the former. It is
impossible to separate matter that thinks. Mind is the specific quality of the
specifically organised matter, i.e., brain, said Engels.
the socialists all the world over. It heralded a revolution in the realm of ideas
and became the gospel of a new faith.
Marx brushed aside all the earlier socialistic theories as vague and
unscientific, because they ignored the operation of certain immutable laws
which determine the course of history. The future state, he declares, cannot
be the product of intellectual ingenuity, however great, or the device of a
reformer, however gifted.
The future is determined by the past; it is the inevitable product of certain
forces and tendencies which are irresistible in their operation. The business of
social philosophy is to discover these forces and not to prescribe panaceas.
between the landed aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. History is simply the
record of how one class has gained wealth and political power only to be
overthrown and succeeded by another class.
The Industrial Revolution has destroyed the power and political influence of
the old aristocracy and magnified those of the bourgeoisie, the middle-class
capitalists. But it has also created a class of wretched wage-earners, the
proletarians, who are being mercilessly exploited by the capitalists. Hence
these two classes are set in mutual hostility with the result that a severe
conflict between the two is inevitable.
This would be the last and final struggle leading to a terrible revolution which
would establish the dictatorship of the proletariate in a classless society. In his
Communist Manifesto, Marx makes a strong appeal to the people in these
ringing words: Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The
proletariate have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.
Working men of all countries unite.
Lastly, Marx is of opinion that capitalism is digging its own grave. Its inevitable
tendency is the progressive concentration of wealth in the hands of
increasingly fewer men, the big capitalists swallowing up the little ones. The
result of this tendency would be to expand the number of the proletariate, so
that society would come to be composed of only two classes sharply
differentiated by increasing wealth and increasing misery.
The only logical outcome of this state of things is revolution in which the many
will dispossess the few, and inaugurate the communist state. The social
revolution which will bring about the fall of capitalism is, thus, inevitable.
Values in Marxism:
A Marxist is dedicated to the welfare of the state and the people.
He is guided by certain values which may be briefly stated:
(a) To develop a respect for public property;
(b) To develop a respect for authority;
(c) Patriotism is not an important Marxist value;
(d) To develop respect for parents, elderly people and all classes of laborers;
Curriculum in Marxism:
Marxist curriculum is based on Marxist educational aims, objectives and
values set forth earlier.
The following are the special features of Marxist Curriculum:
1. Marxist philosophy and doctrines will be taught at all levels of education on
compulsory basis. The students should be made conscious about class
division, unequal distribution of wealth, exploitation of the working class by the
capitalist class, etc.
2. Those subjects are included in the curriculums which tend to develop skill
instead of abstract knowledge.
3. Marxism lays stress on respect for labor and, as such, work-experience is
regarded as an integral part of education.
4. The curriculum includes the socially useful subjects such as science,
mathematics, geography, life science, geology, astronomy etc. The history of
communist movement and political economy should also be included in the
curriculum.
5. At the primary level, only the mother-tongue should be taught. But at the
secondary level the curriculum should include foreign language.
6. Creative work and co-curricular activities have been given an important
place in Marxist curriculum. These include physical exercise, music, painting,
games and sports etc.