14 episodes
Introduction To Marx/Marxsim John Molyneux
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- Science
This is a series of short introductions to the ideas of Marx and Marxism by Marxist writer, John Molyneux. John is the author of numerous books and articles on Marxism including Marxism and the Party, What is the Real Marxist Tradition? and The Point is to Change It! An introduction to Marxist Philosophy and he is editor of the Irish Marxist Review.
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Marx’s vision of socialism:
why Marx refused to draw up any detailed plan for a socialist society but saw socialism as a historical process created by the working class itself after the overthrow of capitalism
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Dialectics
how dialectics is a theory of change through contradiction and how Marx took over this idea from Hegel and, interpreting it materialistically, made it a cornerstone of his underlying philosophy
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Nationalism and Internationalism
why Marx rejected nationalism and called on workers of the world to unite believing socialism could not be realised in one country alone, but also defended the right of oppressed nations to freedom.
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Marx’s theory of the State:
explains how Marx rejected the dominant view of the state as neutral or above class, seeing it as fundamentally an instrument of rule by the dominant economic class, and the revolutionary political implications of this.
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The tendency of the rate of profit to decline
deals with why Marx believed that in the long run, the rate of profit would tend to fall and how this would make capitalism prone to recurring economic crises.
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The Labour Theory of Value
explains Marx’s core economic doctrine that the value of commodities is determined by the labour-power embodied in them and how this underpins the exploitation of the working class.