Question 1: Marxism no longer solely applies to economic class struggle, but there is an increasing

number of political rhetoric and debate that reflects the belief of Marxist. Explain the given
statement.
Despite being an economist, Karl Marx (1818-1883) made a significant contribution to sociology as a
classical conflict theorist. Social structure, according to Karl Marx, is the product of historical processes.
As a result, a distinct relationship is established between the existing social system and the new mode of
production. In other social reforms, he implemented the mode of production as a significant causal factor.
By means of class conflict and struggle, a new mode of production is conceived. Class struggle, according
to Marx, is the cause of the introduction of new forms of production, which, in turn, causes changes in the
social system.
Marxism is a materialist view of historical evolution (historical materialism) that is used to explain social
change from the viewpoint of class relations and conflict (dialectical). There has been a push to recognize
historical and dialectical materialism as the foundational concepts of all Marxist schools of thought, as per
some.
Relationship between Base and Superstructure:
The causal relation in social explanation forms new concept of “Base” and “Superstructure”. Marx
considered economic structure as the base of the society while the superstructure is the cultural aspect.
Cultural aspect includes politics, law, philosophy, ideology, literature and arts. From the Marxist point of
view, the changes in base (economic system) cause the changes in the superstructure (cultural, political).
Class and class conflict:
According to Marx, a class is a group of people who are in the same place as each other because of the
same production relation. Extreme class polarization between the dominant and dominated classes causes
class conflict. The contradictory relationship between the oppressor and oppressed groups because of their
competing interests leads to class struggle. Class struggle and the collapse of capitalism: Marx argued that
classes will come into conflict and then struggle with the existing relations of production. He mentioned
class struggle as the central fact of social evolution. Class struggle takes an acute form into two classes in
capitalist mode of production:
 Bourgeoisie: Bourgeoisie is the owners of means of production who accumulate the profit by
exploiting the working class.
 Proletariat: Marx considered proletariat as oppressed class by bourgeoisie in capitalist society
who has nothing without their labor power as commodity. According to Marx, the extreme
exploitation and contradictory relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletariat will provoke
the class-consciousness in the working class named Class for itself. Proletariat will form a new
interest based social class opposing to bourgeoisie and will overthrow the capitalist system and
formulate new classless communist society.
Marx argued that extreme discrimination gives the proletariat a shared economic and political interest,
allowing them to band together and seize capitalist ownership and power. Furthermore, goods would not be
consumed due to overproduction with high technology in the capitalist economy, making factories and
resources unprofitable. Thus, Marx predicted the collapse of capitalist system and the emergence of
classless communist society. But the inevitable class struggle and emergence of new classless society didn’t
come true even after two centuries of Marx’s prediction. So the major thing is to understand the reason why
Marx’s economic class struggle didn’t fructify even with conflicting class interest.
Reason behind the importance of political rhetoric and debate relevant in putting Marx's
unsuccessful prediction into practice:
Marx's definition of the foundation and superstructure has already been explored. He focused exclusively
on the economic field as a driver of social change. As a precursor to other social reforms, he discussed class
conflict and struggle. Structural Marxism demonstrated why Marxist predictions did not come true by
attacking Marx's overemphasized theory on the basis.
Structural Marxism:
Structural Marxism is an approach associated with Louis Althusser beliefs the state functions as serving the
long-term interest of capitalist system. Althusser states that the state serves to stabilize the capitalist
systems as a whole and ensures its preservation. From Althusser’s point of view, the state has actually two
components:
  Repressive State Apparatuses (RSA): It enforces class domination directly. It includes army,
the police and the courts etc.
 Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA): Ideology is a second order formation that strives for
ensuring the existence of the capitalist mode of production. These are not stable and their ability
to produce ideological practices is limited. The beliefs and practices transmitted to us through the
ideological state apparatuses: family, education, mass media, religion, art and culture.
The structures that assist in the global spread of the capitalist system are listed below:
Commodity fetishism:
In certain stage of capitalist system, social relationships are not perceived as relations among people, rather
as relations among things (the money and commodity exchange). The process through which the perception
of social relations begins in relation to commodity exchange (commodity fetishism) is called reification.
Marcuse argues that mass technological society with mass production and mass distribution makes an
individual worker a consumer of commodities. He accuses false need and false consciousness introduced
by modern society instead of class for itself geared consumerism culture. Marx ignored the hole political,
ideological and cultural aspects and overemphasized economic base.
That’s why the working class didn’t get united and protest the capitalist system. Thus one dimensional man
into one dimensional society produces people’s identity in their commodity. So it can be conclude that
Marxism is no longer solely applies to economic class struggle but there is increasing political rhetoric and
debate which reflects the belief of Marxist.
Question no 3: Define Marxism. What is the relevance of Marxism today?

Karl Marx is the founder of Marxism, a social, political, and economic philosophy. It looks at how
capitalism affects labor, productivity, and economic development, and proposes a worker revolution to
overthrow capitalism and replace it with communism. Without Marx and Marxism, we would not have a
coherent theoretical structure in which to understand capitalism, the most dominant, paradoxical, and
precarious form of social arrangement ever emerged. This framework, however, is not a completed work,
and it does not come to us devoid of several different threads, claims, conflicts, and controversies. It is a
diverse and historically evolving body of work created in reaction to the capitalist system. Marxism’s
impact on modern culture although often denied but its considerable influence is unquestionable.
Major tenants of Marxism:
Karl Marx introduced two related theoretical principles called the base and superstructure. The production
powers, or materials and resources, which produce the products that society requires, are referred to as the
base. The other facets of society are referred to as superstructure. Marx subjected himself to historical
materialism and the causal relationship between base and superstructure in his early writings. Marx
reframed the relationship between base and superstructure as dialectical as his theory became more
complex, implying that each affects the other. As a result, if the foundation shifts, so does the
superstructure, and vice versa.
According to Marxism, economics is defined by the struggle between social classes specifically, the
bourgeoisie, or capitalists, and the proletariat, or workers. Marxist philosophy is dialectical materialism,
which is a reversal of Hegel's dialectical idealism. The primacy of economic determinants in history is
assumed by dialectical materialism. The basic Marxist idea is that the past of society is the unchangeable
history of class struggle was created by dialectical materialism.
Marx predicted that the working class would finally revolt, believing that once they understood how they
were oppressed for the benefit of the capitalist class, they would try to change things. This will result in a
substantial shift in the base.
Emergence of Frankfurt School:
Many groups of intellectuals have opposed Marxian theory and views, including the Frankfurt Academy,
which is one of the most important schools. By interrogating society's inconsistencies, the Frankfurt
School developed critical theory and popularized the dialectical method of learning. The work of Max
Horkheimer, Theodore W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse is most closely associated with it.
It was not a physical school, but rather a school of thinking aligned with academics at the time.
The major focus of the school was-
 Why the predicted revolution of Marxism could not take place?
 Why mass cultural ideologies of working class could not bring emancipation?
In reality, several questions about Marxian theory have been raised. In particular, his ideas about class
struggle, superstructure, foundation, revolution, and so on. From a Marxist perspective, capitalism is a set
of contradictions that achieves liberation through the exploitation of resources and impoverishment in the
production system. Marx's key concern was dialectical materialism, which he discussed in terms of
alienation. The rise of "mass culture" was a major concern among Frankfurt School scholars, especially
Horkheimer, Adorno, Benjamin, and Marcuse.
Reasons behind the irrelevance of Marxism today:
The Frankfurt School, replaces Marx's economic analysis with cultural analysis. As a result, the prospect of
a working-class revolt was weakened. They said that Marx's argument is no longer valid in the twenty-first
century. In reality, today's capitalist system has no chance of collapsing. Today's capitalism is governed by
a variety of rules, and it provides a vast array of goods and services.
There are some reasons why Marxism is not relevant anymore.
Changes in Mass culture:
This term refers to technological advancements that made it possible to mass-distribute cultural goods such
as music, film, and art. They resented how technological advancements had resulted in a homogenization of
development and cultural experience. Instead of actively engaging with one another for entertainment,
technology enabled the public to sit passively before cultural material.
Passive role in political agendas:
According to the researchers, this experience rendered citizens intellectually inactive and politically passive
by allowing mass-produced agendas and values to pervade their lives. The Frankfurt School also claimed
that this mechanism was one of Marx's missing links in his theory of capitalism's dominance, explaining
why revolution never occurred. Consumerism:
Marcuse applied this framework to consumer goods and the modern consumer lifestyle that had only
recently become the standard in Western countries in the mid-nineteenth century. He argued that
consumerism works in a similar way, since it allows people to buy things they do not need. Consumption
is, in reality, essential for capitalism's efficient operation. Consumption in the form of accumulation, on the
surface, ensures that the capitalist machine keeps running. Consumers amass wealth in the form of goods.
Producers amass capital, which they then invest in order to increase their profits. The abundance of
products is the culmination of this never-ending cycle of accumulation and demand.
Example:
If we consider today's Bangladesh or the global working-class situation, we can see that there are a plethora
of goods and consumer products available on the market. The prices vary as well. Bangladesh has a large
garment factory. These factories manufacture goods for us. Some of these items are reasonably priced,
while others are extremely costly. These items are now available due to the various costs. Therefore, the
people of marginal class can also buy products according to their taste.

That is to say, in today's world, capitalism has provided so many options and opened so many doors for the
working class that the fight has been put on hold. It is no longer possible to join the movement. People in
the working class should not see themselves as oppressed. Previously, the Frankfurt School dismissed the
proletariat as a potentially liberating power. They may not believe that the proletariat will bring about any
reforms for their emancipation; rather, they have indicated that the women's movement, not the working
class, is the only real revolutionary party in today's society. As a result, we discover that the Frankfurt
School has abandoned and neglected many of Marx's words and the relevance of Marxism is no longer
exists in this modern capitalist society.