Marxist School of thought

It is well known that Marxism is one of the more popular ideologies that emerged in the
modern era. The ideas are based on the works of the German philosopher Karl Marx
himself, but later branched out into different schools after his death and the main focus of
this ideology is where one looks through history on the basis of class struggle in the
society. Marx was strictly against capitalism, and focused on the theory of alienation and
the materialistic concept of history. He recognized the existence of two main classes, the
‘bourgeoisie’ or the product owners and the ‘proletariat’ or the working class, and only by
socialism would this class struggle end and people would recognize their individual values.
Marxism lead to the revolutions such as the Russian revolution and was the inspiration for
Stalin’s rule in communist Russia. But this essay will briefly focus on how relevant
Marxism was in terms of the Indian context.

The whole idea of Marx, as stated above is dependent on the class structure of the society,
and India ever since the Vedic period has existed upon the class structure and also the caste
discrimination, so that is why however irrelevant Marxism may seem today, it can still be
applied in the case of India’s social structure. The main argument that can be drawn in
India’s context is its underlying caste problem that is not only hindering the people, but also
the growth of the nation itself as a whole. The class conflict described in Marx’s viewpoint
can be seen in India’s case between the Hindu majorities and the Dalits, which is still
relevant even in modern India. This was formed ever since the Vedic age divided the
people based on their caste system, and Shudras would be the oppressed class here. The
discovery of their oppression would mean that the class conflict would end, but reality is
most of the Dalits present are unaware of the oppression that they face even in modern
terms. In his book “The Future Results of British rule in India”, Marx describes Indian
castes as the “the most detrimental impediment to India’s progress and power.”
(Kumar,2018). In a way, the Dalits or the Shudras are subaltern in nature, as their place in
the society is destined by their social status. All in all, as Marx argued in his solution for
capitalism to end, the root of India’s problems does lie in its belief in the caste system, and
only the purging of the system itself will ensure equality and prosperity to the people living
here.

References

Major schools of thought: Marxism. - sociology. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022,
from http://www.sociology.org.uk/notes/bmarxism.pdf
Yadav, Y. (2022, March 4). Revisioning India's future? start with marxism, without the
baggage. ThePrint. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from
https://theprint.in/opinion/revisioning-indias-future-start-with-marxism-without-the-
baggage/856787/
200 years later, why Marx remains relevant in an Indian context. Youth Ki Awaaz. (2018,
May 11). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2018/05/marx-resonates-after-200-years/