What is the relevance of class analysis Marxism in today’s politics?

Explain
With appropriate examples.
Marxism derives its name from that of Karl Marx (1818-83), famous German economist and social
philosopher of the nineteenth century who is the chief exponent of this theory. Marxism is a social,
political philosophy. It examines the effect of capitalism on labor, productivity and economic
development and argues for a worker revolution to overturn capitalism in favor of communism.
Marxism is both a social and political theory, which encompasses Marxist class conflict theory and
Marxism economics.

Marx’s class theory portrays capitalism as one step in the historical progression of economic
systems that follow one another in a natural sequence. According to Marx, every society is divided
into social classes, whose members have more in common with one another than with members of
other social classes. Marx also wrote that the power relationships between capitalists and workers
were inherently exploitive and would inevitably create conflict. He believed that this conflict would
ultimately lead to a revolution in which the working class would overthrow the capitalist class of
series control of the economy.

The basic tenets of Marxism are:

 DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM
The word ‘dialectical’ originally referred to the process, whereby ideas are formed and
clarified in the course of intellectual debate.

A proposition (thesis) is first advanced and then challenged by a counter proposition (anti-
thesis). Both are opt to be partly untrue. The normal outcome and the ensuring discussion is a
revised proposition (synthesis) that combines valid elements of each.

 HISTORICAL MATERIALISM
While dialectical materialism represents the philosophical basis of Marxism, historical
materialism represents its specific basis.

Marx believed that the fundamental truth about a particular society is organized to satisfy
material needs. He saw history as a succession of economic systems or mode of production,
each one organized to satisfy human material needs but giving rise to hostility between
different classes of people, leading to hostility between different classes of people leading to
the creation of new societies in an evolving pattern.

He called these materials, economic and social relations to basis of society. The way a society
thinks, what kind of political institutions there are, which laws it has, what there is of religion.
He emphasized that it is mainly society’s ruling class that sets the norms for society. In other
words, history is a matter of who is to own the means of production.

Examples: Production was mainly based on slave labor during the seventeenth and
eighteenth century. The citizens had no need to increase production with practical