Download Marx and Marxist historiography seminar (Stephen`s groups)

Marxism and Marxist historiography—seminar questions
1. What is Marx saying in the following two quotes? Do you agree with him?
a) ‘we must begin by stating the first premise of all human existence and, therefore, of
all history, the premise, namely, that men must be in a position to live in order to be
able to “make history.” But life involves before everything else eating and drinking, a
habitation, clothing and many other things. The first historical act is thus the
production of the means to satisfy these needs, the production of material life itself.
And indeed this is an historical act, a fundamental condition of all history, which
today, as thousands of years ago, must daily and hourly be fulfilled merely in order
to sustain human life.’ (The German Ideology)
b) ‘The production of life, both of one’s own in labour and of fresh life in procreation,
now appears as a double relationship: on the one hand as a natural, on the other as
a social relationship. By social we understand the co-operation of several individuals,
no matter under what conditions, in what manner and to what end. It follows from
this that a certain mode of production, or industrial stage, is always combined with a
certain mode of co-operation, or social stage, and this mode of co-operation is itself
a “productive force.”’ (The German Ideology)
2. What is Marx saying here? How does the text relate to the image on the next page? Do
you agree with Marx’s theory?
‘In the social production of their existence, men inevitably enter into definite
relations, which are independent of their will, namely relations of production
appropriate to a given stage in the development of their material forces of
production. The totality of these relations of production constitutes the economic
structure of society, the real foundation, on which arises a legal and political
superstructure and to which correspond definite forms of social consciousness. The
mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political
and intellectual life. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their
existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness. At a certain
stage of development, the material productive forces of society come into conflict
with the existing relations of production or—this merely expresses the same thing in
legal terms—with the property relations within the framework of which they have
operated hitherto. From forms of development of the productive forces these
relations turn into their fetters. Then begins an era of social revolution. The changes
in the economic foundation lead sooner or later to the transformation of the whole
immense superstructure.’ (A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy)
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3. What does Marx mean by this: ‘The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of
class struggles.’ (Manifesto of the Communist Party)? Do you agree with him? What do you
think of the images below?
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4. What do you think of the following quotes from Marx in relation to history?
a) ‘In broad outline, the Asiatic, ancient, feudal and modern bourgeois modes of
production may be designated as epochs marking progress in the economic
development of society. The bourgeois mode of production is the last antagonistic
form of the social process of production’ (A Contribution to the Critique of Political
Economy)
b) ‘Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do
not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances
directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past.’ (The Eighteenth
Brumaire of Louis Napoleon)
5. What is Marxist about the following?
The Church throughout the Middle Ages, and down to the seventeenth century, was
something very different from what we call a church today. It guided all the
movements of men from baptism to the burial service, and was the gateway to the life
to come in which all men fervently believed. The Church educated children; in the
village parishes—where the mass of the people were illiterate—the parson’s sermon
was the main source of information on current events and problems, of guidance on
economic conduct. The parish itself was an important unit of local government,
collecting and doling out such pittances as the poor received. The Church controlled
men’s feelings and told them what to believe, provided them with entertainment and
shows…
The Church, then, defended the existing order, and it was important for the
Government to maintain its control over this publicity and propaganda agency. For the
same reason, those who wanted to overthrow the feudal state had to attack and seize
control of the Church. That is why political theories tended to get wrapped up in
religious language… As long as the power of the State was weak and uncentralised, the
Church with its parson in every parish, the parson with honoured access to every
household, could tell people what to believe and how to behave; and behind the
threats and censures of the Church were all the terrors of hell fire. Under these
circumstances social conflicts inevitably became religious conflicts.
But the fact that men spoke and wrote in religious language should not prevent us
realising that there is a social content behind what are apparently purely theological
ideas. Each class created and sought to impose the religious outlook best suited to its
own needs and interests. But the real clash is between these class interests: behind the
parson stood the squire.
(Christopher Hill, The English Revolution 1640 (London, 1940), pp. 11-12.)
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6. (a) Are there problems with the Marxist approach to history?
(b) How might you defend it?
(c) Is historical materialism still relevant?
And finally…
Provide a Marxist interpretation of the following fairytale:
Jack and his Mum are very poor. One day, Jack’s Mum sends him to the market to sell
their only asset, the family cow. On the way, Jack encounters a mysterious stranger
who offers him ‘magic beans’ for his cow. Jack accepts and returns home with his
beans. Jack’s Mum is furious and throws them out the window. Overnight they grow to
the clouds and Jack climbs the beanstalk to reach the ‘house in the cloud’, owned by
an ogre. The ogre is very rich and Jack sees an opportunity. Jack and the ogre have an
altercation, with the ogre stating, “I’ll grind his bones to make my bread’. Ultimately,
Jack prevails and takes the ogre’s riches, killing the giant in the process. The prize
possession is a ‘magic goose’, which lays golden eggs. Jack and his Mum live happily
ever after.
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