Marxist Perspective, Marxism, Capitalism, and International System

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International Relations and Policymaking
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International Relations
Karl Marx was a Prussian economist and philosopher. He reaffirmed that societies should implement the socialist theory in their various policies to escape the self-destructive nature of capitalist systems. Marxism is a model that analyses social classes intending to dismantle the capitalist nature of international methods. According to Marx, cooperative ownership had to replace private property with an emphasis on satisfying human needs rather than profit. During the socialist international regime, most societies would work together to meet basic human needs. However, Marxism was a dominant ideology that inspired countries such as Cuba, Vietnam, and China. The theorists of Marxist international relations based their argument of power relations between states on class struggle.
Karl Marx posited a class struggle between the bourgeoisie and proletariat as one of the most significant sociological explanations of social conflict. The notion is influential in being intuitively persuasive and dynamic. According to Kristensen (2018, p. 250), Marx perceived the structure of society to the existence of significant classes and their struggle as an influencing factor for structural change. However, the existing courses had numerous conflicts within the social structure. The class definition is a critical aspect in understanding Marx’s philosophy based on the ownership of property. In such a case, some individuals would exclude others from owning property and utilize it for personal gains. Bourgeoisie, proletariat, and landowners were the significant classifications in society.
The Marxist perspective is one of the most imperative and notable approaches to studying international politics different from other traditional models, such as neo-realism and realism. One of the unique aspects of Marxism is the failure to support the status quo in the international system (Kristensen, 2018 p. 252). Karl Marx focuses on influencing radical change in a prevailing political order. Marxism being a critical social theory, focuses on unfolding peculiarities of capitalist globalization based on class conflicts, power spheres, and global inequalities. Marx argued that universal cooperation would replace the class struggles while replacing promoting peaceful coexistence. Marxism is an imperative theory of international relations that offers an understanding of the relationship between various countries.
Marxism as a theoretical body provides relevant insight on international relations through a link to capitalism analysis as a unique economic system. Capitalism had a notable connectedness to domination, lifelong learning, and colonialism from its inception. Therefore, most people would realize its impact on their lives in social reality. McGlinchey (2017, p. 78) argues that the Marxist approach to international relations focuses on the totality of understanding global systems. The core objective was to facilitate a radical change in the functioning of international systems, obsessed with terrorism, poverty, and other human problems. The writings of Marxist scholars help to understand global politics.
The concept of the state by Karl Marx is critical, as evidenced in the various writings, such as The Class Struggles in France, Philosophy of Right, and Critique of the Hegelian. Through his writings, Marx reveals the various forms of class struggles and their influence on international relations. For instance, he describes the evolution of state starting from the early epochs that entailed the structure of the society in various ranks (Allan 2018, p. 857). For instance, Ancient Rome had divisions of slaves, knights, and patricians. Following agricultural development, the establishment of states became necessary to maintain the slave class. The new product marked a metamorphosis of tribal society as a structure determined by kinship and subject relations. At that level, the class structure developed fully. Trade expansion influenced edging out of classes that remained from Middle Ages.
According to Marx, Proletariat and bourgeoisie are the two major antagonistic classes. A democratic representative state is one of the ideal forms of bourgeois state based on the absence of enforcements and feudal obligations on the state’s population. The view of the philosopher of the state is that citizens only adhere to natural laws of human reasons. In reality, the ruling class uses the state in implementing its interests into practice, exploits the working class, and reinforces its position in the system. For Marx, political emancipation has a significant significance despite not being synonymous with human liberation. The only way of realizing human freedom is transforming the bourgeois society and abolishing private property.
Marx argues that a revolution to capitalism and the state can influence a transformation of capitalism. He further resonated that the worker’s state would facilitate the provision of free healthcare and that educational institutions would have autonomy of overcoming interference of the state and the church. However, the dictatorship of the proletariat would have the task of establishing true democracy and nationalizing means of production that is different from populist democracy. Bannerji (2020, p. 102) postulates that Marx proposed that multiparty campaigning, parliamentary institutions, and direct elections would result in a lack of freedom. A true democracy would be for the majority to represent a community with free development, unlike capitalist democracy that excluded women and imposed residential qualifications.
The concept of class was one of the most critical aspects for Marx as a dominating actor in the international system. In this sense, class antagonisms can influence clashes of the global system. Marx argues that class consciousness and relations to means of production are the main features that characterize a class (Atkins 2018, p. 89). Economic conditions changed majority society into a workforce through which capital domination determined common interests. Marx reaffirmed that a workforce is already a class about capital, although not a class by itself. He discerned two major classes based on the placement of people in modes of production. The two groups were the bourgeoisie that owns means of production and the proletariat that provide waged labor. Therefore, the bourgeoisie, which is nationally organized, controls government systems. Marx perceived capitalism as the last stage before the formation of a communist society.
Besides, Marx argued that capitalism would be an ideal strategy for addressing the differences between societies. Class is at the center of Marx’s analysis of international relations. Besides, the philosopher postulated that infrastructure was the economic basis of society, and labor division would influ...