[MUSIC] Let's start talking about the Classical Marxism. And there is a necessity to explain some basic concepts of the Marxist theory. Not just about international relations but about the development, about life, about history and state and society. Like Realism and Liberalism, Marxism emerged under particular historic circumstances. And of course, the circumstances that gave rise to Marxism was Capitalism. And after the great French bourgeoisie revolution, in the 19th century, Capitalism was marching in Europe. And Colonialism spread Capitalism to the rest of the world. The major European powers were becoming less and less feudal, more and more capitalist. The majority of them maintained colonies throughout the world. And this allowed Capitalism, eventually, by the end of the 19th century, to become a global economic system. And one of the major characteristic features of Capitalism in the 19th century was industrialization. And industrialization was transforming states and societies. It did so in the following way. On the one hand, industrialization created harsh inequality at both national and international level. On the other hand, industrialization provided states and capitalists, the ruling class of capitalist system, with unmatched resources. The resources unmatched in human history. Resources to conduct wars, for instance. Resources to conquer foreign lands. And this industrialization and development of Capitalism gave birth to the Marxist theory. And as I already mentioned, the distinctive feature of this Marxist theory was economic determinism. The idea that the nature of society, the nature of politics, the nature of state and the nature of international relations, they all depend on the state of economic relations. Economic relations at every particular point of history. Some words about the founding fathers of classical Marxism. There are three major founding fathers of classical Marxism. The two prominent German philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. And the Russian philosopher, thinker and revolutionary, the leader of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, and the first ruler of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels created a comprehensive theory explaining the whole history of humanity. Explaining the nature and logic of development of society from this economo-centric perspective. Whereas Vladimir Lenin, who lived in a little bit later period than both Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as you see from their life years of their birth and death. So Vladimir Lenin adapted this Marxist theory to the realities of early 20th century. And laid the foundation for what later became a Marxist-Leninist theory of International Relations. The classical works of Marxism are the four. The major work of Marxism, which is just the point of departure, just the founding brick, which is the Bible of Marxism Is what is in German, Das Kapital, or The Capital. Which is the major book by Karl Marx which shows how capitalist system is exploitative. That quote, it transfers the fruit of the work of the majority to a minority. So The Capital basically explains how society develops. How the state is being created, what is the logic of the state, and how the state evolves. And the central idea is inequality and exploitation. The second classical book is the book by Friedrich Engels which is called The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. This book shows us the evolution of the history of mankind on the Marxist foundation. It presents the evolution of humankind from primitive communism, to slavery, then to feudalism, to capitalism, and finally, towards industrial communism. Depending on the level of development and the features of economic relations In each and every step. And the two works by Vladimir Lenin. The major ones are, The State and the Revolution, the brief but very important paper pamphlet that Vladimir Lenin published in 1917. It identifies the nature of the state as an instrument of exploitation and suppression, by the rich of the poor, by the capitalists of the working classes, namely the workers and the peasants. And finally, a very important and bigger work by Vladimir Lenin, called Imperialism as the Highest Stage of Capitalism, also published in 1917, the year of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. It explains the nature of World War I, of the first World War, from the Marxist interpretation. And claims why these imperialist wars, as the first World War was, are inevitable from the Marxist perspective. Inevitable given this stage of the development of capitalism at that time. And why the only way to avoid such wars, is to conduct the global socialist revolution and establish world wide communism. The major proposition, the central idea, the central pillar of Marxist theory, including towards international relations, is the theory of class, or the Class Theory. And the basic idea is the following. The major participants of social relationships are social classes. Not individuals, as it was the case in Liberalism. Not sovereign states, as in Realism, but social clauses. We already mentioned that Marxism is a materialist and economical centrist theory of history and development and international relations. Everything, everything in Marxism is determined by a state of economic development of this or that country or society at a given particular moment. By how production is organized. So thus classes are also identified according to the economic criteria. In particular, according to their relation to the means of production. The means of production are what? These are land, factories, tools of production, labor itself and the capital, the money. If you possess the majority of them, you belong to one class, you belong to the class of capitalists. If you possess just yourself and your personal skills, if the only thing that you possess is your labor abilities, then of course, sorry, you belong to a different class. You belong to the class of workers or peasants. And examples of classes in the Marxist theory are are exactly workers, peasants, and capitalists. The definition of the class provided by Marx himself says the following. Members of society that share the same relations to the means of production. Which are again, land, equipment, factories, labor, money. And contrary to the liberal theory, which argues that there is harmony of interests in societies, Marxists claim that society is systematically prone to class conflict. Indeed, according to Marxism, relations between classes inside societies are far from harmonious. They're inherently conflictual. The nature of conflict inside societies in Marxism is predetermined by what? Very simple, by unequal distribution of profits and means of production among social classes. Factories, land, raw materials, the means of production in general belong to the class of capitalists. The class of workers possesses, as already said, just its time and working skills. Which they have to sell to the capitalists to survive, just to live. Thus, the workers become the labor force. And as a result, capitalists control the relation of production, and thus take the overwhelming majority of profits. Development of any society and thus human history as such, according to Marxism, is predetermined by three major factors. One of which is constant and the two others are variable, they're determined to change, they're prone for change. The first factor, the permanent factor, is the inherent and prominent conflict between those exploited and those who exploit. Whereas the changing ones are development of material means of production, and relations of production, which is how production is organized. The Class Theory, which we've just explained, provides the foundation for the Theory of Social Development. The Marxist Theory of Social Development. And according to Marxism, development of every single society, and thus the human development, the history of mankind as such, is predetermined by three major factors. One of them is constant, and the two other are prone for change. The constant factor is the inherent and permanent conflict between those who exploit and those who are exploited. The capitalists and the workers and peasants. Whereas the other two determinants of human development, which are the changing ones, are the following. They are the development of material means of production. Which is basically the technological advancement. Whether they are primitive or advanced. Whether we're dealing with very primitive means of production, or we deal with robots. Which and the factory is fully equipped with robots and the most advanced technologies. And finally, the third is the means of production or relations of production. Basically how production is organized. And so this Theory of Social Developments explains us the development of every society, development of every state and development of mankind. And the details of this development, we will discuss right away. [MUSIC]
