This theory basically assumes that the society is basically guided and controlled by material conditions at all times. This implies that the contacts and bonds established by the members of the society at all times are determined by the desires to satisfy their primary/ basic needs. According to Marx and Engels, the development of the material conditions can be explained through the following distinct stages.
Primitive communism
This is the first stage in the theory and is characterised by the following: There is no private ownership of property in the society. The property in such a society is viewed to be communal property/ shared property and there is no single person who can claim private ownership of such properties. The societies are also characterised by hunting and gathering activities for subsistence. They derive their livelihood from simple hunting and gathering and there is no large scale agriculture. The societies also lack a clear form of leadership and such positions of leadership are determined by primitive mechanisms such as the winner or best warrior in case of a war. The communities are usually very small in size and have very few members and communal living is the daily norm. Simplicity is an inevitable characteristic of such communities in that there is no use of technology.
Slave society.
This is the second stage and marks the dawn of private property ownership and an onset of class systems in the society. The members of the society develop a sense of owning their private property over which they have control. There arises a formal leadership structure which is usually accompanied by democracy and authoritarianism. A blend of democracy and authoritarianism leads to outright totalitarianism. The society also develops into formal agriculture and the people learn how to cultivate crops and keep animals on a large scale. The society also develops into a remarkably large population which is often supported by the large scale agriculture for survival. The idea of class develops where there is a ruling class and the slaves. The need for the ruling class to use and exploit the slaves leads to the onset of statism, which is the development of a state. Statism serves as the tool to derive unrestricted submissiveness from the slaves to their masters. The slave owners are also the land owners and are the few. The majority members of the society own very little or even nothing at the expense of the ruling class. According to Marx, the slave society collapsed due to its self exploitative activities. The process of conquering more slaves brought more problems than solutions thus the society was forced into another stage.
Feudalism
This is the stage which followed after the collapse of the slave society and occurred during the European dark ages. There is the development of aristocracy whereby the state leadership and rule is by hereditary monarchs. Leadership positions become or belong to a particular line age. The rise of hereditary classes also stems up at this stage and the class of a person is usually determined at birth. There is also the development of theocracy which implies a deep entrenchment into religion. Religion becomes a crucial determinant of the ways of life and it affects all members of the society. The fallen societies from the slave stage recollect themselves to form nation states again. There is a large variety of classes in feudalism ranging from merchants, kings, lords, surfs. There is the development of trade among the society members which leads to the rise of merchants. Profit motive becomes the driver of the capitalist classes. This motive is usually opposed by the social and political organizations of the feudal system and this sparks out an epoch of social revolution. The revolution leads to the advanced to the next stage.
Capitalism
This is the stage of human development where Marx spent most of his time to explore the deep mechanisms of capitalism. It follows immediately after the revolution and the capitalists overthrow the feudalism. It marks an onset of warfare as the rich capitalists try out their exploitative activities over the poorest and weak society members. The attempts by capitalists to obtain massive profits prove to be unbearable on the part of the exploited people and war or threat of war comes in handy. A market economy also develops at this stage. The market forces of demand and supply take control of the economy and there is usually minimal government intervention in the economic activities. The private property ownership develops to higher levels and the capitalists control the means of production through business enterprises with profit maximization motive as their driving force. There also develops a clear system of parliamentary democracy where the capitalists govern through an elected leadership. The elected government is however controlled by the capitalists and acts on behalf of such. A reward scheme for the workers leads to the development of a wage system. The workers are paid for the work they do in the farms of the capitalists. It is however argued that the amount of pay to the workers usually does not commensurate the amount of work done. Financial institutions rise as a means of propelling the capitalist investments. They serve as sources of funds for the capitalists. The capitalists are however compelled by competition to push down the wages of the workers. The low wages result into trade unions and struggles against the exploitative capitalism. Over time, the capitalism is believed to give way to socialism after the struggle against capitalism turns down the tables.
Socialism
This is the stage which will evolve from the working class gain of consciousness and the revolution against capitalism becomes a success. The socialism is characterized by the following: council democracy, common property and labour identities. According to Marx, a socialist society is one which has risen from a self conscious movement of the vast majority and makes such a society able to govern itself.
Communism
This is the stage that would eventually follow socialism and would be characterised by the following: Every person in the society will be a big property owner, classes will be abolished and the people will live as a similar class, no exploitation among members of the society, there will be no governments and no private property. Life in communism will be a universal life characterised by equality among all humankind.
Why Marx considered capitalism to be prone to crisis
According to Marx, Capitalism is comprised of social classes, class structures and changes which accompany such components. The struggles and conflicts between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie are the imminent causes of crisis in capitalism as explained by Marx. The capitalists own the land and means of production at the expense of the proletariat who are exploitatively used by the capitalists to produce. The profit maximization motive in the minds of the bourgeoisie compels them to cut down the wages of the workers to relatively low subsistence levels. The amount of wages paid to the workers is relatively low compared to the amount of work they do and their output. The welfare of the proletariat is left at the disposal of the bourgeoisie who absolutely and out rightly exploit them. Due to the consciousness developed by the workers at the onset and discharge of such exploitation, the workers form unions and struggle movements to fight for their rights and against the oppressive and exploitative nature of capitalism and its actors. The capitalists who own and control the means of production are usually inclined to oppose any such consciousness among the proletariat. The two opposing interests cause a state of conflicts and tensions in the society as the two opposing sides fight for their individual rights and better lives. The crisis implied by Marx would be occasioned by the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie which would lead to a great revolution as the proletariat overpower the capitalist bourgeoisie.
The role of classes in Marx's theory and his conception of the role of the state
Marx views classes as the sole determinant of social and economic life in capitalism. Classes define who owns what, who lives where, who does what and such other elements of life. Marx blames classes for the split society as they are responsible for the different lives lived by the people of the society. Private property ownership is determined by the classes where the bourgeoisie own the land and means of production. The proletariat are owners of labour which is used by the capitalists to earn their profits. Classes are also responsible for the tensions and struggles in the society. The proletariat are always aggrieved by the exploitative practices of the bourgeoisie. The bitter feelings on the part of the proletariat opposed to the interests of the bourgeoisie are the ultimate cause of conflicts and struggles in the society today. According to Marx, Classes take a central role in the foundation of conflicts and struggle in the society.
Marx views the state as a totalitarian object in the society. The state is the founder and fuel for the exploitative practices of the capitalist society. This is usually made a reality by the fact that the state leaders are usually the bourgeoisie who are elected to the leadership positions. Such leaders usually enact laws which support and facilitate capitalism and exploitation of the bourgeoisie. Marx thus considers the state to be the spine upon which capitalism stands. The state is viewed as an instrument for the ruling class and capitalism.
Communism and the political path to it
Marx argued that communism is a stage in the development of the society that would come later after the fall of socialism. It would be a society characterized by social order where no one individual is ready to exploit fellow human kind. There would also be no cases of private property ownership and all property would be collectively owned by the community. Order would prevail and equality would be achieved. It would come as the sixth stage in the evolution of societies.
Conclusion
The arguments of Marx for capitalism are replicated in the present world today and the contemporary capitalism theory has proved itself beyond any reasonable doubt to be a reality. The present world is usually an arena for struggles and conflicts among all members of the society. There is an evident gap between the social classes of the world: the rich and the poor, employers and employees, lords and surfs, merchants and customers. The existence of opposite classes with opposing ideologies and interests is usually enough reason for the world today to be characterized by conflicts and struggles, as each class tries to establish a competitive niche. The present ruling systems of the world today tend to defend capitalism and its perpetrators while opposing and oppressing the poor and weak society members. For instance some tax systems are regressive and lay a heavy burden on the poor people while the rich are constitutionally safe. Therefore capitalism is a reality.
References
A.Giddens, (1971) , Capitalism and Modern Social Theory: An Analysis of the Writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
A. Giddens, and D. Held, (1982), Classes, Power, and Conflict: Classical and Contemporary Debates, Berkeley, University of California Press,.
