Karl Marx - Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation, class struggle
Key points
- Historical materialism
- Forces and relations of production
- Mode of production
- Alienation theory
- Theory of class struggle
- Class-in-itself and Class-for-itself
Previous year questions
Questions asked from this topic in UPSC Sociology Optional:
- Highlight the main features of historical materialismn as propounded by Marx. How far is this theory relevant in understanding contemporary societies? Explain.
- Critically explain the salient features of ‘alienation’ as propounded by Karl Marx.
- What is historical materialism? Examine its relevance in understanding contemporary societies.
- Critically examine the dialectics involved in each mode of production as propounded by Karl Marx.
- Critically assess the Marxian Theory of ‘Alienation’.
- What is the Marxist concept of ‘Fetishism of Commodities?
- According to Marx, how are human beings alienated from their human potential and what does he suggest to change this?
- Analyse Marxian conception of historical materialism as a critique of Hegelian dialectics.
- Evaluate Marx’s ideas on mode of production.
- Identify the similarities and differences between Marx’s theory of ‘alienation’ and Durkheim’s theory of ‘anomie’.
- According to Marx, capitalism transforms even the personal relationship between men and women. Critically examine with illustrations from the contemporary Indian context.
- Analyse the salient features of historical materialism.
- How do Karl Marx and Max Weber differ in terms of their analysis of social stratification?