Assess The Relevance Of Marxism

A key social theory existing in modern day history is that of Marxism. Marxism refers to the political and social theory developed by Karl Marx in the 19th Century, which explores class relations in history. This theory was influenced heavily by industrialisation, as Marx was living in Britain during a time where the industry was booming and the economy was becoming dependent on it. As the industrial development had a major impact on improving life for most of the lower class, Marxists developed as a result of a want to discover more about their past. The core concern of Marxism is to look at those in society dubbed ‘the working class’ and to gain a better understanding of their role in history, and the struggle between them and the richer class. The …show more content…
The underlying aim of the majority of Marxist historians was to enhance the autonomy of working-class individuals by expanding the scope of collective responsibility and ensuring possibilities for individual growth and creativity with their ideological framework. They wanted to get rid of the whole idea of separate classes, and instead, create one unanimous category for everyone to fall under. In order to achieve this, Marxist historians created mass propaganda advertising their agenda to build support. They also attempted to build on the social standing of the lower class by intergrading them into history. They did this by re-evaluating historical events and interpreting a wider variety of sources as to gain insight into the role the working class played in them. By doing so, Marxist historians changed the way parts of history were viewed, allowing for those of a lower social standing to be able to identify with those in the past. Furthermore, Marxism is considered the ancestor of social history, carrying an anti-capitalist political commitment. Marxism was the first attempt at looking at the lived experience of people in the