Level 41
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Contemporary Philosophy

Marx and the Critique of Political Economy

Marx's transformation of Hegelian dialectics into a materialist theory of history, alienation, and the critique of capitalist economy.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. From Hegel to Feuerbach: The Young Marx's Materialist Turn. Marx inverted Hegel's idealist dialectic through Feuerbach's materialist critique of religion.
  2. The Theory of Alienated Labor. Marx described four interlocking forms of alienation suffered by the worker under capitalism.
  3. Historical Materialism and the Mode of Production. Historical materialism explains social change through the development of productive forces and relations.
  4. Marx's Critique of Capital: Commodity, Value, and Surplus. Capital analyzes the commodity, labor theory of value, and the extraction of surplus value.
  5. Class Struggle and the Theory of Ideology. Marx analyzed history as class struggle and ideology as thought shaped by class interest.
  6. Engels and the Systematization of Dialectical Materialism. Engels extended Marx's method into a general dialectical philosophy of nature and society.
  7. The Communist Manifesto and Revolutionary Praxis. The 1848 Manifesto set out Marx and Engels's program for proletarian revolution.
  8. Marx's Legacy: Reformist, Leninist, and Critical Readings. Marx's legacy fractured into reformist, Leninist, and Western critical-theoretical traditions.

This module continues after "Hegel and Absolute Idealism" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1From Hegel to Feuerbach: The Young Marx's Materialist Turn
2Historical Materialism and the Mode of Production
3Class Struggle and the Theory of Ideology
4Engels and the Systematization of Dialectical Materialism
5Marx's Legacy: Reformist, Leninist, and Critical Readings

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

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Final test

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Optional mini-games

Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.

Review Flashcards

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Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Marx, K. and Engels, F. (1848). Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei. London: Communist League. (English: The Communist Manifesto, various editions.)
  • Marx, K. (1867). Das Kapital, Band I. Hamburg: Otto Meissner. (English: Capital, Volume 1, Penguin Classics, 1990.)
  • Marx, K. (1932). Ökonomisch-philosophische Manuskripte aus dem Jahre 1844. Moscow: Marx-Engels-Verlag. (English: Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Progress Publishers, 1959.)
  • Berlin, I. (1939). Karl Marx: His Life and Environment. London: Thornton Butterworth.
  • Cohen, G.A. (1978). Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Althusser, L. (1965). Pour Marx. Paris: François Maspero. (English: For Marx, Verso, 2005.)