The German philosopher and economist Karl Marx created a Marxist theory in the middle of the nineteenth century. It impacted the economy, social order, and politics of different countries around the world. Even though the theory is outdated for the modern world, many countries still have communist parties operating within Marxism’s framework. Therefore, this paper will analyze the foundations of Marxist theory and its application in the modern world on the example of the countries of the Middle East.
Basis of Marxism Theory
The basis of Marxist theory is economic change, which, in turn, requires the transformation of politics and social order. Marxism divides society into “two antagonistic social classes”: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat (Jackson & Sørensen, 2013, p. 167). The bourgeoisie owns the means of production, while the proletariat owns its labor. Although created in opposition to feudalism, Marxist theory is still exploitative (Jackson & Sørensen, 2013). In contrast to feudalism, Marxism claims that workers can independently manage their labor and receive payment. However, the bourgeoisie remains the ruling class, which has more social privileges and significance.
In addition, Marxism is characterized by a specific attitude toward progress since industrial and “economic development must be halted or even reversed” (Sayers, 2020, p. 27). That justifies the class division of society since the bourgeoisie must restrain the development of capitalism by controlling the work of the proletariat. At the same time, this theory is based on materialism, and productivity should be the basis of any human activity (Jackson & Sørensen, 2013). Thus, although the uncontrolled development of capitalism, according to Marxists, leads to a crisis due to overproduction, the control of capitalism is still the basis of the progress and economic development of the country.
Marxist theory has been slightly transformed in the modern world while retaining its main features. Modern Political Marxism is characterized by the division of the followers of this theory into two groups. One group concentrates on capitalism as the basis of progress, while the other adheres to radical historicism (Knafo & Teschke, 2020). At the same time, both of these traditions support the need to structure society and divide them into classes, which inevitably leads to internal and external conflicts.
Marxism in the Middle East Countries
Although the Marxist theory has been transformed in the modern world, it is still used as the basis of the policy of some countries. Communist parties are quite common in countries of the Middle East, like Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. For example, in Iraq, the Communist Party has the most seats in parliament (Feliu & Izquierdo-Brichs, 2019). However, the theory of class and hierarchy that Marxism adheres to often causes both internal and external conflicts between countries. The exploitation of workers for capitalist purposes and the persecution of the indigenous population of the Middle East by the authorities leads to civil wars (Ullah, 2022). It, in turn, slows down the country’s development and makes it cut off from the outside world.
Moreover, Marxism leads to large-scale conflicts between countries. One of the longest-running conflicts is the Cold War, a confrontation between communism and liberal democracy. Even though the main conflict occurred between the Soviet Union and the United States, the countries of the Middle East also took part. In the aftermath of the Cold War, the Arab-Israeli conflict arose in Israel and Palestine (Citino, 2019). This conflict is based on the class division of society along religious lines.
Conclusion
Thus, Marxist theory is quite controversial, in particular regarding capitalism. In addition, the division of society into classes, which is the basis of Marxism, inevitably leads to class conflicts, which cause civil wars and armed clashes between countries. Countries in the Middle East, where communist parties are still popular, often become the center of conflicts based on class confrontation. Moreover, internal and external conflicts slow down the economic development of countries and lead to their separation from the outside world.
References
Citino, N. J. (2019). The Middle East and the Cold War. Cold War History, 19(3), 441-456. Web.
Feliu, L., & Izquierdo-Brichs, F. (2019). Communist parties in the Middle East: 100 years of history. Routledge.
Jackson, R., & Sørensen, G. (2013). Introduction to International Relations: Theories and approaches. Oxford University Press.
Knafo, S., & Teschke, B. (2020). Political Marxism and the Rules of Reproduction of Capitalism: A Historicist Critique. Historical Materialism, 29(3), 54-83. Web.
Sayers, S. (2020). Marx and Progress. International Critical Thought, 10(1), 18-33. Web.
Ullah, A. (2022). An analysis of Marxism in industrial relations theory in light of capitalism, neoliberalism and globalisation: A petite critical review from Bangladesh’s RMG perspectives. Middle East Journal of Business, 17(2), 5-18. Web.