Key Concepts of Marxist Theory and Political Economy
Bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie is the class of capitalists, owners of the means of social production, who employ wage labor. This class has its origins in feudal society.
Capital
Capital is value that valorizes itself. Its initial form is a mass of money whose utilization in the capitalist production process allows the owner to obtain a higher amount than the initial investment.
Social Classes
These are antagonistic social classes. One group appropriates the labor of another because of the different places they occupy in the economic structure of a particular mode of production.
Law
The Marxist conception of law locates it within the superstructure of society. It is defined as the set of conditions that regulate social relations.
Dictatorship of the Proletariat
This refers to the type of state corresponding to the transition period from capitalism to socialism. It is a dictatorship in the sense that power does not rest on laws and elections, but on the dominance of the working class.
The State
The state is a fundamental notion in Marxist doctrine. It holds great importance regarding the political action of political parties.
Revolution
Revolution is the process by which a dominated class shakes off its status as such.
Labor Force
The labor force is the set of physical and spiritual conditions given in the living personality of a man that he puts into action to produce goods of any kind.
Productive Forces
Productive forces include the man, the ways, and the means utilized to act on nature during the production process.
Marxism
Marxism is a worldview; a global vision of nature and man that opposes Christian and individualistic conceptions.
Means of Production
The means of production are all the elements that participate in the production process.
Surplus Value
Surplus value is the value generated by labor beyond the cost of the labor force, which is kept by the capitalist through the production process, turning raw materials into products for useful consumption.
Proletariat
The proletariat is the class of modern wage laborers who, being deprived of their own means of production, must sell their labor force to survive.
Production Relations
Production relations are the relationships established between people involved in the production process.
Superstructure
The superstructure encompasses all political, juridical, and ideological institutions that represent the state and the law, which are social facts inscribed within the context of society.