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MARXIAN APPROACH TO POLITICAL ANALYSIS

The Marxian approach to political analysis is fundamentally different from the

liberal political analysis – both ‘traditional’ or ‘modern’. Karl Marx approaches the

question of politics from the point of view of social change which is dialectical and

historical. The theory of dialectical materialism and its application in history i.e., historical

materialism are the two important tools in Marxian methodology. In this respect, it should

be remembered that Marxist approach means taking note of not only of the writings of

Marx and Engels but also those of Lenin, Mao and others.

Marx says that society does not consist of individuals but represents the sum total of

interrelations within these individuals exist. To him all societies in history have been class

societies. The contending classes from free man and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and

serf, guild master and journeyman to bourgeoisie and proletariat in the epoch of capitalism.

All class societies are characterized by domination and conflict which are based on specific

concrete features of their mode of production. Class domination has been a historical

process signifying a constant attempt on the part of the dominant classes to maintain and

extend their domination of the society.

The important feature of Marxian approach is that here State being the central theme

of politics is conceived as an inevitable consequence of class contradictions. Thus State is

an instrument of exploitation and oppression by one class by another. Marxists argue that

the class character of the state cannot come to an end until the emergence of the classless

society where there is no state.. Thus the Marxian perspective of politics can be understood

only with reference to the nature of prevailing societal conflict and domination. Here

politics becomes integrally connected with the basic economic structure finding its

manifestation in the forces and relations of production. In the real world economic and

political forces and factors are constantly interacting. According to Marx politics,

economics, culture and ideology are all inseparably intertwined. It is hard to disentangle

one from the other. The ‘forces of production’ at the particular stage of historical

development are matched by definite ‘relations of production’ that characterize the society.

The relations of production taken together constitute the economic foundation (base) of the

society. The legal and political institutions (super structure) stand on this economic

 Historical Approach

Historical approach denote the process of arriving at the laws governing politics

through an analysis of historical events, as exemplified by the theories propounded by

Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel and Karl Marx. It also stands for an attempt at

understanding political process through a historical account of political thought of yester

years. The best example for historical approach in political science is George H. Sabine’s

‘A History of Political Theory’. Leading examples of the questions raised by political

philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Jeremy

Bentham, J.S. Mill, Hegel or Marx are what ideals are sought to be realized through the

state; what is the meaning of freedom and equality; what are the grounds and limits of

political obligation etc. Karl Popper has described this approach as ‘historicism’. Popper

has criticized historicism – especially Marxism – because it insists on discovering what is

inevitable, and then advocates ‘totalitarian’ methods for its realization. Further critics of

historical approach point out that it is not possible to understand ideas of the past ages in

terms of the contemporary ideas and concepts. Moreover, ideas of the past are hardly any

guide for resolving the crises of the present day world which are beyond comprehension of

the past thinkers. This criticism to historical approach encouraged the development of the

Behavioural Approach. However, the recent revival of interest in the rich heritage of

political thought for evolving guiding principles for our own age emphasizes the importance

of historical approach in political science.

Socialism