Ideology
MarxismFar left
A body of thought built on class analysis, holding that history is shaped by conflict over who controls production, and that capitalism will give way to a classless society of collective ownership.
Portrait: Harry Pot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Core ideas
- Historical materialism: social change is driven by how production is organized.
- Class conflict between those who own capital and those who sell their labour.
- Capitalism contains contradictions that lead it toward crisis and replacement.
- The aim is a classless, stateless society with collective ownership of production.
Where it sits on the 12 axes
On the Economy axis it sits at the extreme Collectivize end (100). On Diplomacy it leans toward Internationalism (70), and on Government toward Freedom (40, so 60% Freedom). Society is at the midpoint (50). The test uses only these four values, so it describes an economy-first position with no stand on Progressive–Traditional. You are matched when your four scores are closest to these values, not because of what you read or call yourself.
The bar shows the position on each of the four axes an ideology is matched on; the middle mark is the centre.
Sample result
History
It originates in the works of the 19th-century German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto appeared in 1848, and the first volume of Marx's Capital in 1867. After 1917 the Russian Revolution made one branch, Leninism, a state doctrine. Later followers split into reformist, revolutionary and academic traditions, such as Western Marxism, and the ideas influenced economics, sociology and history as well as politics, so "Marxist" can describe a scholar's method as well as a party member's creed.
Associated thinkers
- Karl Marx
- Friedrich Engels
Common misunderstandings
- It is not the same as the Soviet system: Marxists disagree widely, and many criticized that system.
- It is not only an economic programme; it is also a method of analysing history and class relations.
Related ideologies
Is Marxism your closest ideology?
Take the test and see which of the ideologies your answers sit closest to.
Questions
What is Marxism?
A political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis based on the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It uses historical materialism to explain class relations and social conflict, and aims at a classless society.
Is Marxism left or right?
Far left in the usual sense, to the left of social democracy. It seeks to replace capitalism with collective ownership. The left-right line is only a rough guide for a theory with many schools.
Marxism vs communism?
It is a method of analysis and a body of theory; communism is its stated goal of a classless, stateless society, and also the name of movements and ruling parties. Not every Marxist belongs to a communist party.
How does the 12 Axes test decide I am a Marxist?
The test compares your Collectivize–Privatize, Security–Freedom, Internationalism–Nationalism and Progressive–Traditional scores with each ideology's four values. The ideology with the smallest total distance is your closest match. The other eight axes are not used.