ABSTRACT
A Marxist method allows not only for an analysis of problems so evident in capitalism but also within Marxism itself. The chapter supports Marxism’s claim to be a science, providing descriptions of the dominant economic system, while drawing social implications from those economic structures.
Capitalism’s capacity to withstand extreme moments of crisis led to a crisis in Marxism. Marxism’s discontents are consequently analysed, supporting the argument that disputation and divergence within Marxism has inadvertently assisted capitalism’s ability to remain unchallenged. Contemporary Marxists, seeking to re-define Marxist theory, have been unable to offer a viable theoretical and practical leadership to combat the persistence of capitalist ideology.
The chapter briefly describes what constitutes Marxist analysis, including a short introduction to the materialist conception of history and the use of dialectics as a means of explaining social and economic developments. This materialist and dialectical approach can be used to explain the development of capitalism and of its tendency toward crisis and, importantly, the crisis in Marxism can equally be described from a materialist construction.
