Theories of Development: The Question of Class Struggle

Abstract

"All history," Marx wrote, "is the history of class struggle." This classical formulation focused—as did Lenin's subsequent extension of Marx's and Engels' ideas—on the relationship between capital and labor, bourgeoisie and proletariat, and the implications of that relationship both for the development of capitalism and for its decay and overthrow. The concept of class struggle thus illuminated both the functioning of capitalism and the role of the proletariat (as the potentially revolutionary class) in destroying capitalism and establishing socialism. In fact, classical Marxism offered a double theory: a theory of capitalism and a theory of revolution.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.