– By Urmi Chatterjee
– Intern IPPCS’21
Introduction: The Continuing Relevance of Marxism
When the Cold War ended by the late twentieth century, and Russian and East European communism collapsed, with the rise of “free market” capitalism, it became likely that along with communism, Marxist theories and their implementation would also collapse into history. However, some communist countries, such as China, Vietnam, and Cuba, remained in power but were not powerful enough to compete with the globally dominant capitalist system. It might seem that Marxist political systems are not stable and, in the end, only lead to a liberal and capitalist future. Yet, Marxist ideologies have remained persistent and recurrent, except for a few years of crises after the fall of the Soviet Union. There can be at least two explanations for this resistance.
First, many Marxists were disappointed at the failure of their ideological implementation in the first “workers’ state” and even in flaws within Stalinism, especially when there were Marxist critiques of the Soviet Union, particularly on the grounds of human rights. For such scholars, the disappearance of the Soviet Union reopened the possibility of arguing for Marxism without justifying the actions of the then governments. It has also enabled Marx’s work to be appreciated without the burden of Leninism as a state ideology.
Second, Marx’s work consisted of very detailed and effort-taking research on the capitalist system as a mode of production. What he had used in his explanation and analysis of the same has not been better explained by alternative arguments. Thus, his stance has also prevailed in theories of international politics. The dynamics and inherent contradictions of the capitalist political system are more visible in contemporary politics than before, somewhat as Marx had predicted. The relevance and prescience of Marx’s work even in the earlier decades distinguish him from previous political thinkers.
Evolution and relevance of Marx’s thought in international relations
A lot of the imperial theories that we witness today are a development of the ideas of Marx and his adherents. A significance of Marxist theories is that they are consistent with earlier thinkers such as David Ricardo and Adam Smith. Some of the assumptions common to them about global political systems include:
- The spread of capitalism (including production and trade) requires the onset of a homogeneous international market.
- Governments start with realizing the interests of the ruling class first (ideas of class systems in Marxism)
- Competitive international trade relaxes borders as marketing is universal.
- The earlier classical political economists and classical Marxists hold different views of global relations; the latter insists that capitalism is its downfall. Their concern is over who controls the world economic system. This evolved Marxism into neo-Marxism, which believes that capitalism can cause international conflicts and the root of imperialism lies in the lack of internal demand for capital. This became the Marxist perspective of understanding international relations into the reformist and revolutionist schools (which believes that imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism)—the increasing inequalities in the distribution of capital increase economic tensions at the international level.
Then, the Marxist theories were influenced by development, in that, the relations between the more and the less developed countries in the world. This approach distinguishes between the core (fully industrialized and developed nations) that reap the maximum benefits of international trade and the periphery (less industrialized and developed countries) that need to industrialize to benefit global systems.
Lastly, it evolved into the critical theory, which seeks to change the international structures actively. This approach emerged as a critique of the neo-liberalism and neo-realism of the 1980s in the context of global behaviour. The Marxist scholars who believe in this approach agree that capitalism is the basis for international relations and that the social, political, and economic dominance of the “core” states allows for the expansion of capitalism and an increase in the military powers of these countries. This would help them suppress the resistance of the “peripheral” states to their dominance and capitalism. The fact is that most non-state-affiliated organizations belong to the financial arena of the “core” nations, which shows the predominance of economic grounds in the international community. Military power and the ability to fight wars also depend on financial resources.
Conclusion
Marxist theories of international relations have been criticized on the grounds of violent ideological imposition by countries officially following Marxism as a state ideology in the past. This included the suppression of political opposition and selective persecution to form an actual communist state. However, it is essential to separate the ideologies of Marxism and Marxism-Leninism. In the present times, while some argue that Marxism is a political regime no longer relevant, others believe that Marxism is now free from its false affiliation to a state and can be applied universally to interpret international relations. Marx had emphasized “freedom” and “universalism” to point out the prevailing class systems and a predominance of the economy in global systems. At the same time, he had neglected the state’s potential and the balance of power, diplomacy, war, and nationalism in managing international relations. This has led to severe criticisms of Marxist theories. However, Marxist thinking is also the basis of social theory, upon which critical international theory was mainly acquired in the 1980s. To sum up, Marxist theories serve as an essential counterbalance to realist theories that emphasize the dependence of world politics on the struggle for security, economic resources, and military power.
References
- Burnham, P. (1994). The Organizational View of the State. Politics, 14(1), 1–7. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9256.1994.tb00001.x
- Buecker, R. (2003). Karl Marx’s Conception of International Relations. Glendon Journal of International Studies, 3, 1–6. https://gjis.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/gjis/issue/view/2002
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