It will examine the nature of the proletariat’s creation through the dialectical development of capitalism, the key definitional features of the proletariat and how the proletariat’s strategic location in the capitalist mode of production make it the sole feasible agent of revolution. In order to achieve its objectives, this dissertation will be separated into three chapters Chapter One will seek to investigate the reason why Marxist political theory conceives of the proletariat as the sole historical agent of revolutionary social change. The underlying theme of the entire dissertation is to analyse the extent to which the thought of Herbert Marcuse constitutes a genuine manifestation of Marxist social theory, particularly when viewed against his established historical reputation as proponent of ‘revisionist’ Marxism. Its secondary objective is to examine Marcuse’s model of revolution, to explore the similarities and differences between the models of Marcuse and Marx, and to evaluate the extent to which Marcuse’s revolution can be seen as congruent with traditional Marxist theories of revolutionary social change. The primary objective of this dissertation is to account for the theoretical foundations upon which Herbert Marcuse based his assertion that the working class in advanced industrial capitalism have become integrated into its governing economic and political structures. I certify that, apart from the guidance provided by my supervisor and the references cited in the text and bibliography, this dissertation is the sole work of Craig Whittall and has not been previously submitted as part of the assessment requirements for any academic award. I would also like to thank my closest friends and family for their unfailing love and support, without which I would be truly lost, and which I can never hope to repay.Ĭ.W. His knowledge of his subject, and his dedication toward it, are qualities I have come to deeply respect. Townshend, whose advice has always proved invaluable and from whom I have learnt a great deal in a short time. I would like to acknowledge the help and support I have received from my supervisor, Prof. This dissertation will aim to explain why the proletariat are central to Marxist political theory, why Marcuse argues that the proletariat have been integrated into capitalist society, how Marcuse constructs his revolutionary theory in the apparent absence of a mass-basis for revolutionary change, and how Marcuse’s model of revolution relates to the concepts of revolution to be found in more ‘traditional’ Marxist perspectives. It will involve analysis and comparison of the writings of Marx and Marcuse, and will also involve the work of other prominent Marxist theorists, such as Lenin, Gramsci and Lukacs, in order to situate Marcuse’s position relative to other shades of revolutionary Marxism. This dissertation is designed to evaluate where Marcuse’s theories, regarding both the proletariat and the notion of socialist revolution, stand in relation to the precepts of Marx and Marxism.
Marcuse’s assessment of the working class, coupled with his association with student protests and 1960s counter-culture, have led many Marxist theorists to castigate his work as ‘revisionism’, a charge this work intends to explore. He is also remembered for his support for radical student movements throughout the late 1960s, One-Dimensional Man being one of the few works which can reasonably claim to have inspired the generation of the New Left. He achieved notoriety with the publication of his seminal work One-Dimensional Man, a blistering critique of advanced industrial capitalism which ventured to theorise that the industrial working class, the traditional epicentre of Marxist thought, had been successfully integrated into the consumer society and were no longer a revolutionary force for radical social change. Herbert Marcuse remains, to this day, a controversial figure in the Marxist political tradition. The Marxist Conception of the Revolutionary Proletariat In the Department of Politics and Philosophy, To: Unpublished Papers page of the Official Herbert Marcuse website,Īn Independent Project submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree BA (Hons) Politics,
Revolutionary Strategy and the Role of the Proletariat in the Work of Herbert Marcuse Craig Whittall, Marcuse contra Marx, a 2007 undergraduate thesis
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