Skip to main content
Log in

Marx on ideology, power and force

  • Published:
Theory and Decision Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As Marx matured as a thinker, he became more acutely aware of the obstinate hold which capitalism exercised upon society. Consequently, he was forced to complement his theory of revolution with a theory of social structures. In this paper, I aim to explore Marx's ideas on this point as they emerge in three of his more mature works, i.e.,Capital, Grundrisse, and theTheories of Surplus Value. My enterprise is guided by my convictions that (i) the notions of ideology, power and force are still central to debates in modern social theory, and (ii) Marx's development of these notions has the intrinsic merit of providing a useful and sophisticated contribution to such debates.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Bibliography (in order of occurrence in the text)

  • Capital Volume I: 1886 edition, reproduced photographically 1938. Volume II: Moscow 1956 & 1967. Volume III: Moscow 1959.

  • Grundrisse (G) Translated and edited by Martin Nicolaus, Harmondsworth 1973.

  • Communist Manifesto (CM) inKarl Marx: The Revolutions of 1848 (ed. by David Fernbach), Harmondsworth 1973.

  • Marx Engels Werke, Berlin 1956–68.

  • ‘Wages, Price and Profit’, inMarx and Engels: Selected Works (one volume edition), London and Moscow.

  • Theories of Surplus Value (TSV) (in three volumes) (Moscow 1969, 1968 & 1972).

  • The Holy Family (HF) (Moscow 1956)

  • Hegel, G. W. F.,Philosophy of Right (translated TM Knox), Oxford 1967.

  • Lukes, S. M,,Power: A Radical View, London 1975.

  • Maguire, J. M., ‘Power’ (review of Lukes), inCambridge Review 96, No. 2225.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maguire, J. Marx on ideology, power and force. Theor Decis 7, 315–329 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00135084

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00135084

Keywords

Navigation