Karl Marx & Conflict Theory: Crash Course Sociology #6 

Homegirl busted out the red blazer for this one

This video gave a very neutral look on Marx. It never said that Marx's ideas were right or good. The video simply explained what his theories were and where they came from.

You can argue that Marxism doesn’t work, but Marxism as an idea isn’t evil. Blaming Marx for Stalin and Mao is like blaming Jesus for the crusades.

I like how she's wearing red while talking about Marx.

I'm taking sociology and studied Marx some myself before school, and everything perfectly lines up. This is the best introduction to Marxism I've heard

It's a really blessing that your content is available free.

first time I had Marx explained and not immediately disparaged. Growing up during Cold War was limiting

Loving how terrified capitalists are by someone just explaining what Marx thought in a clear and concise way.

Finally. The only video that has truly made me understand Marx and his theories

Wait, you're telling me that in a sociology course they're going to talk about... * gasp * _a famous sociologist?!_ The horror!

“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” ― Warren Buffett

I really like how this video manages to convey so many of Marx's ideas in such a short time frame. That must have been a real challenge!

SEIZE THE MEMES OF PRODUCTION

Did you guys even watch the video before commenting? This wasn't even about Communism. It was about Conflict theory....

These videos are so underrated. Crash course helped me get like a 95 in my psychology class. Now for sociology.

«Yeet the Rich!» -Carl Marks, probably

Revisiting this video now that I'm a teacher and I agree with the many commenters here that this is the cleanest explanation focused on the ideology of Marx without the political drama and the persona behind it.

I know close to nothing about Sociology and ended up watching this by pure boredom. But I've got to say, I'm happily surprised. This was intersting to listen to and Nicole is an awesome teacher/lecturer.

This is legit a 3 week lecture, in one short video. Amazing!

I am currently learning about Marxism at school, and I would like to thank you for the clearest, most engaging way of helping me with this topic~

This is a very good and concise explanation of what Marx proposed. I understand it better now, thank you.

It's easy to criticise Marx when ignoring that during his time workers were basically slaves.

Cultural Hegemony: The tool used by the ruling class to gaslight the rest. Thank you for revealing to me the term for what I only understood amorphously prior to watching this video. Likewise for Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Representation, which lend terms to my concept of Society as a 'Macro-Organism', with various 'Organs', and ultimately consisting of 'Cellular' interactions, respectively. I will continue to enjoy this series.

This series is awesome! My only "criticism" is on how Nicole talks so fast, it is not that comfortable for non-native English speakers and even though I understand everything she says, I would really appreciate it if she would talk a tad slower, like 90% of current speed would be perfect. It isn't comfortable to learn when I am spending more time conjugating the words in my head than comprehending the actual message of the video.

It'd be interesting if we could see how much of a video, if any, someone had watched before they commented.

I didn't expect this to be this good, well done well done.

Do crash course music theory!

If you don't work, you DO go to jail. People experiencing homelessness are arrested regularly for just that.

Thanks for this. It's a pretty well-laid out explanation of Marx's theories that people can understand.

Hey this video is missing from the CC Sociology Playlist. Thanks for making these kickass videos! I'm learning so much and you guys are a huge asset to lifelong learners and curious people. Happy to be a patron. :)

This was amazing, like all CrashCourse Videos. So structured and organized! Keep up the good work...

This is the first time I've heard of hegemonic theory. That sounds like a very accurate description of society in my experience.

Honestly, this is so great. As someone who is a Marxist, it's refreshing to see Marx's ideas (and Gramsci! did not expect him turning up) just laid out like this. For anyone engaging in the debates about whether or nor Marxism is good or bad or 'works' misses the point. The point is that Marx's thought (and Marxism more broadly) is a primarily a critical philosophy. It is a way of looking and understanding the world. It's 'validity' is brought about as to whether or not it offers a credible way of explaining how the world works. I'm a Marxist because I think it does offer this. Would you believe that Marxism has been to not only understand how capitalism works but also how 'really existing socalism' functioned or has been used to understand the development of China after Mao? I don't think you can divorce Marxism from the politics of socialism (and, for me, why would you want to?) but my point is that the politics of socialist countries arise because of political and economic questions they had to try answer and whether or not you agree with them, they in no way negate the fundamental aspect of what Marxism is. Indeed, some Marxists readings of say China or the Soviet Union are so critical that they've spawned entirely new political tendencies within the left itself.

Huh, he's actually a good philosopher. I'm humbled by my ignorance and arrogance.

I appreciate the focus on delivering information. Some of the other subjects have tried to punctuate every 30 seconds with unnecessary jokes that often don't land. Thanks for assuming an attention span.

Really well done. Packed with information, and not watered down. Great!

Lol half of the comments are predicting a shitstorm and the other half are part of the shitstorm - well done people

I appreciate these videos so much. They provide very clear explanation. I may not agree with Marxism, but these videos highlight the basic facts in a way that I can fully understand the basics of Marxism, without the noise of someone's agenda being woven throughout. I can clearly consider what I think of the basic facts when I watch this video. Thank you.

This is a great video! I'm def gonna have to watch it again lol Thanks for making it!

Great video comrades 😉 jokes aside this series has been awesome, I'm so glad crash course was willing to cover such a spicy topic. Shout out to the host too!

This is such a great series! She speaks with enthusiasm and it makes it easy to follow. keep it up!

"I wish Karl would start accumulating capital instead of just writing about it." -- Karl's mom

Pure information without bad jokes. Please continue this approach CrashCourse.

awesome presentation. She has great ability to explain complicated sociological issues and map them out clearly. Great job thank you

Pretty much most of what Karl Marx said makes perfect sense....

Please keep making these vids. Dont mind the comments. the fact that so many are discussing sociology is a good thing. Its all about perspective and studying sociology is a good way to look at things in a myriad of angles.

OMG, this was so well explained. Congratz

YOU SAVED MY LIFE I HAVE TO WRITE AN ESSAY ON THIS EXACT TOPIC FOR UNI ALL EVERYTHING I READ WAS SO WRAPPED UP IN JARGON AND VERNACULAR THAT I JUST DIDN'T GET IT :( this cleared up everything especially the definitions such as means/modes/forces of production. thank you crash course

Oooo we just hit the good stuff. Looking forward to the upcoming episodes!!

I'm having Sociology 101 on college right now and it's matching almost exactly this video series (had Durkheim last week and wil have Marx next tuesday). Thanks because it's helping me a lot.

this episode could actually fit in many others crash courses...the magic of karl marx!

I love this video, purely informative with no position taken at all, good job

Milton Friedman (the guru of modern capitalist economics) famously asserted that the sole purpose of business is to create profits, regardless of the (devastating) social or environmental costs. Think about that. Capitalism, in its purest form, is about creating profits and this is where it fails (disadvantages) ordinary hard working people . For example, IBM announced that it was planning to lay off over 100,000 employees and close down over 20 facilities. The next day its stock value trebled thus making huge profits without any increase in productivity, no new products or innovations, but certainly a great deal of hardship and misery for many decent ordinary people. This happened more than 40 years ago and is not an isolated case. As for Marxism; we cannot yet determine if it is good or bad since it has never been tested in its purest form. Marx would not have recognised Stalins totalitarian USSR as a communist country or any of the others like Moa's China etc. In which the state owned and ran everything. This is quite different to the democratic cooperative based system that Marx advocated.

Pretty relevant here in the 2020 economic crisis

Great video! Maybe should have also mentioned the alienation from products of labor in capitalism

you know what it's great that the new sociology course seems to be sparking discord; we're all playing into the very core of what sociology is anyway. so keep on battling guys, thanks for proving the point :)

I think the true irony, when it comes to Marx, is that now, when very few seriously embrace his ideology, his analysis of history has more than proven itself. That is irony, isn't it?

Wow, this was... fantastic! I hardly ever see videos about Marx explained so well. Thank you!

Marx’s other works are very profound. Like the theory on alienation of labour and his interpretations of Hegel.

For a ten-minute video, this was a ridiculously good introduction to Marx's ideas! Great job, CrashCourse!!!

Some thoughts to clarify the subject: 1. There is a great difference between marxism theories and marxism-based theories. The intergrated theory of conflict emerged after the Second World War and opposed marxism on many levels. (see to the first video of this course and my comments on it). All other theories such as modern racial-conflict theory and modern gender-conflict theory can be even viewed from the marxist perspective as an attempt of the ruling capitalist class to destroy and disrupt marxism. 2. 'The economy' is not the foundation (or basis) of superstructure. The foundation of superstructure is the answer to 3 questions: 1) 'What kind of level of scientific and technological development did the society reach?' 2) Who has the right of property in the means of production? 3) What is the class structure of society and is there a class struggle between the oppressor and the oppressed classes?' What lies beyond the 3 question does not influence the superstructure but is a part of the superstructure. 3. The contradiction between the forces of production and the relation of production is the inner conflict inside the basis and it leads to the so-called 'revolution in the basis' and the major societal change. 4. Marx described the 3 historical stages of development as formations and the lesser stages inside one of them - the modes of production,. Thus the 3 stages are: primitive communism, the class society and the future communism and the modes of production are within the class society as - slave-owning mode, asiatic (stage-based mode), feudal mode and capitalist mode. Later, however, Marx followers called all modes of production - 'formations'.

OMG, it makes total sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll look more into it, and try to understand better this perspective on history/society/economy.

For 11 minutes this is an amazing explanation, great job!

Very nice job! Packed full of basic tenets in a very short time but yet adequately explained. Quite a task for such a short video but well done. Will pique the interests of some viewers to delve more deeply into the specifics of ideas discussed here. Vive la Commune!

Once, in fourth grade, I was in a Popeyes with my family, and I began having a discussion with my dad. I explained to him an idea I had come up with. He didn't say anything about it other than that it would anger many people if it were true. I didn't know why. It wasn't until later that I learned, that what I came up with, had already been invented. The theory behind it was eerily similar to what I said at Popeyes. It was called communism. True story.

Marx's theory actually makes a lot of sense

Really enjoyed this video, I'll be looking forward to the next!

Great video - love the series, keep up the good work!

Marx didn’t want to be called a ”philosopher” he wanted to be called a social scientist.

Nicely laid out information. Thank you.

PLEASE MAKE MORE CRASH COURSE VIDEOS. BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL. I am learn so much. Desipte what everyelse says.

Usually it's somewhat painful because crash course is way too oversimplified. This is actually one of the best series on here. She does probably the best anyone can do with ten minutes

wow.. thank you so, so much!!!! this video made me understand Marx's historical materialism. again, thank you.

I love these videos. They have definitely helped me study for my sociology exam which is in 10 minutes. Thank you.

This straightforward analysis is rare and refreshing.

IT WILL BE REALLY HELPFUL IF YOU GUYS PROVIDE THE TEXT FILE OF THAT LECTURE TOO, AFTER ALL IN EXAMS WE HAVE TO WRITE THINGS UP, BY HAVING NOTES OF THE LECTURE IT WILL BE REALLY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND IT IN DEPTH AND EASILY.

When Marx talks about "crises of overproductio" we always have to remember that he meant that relative - relative to the accumulation of capital, i.e. that there is an overproduction of commodities which can be sold for a (high-enough) profit. Marx was not an underconsumptionist - from him, the falling rate of profit was the main, or to be more precise: underlying, cause of the cyclical crises of capitalism.

Marx was spot on but the knee-jerk reaction will prevent people from thinking about it

Appreciating this series. Thanks!!

Great and educational video. Thank you crash course. Keep up the good work.

I’m a mathematician and I thought I’d come here just to learn a little. But I have never been more confused in my life!

A much better and neutral explanation on Karl Marx's ideas and theories... Certainly better than what Paul Kengor could come up with for his video for Prager "University"

thanks for finally talking about conflict theory at 9:50

Great summary. I'd love clip on spatial production or theories of place. I think it would be a valuable addition.

I took a class on Marxism this past semester and thought this video was spot on.

intersectionality theory is going to be an awesome class! can't wait :)

Very solid introduction! Thx guys!

You made this so accessible!!! Thanks. 😊😊😊

Thank you for this very clear explanation of Marx and his conflict theory. I've heard it many times before in many contexts and it always seemed kind of mumbo-jumbo. This lecture was crystal clear with several ah-ha moments of comprehension for me. Thank you. Also, as a member of the "hard sciences", I've always been suspicious of sociology's ambition to be considered a science. This course is very illuminating for me in that regard. I feel grateful for the efforts of all those involved.

There are more comments saying the comment section is gonna be a mess than the actual mess.

Thanks for making this video, it's going to make it a lot easier to read Das Kapital

I'd love it if you could recommend books for further reading on each subject you talk about. Great episode!

when you are in uni, But still come to crash course for Essay help... also, you need to make an anthropological Crash Course!!!

More videos on Marx, please. Maybe it wouldn't be used as such a slur

Don't forget to update the Playlist, I lobe in Brazil and this is such an interesting theme right now

This channel is beyond amazing!!!

Wow, I will actually keep this video to share when I want to explain marxism to someone

the end of my sociology A Level is approaching so these videos are really helping as a refersher from parts of my 2 year course. Also it is great to learn about other parts that weren't covered in the course but that could be applied to my sociology degree at university. always a help CrashCourse!

It is a didactic explanation of a complex (and conflicting) topic. Congratulations

Wow, I know that beauty has to get a lot of info in, but I can't make notes that fast. EXCELLENT VIDEOS - I'm hooked....going to support them on Patreon.