UPSC Prelims 2011 Q26: Indian Polity – Political Theory & Concepts
Karl Marx explained the process of class struggle with the help
of which one of the following theories?
- (a) Empirical liberalism
- (b) Existentialism
- (c) Darwin’s theory of evolution
- (d) Dialectical materialism
Answer: (d) Dialectical materialism
Explanation
Marx's theory of class struggle
Karl Marx explained history and social change through class struggle, grounded in a specific philosophical method.
| Option | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Empirical liberalism | Incorrect | A liberal, individual-rights framework, opposite to Marx's class-based approach |
| (b) Existentialism | Incorrect | Concerns individual existence and free will, unrelated to class conflict |
| (c) Darwin's theory of evolution | Incorrect | A biological theory; though Marx admired it, he did not use it to explain class struggle |
| (d) Dialectical materialism | Correct | Marx's method: history moves through material (economic) conditions in a dialectical process — contradictions between classes (thesis vs antithesis) resolve into new social orders |
Dialectical materialism in brief:
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Materialism | Economic/material conditions (not ideas) drive history |
| Dialectic | Change happens through conflict/contradiction between opposing forces (classes) |
| Applied to history | Feudalism → Capitalism → Socialism, driven by class conflict |
Answer: (d) Dialectical materialism.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Empirical liberalism is an individualist framework, the opposite of Marx's class analysis.
- (b) Incorrect. Existentialism is about individual existence, not economic class conflict.
- (c) Incorrect. Darwin's evolution is biological, not Marx's chosen tool for explaining class struggle.
- (d) CORRECT. Dialectical materialism is Marx's framework: economic conditions and class contradictions drive historical change.
Key point
Marx explained class struggle through dialectical materialism: material/economic conditions drive history through conflict between opposing classes.
Remember
Marx's class struggle = dialectical materialism.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Marx's method with Darwinian evolution, which is biological, not social.
- Picking liberalism, which is actually opposed to Marx's class-conflict view.
- Mixing up existentialism (individual philosophy) with Marx's structural, economic theory.
Exam tip
Whenever Marx's name appears, think 'dialectical materialism' — economics plus conflict driving history.
Sources
- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels — The Communist Manifesto (1848)
- Karl Marx — A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859), Preface