International Relations: Marx(ism) a ghost unwilling to disappear?

Essay from the year 2006 in the subject Politics - International Politics - General and Theories, grade: 1.0, The Australian National University, language: English, abstract: In the midst of the turbulent political and economic transformation during 1989, Francis Fukuyama declared the 'end of history' in his [in]famous article, intending to seal the coffin of communist ideology once and for all, declaring the western camp as the winner of the cold war and more importantly of liberal capitalism over communism.1 However, a peculiar question remains for students of International Relations.2 Is it still worth studying Marxist theory today since the former communist Soviet Union and its satellites, no longer practice a [certain and often-incoherent] version of Marxist ideology? This paper does not attempt to advocate a utopian klassenlose society in conjunction with radical and totalitarian outgrowths that had been developed during the 20th century from Stalinist gulags to the Maoist Cultural Revolution. Despite this, this paper aims to show the merits of Marxist theory, especially the concept of historical materialism, and how, in at least three respects, it adds to the study of International Relations.

Dr. Lüdert is Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director in the School of Applied Leadership at City University of Seattle. Jan holds a PhD in International Relations from the department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He is a Liu Institute for Global Issues scholar alumnus and recipient of the Killam Graduate Teaching Award. Jan holds a First Class Honors Masters of Arts in International Relations from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Public Policy from Hamburg University for Economics and Politics. Jan studied at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania focusing on sociology and economics. He coordinated grassroots' community programs in Botswana for Skillshare International. His research includes Leadership Theory, International Relations, Political Theory, Intergovernmental Organizations, Non-State Actors, Transnational and Cyberspace Politics, Global Norms, Human Rights. Jan is deeply involved in Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research projects. Jan writes for the Ivory Tower, an E-International relations blog.