Marxist Theory:Nationalism, Legitimacy, Imperialism

Around the beginning of the 19th century, Europe experienced major social upheaval. The French Revolution--with its Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen--greatly influenced both political and intellectual life. Out of this context, ideas of utopian socialism began to emerge. Such concepts eventually influenced Marx's idealistic postulates on societal development: the transition from capitalism, through imperialism, to a proletarian revolution and state "withering." Following this lead, Weber subsequently elaborated on legitimacy and its implications for the state. Of course, Lenin is responsible for the application of these various concepts. Unfortunately though, despite the Marxist doctrine idealism, history has proven that the socialist experiment is flawed. The collapse of the Soviet Union, has given rise to several new nation-states. Within these smaller independent countries nationalism may be replacing communist ideology. Such tendencies could have negative geopolitical consequences for world development.

Karl Marx believed that the history of all existing society could be correlated with the struggle between its classes. Moreover, he believed that class itself was, in certain respects, a fabrication. According to Marx, class divisions are not found in all forms of society. He believed that the primitive societies are essentially classless (Giddens & Held 3). This, Marx assumed, re