sign in sign up
<<
Home , Marxist philosophy, Outline of Peru

1

DECRIPTION OF THE MODULE

Items Description of the Module Name Sociology Paper Name Classical Sociological Module Name/Title Latin American Interpretation of Marx: Jose Carlos Mariategui Pre Requisites Social sciences, , historicism, and . Objectives The main objective of this paper is to show how Marxism has affected the contextual scenario of Latin American. More specifically the paper is aimed at discussing how Mariategui a socialist thinker uses the views of to air out the problems trapping . Key words Marxism, , Latifundization, , Proleteriat, , The Indian, Primitive ,

MODULE STRUCTURE

Latin American Interpretation of Marx: Jose Carlos A discuss on socials issues in in general Mariategui and Peru in Particular using Marxian Principles

2

MARXISM IN LATIN AMERICA AND THEMARXIST VIEWS OF JOSE CARLOS MARIATEGUI

1.1. LATIN AMERICA INTERPRETATION OF KARL MARX Karl Marx had once remarked that the of every society is hitherto the history of class struggle1. In the Latin American context, class struggle is at the order of the day. The call for liberation has remained and immediate ringtone in the Latin American societies. Since Karl Marx based his materialist conception of History within the context of economic categories2, Latin American thinkers especially Marxists, were also of the opinion that economic factors are responsible for the state of affairs in all Latin American countries. Capitalism was highlighted as a bad system that has kept most of the countries in this part of the word in some very bad condition. The thinkers and socialist Marxist were of the opinion that capitalism has crumbled many of these countries and like Marx, advocated for socialism. Capitalism only favored a few people. By evaluating this system they tilted toward socialism.3

Since the early twentieth century, Marxism was a popular political for most Latin American practitioners who engaged in what calls the war of position on the cultural front.4 The Marxist’s of the early 20th century endeavored to empower the marginalized communities by educating them about the ills of capitalism and feudalism and also offered them an alternative world view i.e. of socialism. Eliminating the capitalist system and its problems, it was necessary for them to practice what Gramsci called the bourgeois ideological or the popular acceptance of the fundamental precepts of capitalism5 or what Karl Marx call called the bourgeoisie socialism.6

In the midst of this process, some Latin American activist advocated that genuine education can gradually eradicate the problems faced by the region. Those who took the liberation theology stance, choose to dwell publicly on which they realized forms an integral part of the life of people in Latin America. But at the background they condemned the church for they felt has

1 Karl Marx (1954), Communist Manifesto, (Chicago Regney Company), 13 2 . Fagothey (1976), Right and Reason, (U.S.A, The C.V Mosby Company), 379. 3 Sheldon, B. Liss, (1984) Marxist thought in Latin America, (University of Carlifonia Press), 272. 4 Ibid, 272. 5 Ibid272 6 Communist Manifesto, 71 3 historically religion and especially the church in many ways favoured capitalism. In the midst of these free opinions, there was a general consensus reached by most American Marxist. In the first place all Latin American Marxist asserted that capitalism and its colonial, neo-colonial and imperialist manifestation basically harms society and would be eventually rejected by the masses at some stage.7

Since then, Latin American socialists have continued to pursue and comprehend the historical trajectories that have an inextricable connection between and other areas of human culture. They believed that undevelopment of political ideas result from economic underdevelopment under capitalism. From this background trajectory interplay was build up in Latin America. Catching up with the views of Marx, the political community was redefined, a redefinition that was to enable the people of each Latin American nation to govern themselves. To achieve this there was an attempt to look outside, to Europe and Africa and Asia. It is at this juncture that Asian became an example for the Latin American people. The proponents of Marxism borrowed Asian Marxist theories to supplement their efforts in Latin America.8

The reason for doing so by the socialist Marxist was because, they felt that Karl Marx did not think in terms of dogmas but rather had devised a set of principles reflecting the nature and development of society. So the endeavour now was for them to use these principles to examine the changing in order to discover the sources of change and to help society meet its requirements.9 From this background most Latin American socialist thinkers like Sergio Mendez said that only socialism can give Latin America the authentic development it needs. And they firmly held very strongly that the socialist system was in conformity with Christian principles of brotherhood, and peace. Sergio made it very clear that socialism was the way forward in Latin America, though he did not know what form it should take, but it remains a general line that should be followed; and it should be a democratic form of socialism.10

1.2. MARIATEGUI AND MARXISM

7 Raymond Aron, (1965) The Impact of Marxism in the Twentieth Century in Marxism in the Modern world, Milorad Drackhovitch ed, (Stanford: Hoover Institute Press) 11. 8 Peter Worley, (2002), Marx and Marxsim, (U.S.A: Routledge) 26. 9 Charles .H. Anderson, (1962), The political Econmy of , ( New York: Delta Press), 96 10 Karl Marx and , (1975) Materiales Para la Historia de America Latina, ( Mexico City : singlo) 29. 4

Mariategui established a very outward Marxism that was soaked in a kind of burgeoning Stalinists dogmatism of his time. He borrowed the Stalin method and applied it to the Peruvian reality. He is said to be the first Marxist to who was so caught up with the indigenous question in Latin America. He views Marxism as a way geared towards building up a . “He posited that revolutionists must relegate conservatives’ ideals to the background. For him Marxists are not mediocrity nor do they accept injustice. They are pessimists”11. For conservatism to be stamped out, it must not only be from the institutional level, but from the level of the spirit of humanity. As a great Marxist follower and a socialist, Mariategui borrowing form Karl Marx sees a as the only way forward to solve the mess in his country Peru. Such a revolution has double edge sword, where in the revolution undertakes the conquest of thought and the conquest of power at the same time. He conceived Marxism as that which is grounded on concrete reality.12 It is not a stream of rigid or static principles. To further blend his Marxist views, Jose Carlos rejected the outline of and scientism and argued that Marx’s theory and politics was stamped on science not scientism13 Moreover, Marxism for him was not a set of doctrines with some passive and rigid . Karl Marx only propounded or proposed realistic politics and enacted how a new order which is socialism emerged from the present capitalism of his time. (In Marxist historical process, capitalism comes in the present phase of history14). So following the though pattern of Karl Marx, proposed a new order which be created by the through class struggle as a necessary condition.15 Looking at Mariategui’s conception of Marxism one can easily admit that he was recapturing a lost legacy of Marxism and implementing it in his context, Peru

1.3.MARITEGUI’S ASSESSMENT OF THE PERUVIAN REALITY USING MARX’S HISTORICAL

PROCESS

Mariategui, following Marxian historical categories although not in an exact manner discuss the evolution of the Peruvian economy following a historical trajectory and build up. A

11 Mariategui, (1925) Pessimism of the Reality Optimism of the Ideal, Jose Carlos Mariategui, An Anthology, 396. 12 Mariategui (1927), “Message to the Workers Congress” Jose Carlos Mariategu: An Anthology, 182. 13 Mariategui, (1925-1929) Defence of Marxism, Jose Carlos Mariategui, An Anthology, 198. 14 J.P.Bangsi, (2012) The Concept of History and Scoiety in Philosophy of Karl Marx, (Bamenda, S.T.A.M.S Bambui, Unpublished), 15. 15 Defense of Marxism, An Anthology, 198. 5 strict glance through his works one can find that there is a past which runs from the period of the conquest of Peru by Spain up till the time of the . The present phase is a mixture of events not capitalism alone as Karl Marx would present his. The future phase is socialism. This future phase ties to that of Karl Marx.

1.3.1. The Past: From up to the time of Guano and Nitrates.

As a starting point, in his work, The Seven Interpretative Essays on Peruvian reality, Mariategui recaptures the state of the beautiful that had existed in Peru before the dawn of colonialism. It was a grouping of agriculturalist and sedimentary communities.16 This is the starting point of the past phase of the economic evolutionist history of Peru. He posits that the Inca people were industrious, disciplined, pantheistic, and simple and were living in material comfort with abundance of food.17 Their population increased and even without knowing the Malthusian theory of population, the food supply was enough for the increasing population. In their primitive society, the Inca people were able to construct roads and canals and extended their borders. They had a collective and common purpose. Jose Carlos clearly states that their efforts were fruitfully for a social purpose.18

At these great glorious times of the Inca people, come the Spanish and dislodge everything. The Spanish according to Jose Carlos destroyed the impressive productive machine of the Inca people without able to replace it. The indigenous society and the Inca economy were wholly disrupted and annihilated by the Spanish conquest of Peru. The result was the scattering of the Inca communities.

After the conquest what immediately follows is as Mariategui puts it in his Seven Essays is, the wrangling over the riches of the Inca people. They plundered the treasures of the temples and palaces; they allotted land and men with no thought of their future use as forces and .19 They Spaniard gradually began to till the land and mine the gold and silver. On the ruins of the remnants of a socialist economy the Spaniards established the base of a feudal

16 Mariátegui, José Carlos. “Essay One: Outline of the Economic Evolution.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality. (Translated by Jorge Basadre), (Austin: University of Texas Press 1971) 17 Ibid 18 ibid 19 Essay One: Outline of the Economic Evolution.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality 6 economy. Mariategui outstandingly makes it clear that the agenda of the Spanish at this time was the mining of the Peruvian gold and silver. This to Carlos is the first stage of the historical process of the past phase of the evolution of the Peruvian economy. The feudal economy that emerges at this stage takes us to the second stage and this said feudalism will be blatantly condemned by Mariategui.

The second stage is located within the confines of the economic foundations of the republic. With the destruction of primitive communism that had existed in Peru during the Inca Empire. Mariategui now opens us to the second stage. He situates the second stage under the political and military even. The first stage arose from a conquest. The second stage now began with Independence. Looking at things from the Marxian perspective, Mariategui is concerned with economic events even when he is fighting a political fight. This comes out clearly in his first Essays when he says “I have already occasioned my first Marxist attempt to ground Peruvian history in the study of economic events, to concern myself with the economic aspects of the war of independence.” (Mariátegui, José Carlos; 1971; 35)

The reason he gives behind this statement is that even though the ideas of the and American constitution were favourably received in were there already existed an emerging bourgeoisie, which because of its economic needs and interest, could and should have been affected by the revolutionary spirit of the European bourgeoisie; Spanish America could not have achieved its independence had it not commanded a heroic generation, sensitive to emotional needs of its time. But Carlos laments that such revolutionary spirit did not go beyond economic categories and liberation. The Spanish policy did not favour economic growth, that’s why even after gaining Independence, Peru could not still progress.

Closely linked to this period of the republic is the era of Guano and nitrates. With the discovery of guano and nitrates in the coast of Peru, lots of it was exported to Europe and the exploitation of these resources became the center of the Peruvian economic life and the Peruvian treasury derived its principal revenue from the exports of guano and nitrates. 20 As a Marxist who sees economics as influencing every nation, Jose Carlos outline the whole history of guano and nitrates from an economic point of view. This is because what caused the Peruvian economy to

20 Essay One: Outline of the Economic Evolution.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality 7 rise to some stage was later on taken over by the British due to the poor geographical situation of Peru in the name of building railways. How does this become an economic problem? According to Mariategui those who profit directly or indirectly from the of the coast began to constitute a capitalist class. By this the Peruvian economy was gradually transformed from a feudalistic society to a bourgeoisie society stamped by capitalism. With the the second stage of the past phase of history comes to an end with the collapse of the Peruvian economy.

1.3.2. The Present Phase

At this time Peru was in the post war recovery period. There was almost a complete collapse of the country’s productive energy. The country lost its principal resources guano and nitrate over to . There is a paralysis of economic initiatives a general depression in production and commerce, the depreciation of the natural and loss of foreign credit.21 As Mariategui puts it, Peru suffered a terrible anemia, with military leadership emerging at this period; there was still no economic reconstruction and the capitalist group that was very prominent during the period of guano and nitrates period returned to power and the solution they found was stamped by a mentality of latifundization and land ownership.

This is a period that Mariategui himself. Peru enter an era of borrowing to revamp its economy, but this did not really make things better. After making a critical analysis of the present phase of Peruvian history of economic evolution, Mariategui discovered three things. There is the co- of primitive communism, the feudal system and the bourgeoisie economy. So the present phase of the Peruvian history is a mixture of three different systems striving in one economy. But Mariategui was bent to erase feudalism, the bourgeoisie capitalism and to revise the primitive communism and build up modern socialism.

But among these three, Capitalism was too glaring in the coast. It had eaten up the Peruvian economy. While assessing Peru, his springboard was the capitalist22 society and the way it had internationalized human life and forged material bonds between all peoples which establish

21 Ibid 22 Capitalism is a mode of economic production or an economic system characterized by the fact that the instruments of production such as land, factories and raw materials are controlled to a greater or lesser extent by the private individuals or groups. 8 between them an inevitable solidarity.23 From then onwards the mission of Mariategui became that of building u a new class, socialist class, emerging from the proletariat who will subsequently succeed the bourgeoisie.24

1.3.3. The Future Phase.

The future phase of history for Mariategui is socialism. It is yet to come. He looks forward to that. He looks forward to that period where there shall be the eradication of all private , there shall be equality. and greed will vanish. There will be equal rights for all. As the leader of the in Peru, he proposed a reform for the Peruvian peoples. This was a socialist reform and it was to be achieved by force. The oppressors were to be forced by the proletariat and peasants to released their exploitation tendencies and turn towards the consolidation of the Peruvian economy. Speeches and resolutions were to be use, but a revolution was inevitable.

1.4. MARIATEGUI’S POSTULATION OF THE PROBLEMS FACING PERU 1.4.1. The Indian Problem

The Indian25 problem is also known as the indigenous problems. The Indians were the Original inhabitants of Peru. During the conquest these people were relegated to the background. Their lands were taken over by the Spaniards and they were rendered landless. Now Mariategui comes into the picture. In his second Essay, he says that the problem of the Indian is rooted in the land tenure system of the economy. 26 Its cause as he says is not to be found in the country’s administrative legal or ecclesiastic machinery, its staunch, dualistic, pluralistic, cultural or moralistic condition.

The problem of the Indian was placed within the socio-economic system. As system that has oppressed the Indian for centuries.27 From this build up Carlos strongly asserts that if the Indian problem is socio-economic, it will be political as well. It stands glaring how Mariategui logically

23 Anthology, 296 24 Anthology, 212. 25 The Red Indians are the original inhabitants of Peru. They form part of what was called the Ica empire was destroyed at the dawn of Spanish colonization. Though they were scattered all over the place. But they still remain as the original inhabitants of Peru 26 Mariátegui, José Carlos. “Essay Two: The problem of the Indian.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality. Austin: University of Texas Press 1971), 22 27 Ibid, 32. 9 makes sure that the economic facts should surface first before any other. Being a Marxist and a Lenist at the same time, Mariategui posited that the land tenure system determine the political and administrative systems of the Peruvian economy. He found out as already mentioned in the historical process that the Inca economy was based on different forms of collective ownership of farm land, water, pasture and woodland as well as labour28. Karl Marx, often refers to this in his historical process as primitive communism29

These forms were destroyed by Spanish colonial rule and its feudal organization of economy. As the colonial regime proved incapable of establishing a productive feudal structural economy what followed was the bringing of black people to Peru as slaves. At this juncture, the Indian population gradually reduced drastically. In the final end slavery was doomed to fail as a means of economic exploitation of the colony and as a reinforcement of a regime based only on conquest and force.30 At the dawn of Peruvian Independence, and Independence, the problem of the Indian was not solved. Mariategui would say that though servitude was abolished, it did not reduce the privileges of the landholding aristocracy, which continued to be the dominant class in the country. The Indians remained in factual servitude and unprotected.31 After exposing this Indian problem, Mariategui in very strong terms assert that for the Indian problem to be solve a revolution is inevitable. This is Marx’s line of thought.32 In very clear terms Mariategui firmly holds that the society of the Indians would only be assimilated or transubstantiated through a socialist revolution. ‘He considers primitive communism that already fairly existed among the Indian characterized by a communal distribution of Land, typical of the Indian society, inherently carried seeds of a socialism in its midst.33

1.4.2. Latifundization

As Mariategui pushes further with his argument, he unravels another problematic burning issue that was eating up Peru. This is latifundization. Latifundization flourished in the coast. It was a form capitalist technique although its exploitation was still based on feudal practices and

28 Ibid, 35 29 Waddington, (1974), Outline of Marxists Philosophy, (Lawrence and Waddington Ltd), 73. 30 The problem of the Indian.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality, 35 31 The problem of the Indian.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality, 32. 32 Waddington, (1974), Outline of , (London :Lawrence and Waddington Ltd). 75. 33 Becker, (2006) Mariategui, and the Indigenous Question in Latin America Vol 7, No.4 ( science and society), 463 10 principles. Within the confines of latifundization is the accumulation of large property. Within the capitalist system, large property replaces and banishes small agricultural property. Industrialization of agriculture is accompanied by accumulation of agrarian property. Though large property seemed to be justified by interest of production which are identified at least in theory with the interest of society. The case of latifundization did not meet the economic needs.34

1.4.3. Work System- Serf and Wage Earner

When one takes a critical look at the agrarian system in Peru in Mariategui’s time one finds out as he says, that, the work system was chiefly determined by the property system. This is tied up with the character of latifundization. For feudal latifundization, servitude in its varied ways survived in Peru under the varied names. Coastal agriculture in the 1920 had improved rapidly but it took a rather capitalist bent in cultivation, processing and sale of crops. According to Carlos, there was very little progress when it came to the condition of labour. Still soaked in the spirit of feudalism, the worker remained a serf.35

The land holding class in Peru regarded labour from the perspective of slave owners and slave traders, since most of them were blacks brought from Africa. Although the landowners were not legally entitled to their feudal or semi-feudal rights, their position of dominance and their vast estates in a territory without industries and without transportation gave them almost unrestricted power. Even when the labourers were not physically a slave, the labour conditions had turned them into some sort of slavery because their wages were determined by the landowners. This kind of reality takes one back to the period of feudalism in medieval Europe as Karl Marx narrates in his historical process. Under this kind of system there is no free labour system. The plantations owners care less about the productivity of land, only about the income he receives from it and he reduced the to two land and Indian. Ownership of land permits him to exploit the Indians36

1.4.4. The Agrarian Problem

34 Mariátegui, José Carlos. “Essay Three: The Land problem.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality 35 Ibid 36 Mariátegui, José Carlos. “Essay Three: The Land problem.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality 11

It is a proven fact that today three fourths of Latin America’s people live in cities, most of the region’s countries still depend on agriculture to supply a major portion of their income. Latin American countries export or sell to other countries, much of what their farm produces such as banana, sugarcane and coffee.37 Peru being one of the Latin countries is not left out. Mariategui lamented on the nature of agriculture in Peru. He found out the kind of agriculture practiced in Peru was a great obstacle to development. Large or medium tenants famers work together with the landless peasants work on land owned by landlords while simultaneouly managing their own estates.

The point he raises here is, those who own land are the urban based political and economic elite who are completely ignorant of and remotely connected to agriculture and its problems. They employ and utilize the of the peasants and the landless labourers to extract maximum profit and by minimizing their wages. Overtime they have ample resources but contribute to no work or intelligence to the economic activity of the rural country side. They are also not interested in mechanization of agriculture as they perceive it will lead to dip in their profit margins. This group of aristocrats Mariategui calls unproductive consumers. Their inherited income is considered by him as a feudal privilege. Such is the reason that Carlos perceives is the reason that led to destruction of the agrarian economy and society of Peru. 38

The latifundization was another reason for the abysmal agrarian economic growth in Peru. Mariategui posited that with the prevalence of feudalism in some parts of Peru, it becomes practically difficult to create wealth which was according to Marx a necessary condition that would speed up the formation of organised labour. Crops yields were poor, farming methods were primitive. Along the coast agriculture was subjugated to the interest of the British and North America. With such interest agriculture was not allowed to develop according to the specific need of the national economy that is first of all to feed the population, and also adopting and trying new crops. Carlos points out that although there had been prosperity in the coast, it was still incapable of attending to the problems of rural health. Latifundization really stood as a barrier to the development of Peruvian agriculture and to immigration.

37 Michael Parfit (1996) Tanjuana and the Boarders; National geographic (Geo Journal) 237. 38 Mariátegui, José Carlos. “Essay Three: The Land problem.” Seven Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality

12

1.5. THE PROPOSAL OF MARIATEGUI 1.5.1. A call for Revolution

After analyzing the issues of the native Indians and concluding that it was a socio-economic problem, tied up to the land tenure system, he declared feudalism as a depraving system. For the land problem to be resolve feudalism was to be eradicated in all forms. This to him was not to be done at the level of the administrative, ecclesial, or through some sort of speeches but by a revolution. By this Mariategui proposes the emergence of a revolutionary class, a revolutionary class that will comprise of workers and peasants. By this he maintained that the Indian society will be transformed through a socialist revolution.

Latin America and Peru in particular lacks an urban based proletariat class and seemed not ready for a revolution. But as the head of the socialist party he felt he had to stir up the people. He suggested that the native Indians had to unite with other oppressed classes of Peru to fight their way through. Theirs he declared, was an international socialism a worldwide movement.39 He declared that power had to be seized through violence and should be defended in dictatorship. For him a revolution is a bloody process through which things are born.

1.5.2. Eradication of Feudalism

Feudalism according to Mariategui was a system that was exploiting the labouring class in Peru. He saw it as a system that still enslaved many even in modern times, where in many were burdened with work and only a few were reaping the fruits. He sees it as a system that was consciously chosen and practiced by the Spanish colonizers. For Karl Marx he says it just as yet another stage of the state affairs in the history of European development. The whole agenda of feudalism is latifundization and the acquiring of huge property and estates. Such a practice for Mariategui was not welcomed in Peru.

39 Mariategui Jose Carlos, (1928), Aniversario, Balance: Amuata () 13

1.5.3 Eradication of Capitalism One of the aspects of capitalism is that it is a in which labour power is a .40 People’s ability to work is purchased on the market by the capitalist, who owns the means of production and employs the worker for specific ends. According to Karl Marx the capitalist exploitation consists of the fact that the value of the worker’s wage is less than the value of the product he creates. This gap overtime accumulates in the form of that is taken over by the capitalists. In such a situation the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The rich creates surplus value but the worker lives by bare minimum. The owner of the means of production here is called the bourgeoisie while the worker is called the proletariat. Now in the Peruvian context this is what was happening. There was exploitation of the native Indians as they could not decide their wages. Their wages were decided by the bourgeoisie who has got the money. Mariategui thus calls for an eradication of this system and proposes a move to socialism. He follows the line of thought of Karl Marx. He also feels like Karl Marx that for this to happen a revolution is inevitable. The tension between the bourgeoisie and proletariat has reached its height. Class interest is the primary motive force of history especially the class interest between the bourgeoisie and proletariat as the great lever of modern social change.41

He was concerned with the well being of the original inhabitants of Peru who were sideline in all aspects of societal life. There were not given proper education, there were victims of the oppressed feudalistic society, and before this even they had been dislodge from their original state of affairs and their land was seized. They were the proletariat group under the capitalist system. Theirs since Spanish colonization was a history of oppression and suppression. Mariategui did not stand by and watch. He advocated for a Peru that was bathed in basic human equality with basic fundamental rights for all. He wanted a Peru wherein the original inhabitants the Indians will feel at home in their own country. So he advocated for all bad system like feudalism, capitalism and latifundization that kept people in captivity.

2.1.2. Proposal of a Socialist Society Mariategui after seeing the degrading situation of other forms of administration in Peru, he proposed that socialism or social transformation was the only forward. Socialism as his predecessors have posited is the attempt to reconstruct society on the basis of the common

40 D.Runes, “Marx Karl” in Dictionary of Philosophy, Peter Owen Press, London 1950, 44. 41 K. Waddington, Outline of Marxist Philosophy, 80. 14 ownership of the means of production.”42 Such reconstruction is undertaken in reaction to individualism and capitalism; on the thesis that these movements lead to exploitation of the proletariat by owners of the means of production.”43 He was following this line of thought. A socialist reform for him was inevitable and would be achieved by a revolution.

As a Marxist he saw a socialist revolution as the shift of control over the process of production from the minority of capitalists, managers and bureaucrats to the producers themselves. Such a move makes it possible the breakdown of the hierarchical divisions of labour and the antagonistic relationships among groups of workers in a stratification system. And he like Karl Marx shows hatred to the philanthropists who wanted to improve things only within the present system of capitalism.44 One would elevate Mariategui for standing for such values. This has made him to earn fame in the eyes of Latin American scholars

2.1.3. Agricultural and Education reform Mariategui argued that the Peruvian economy to a very great extent depended on agriculture and related activities and hence feared that the bourgeoisie would completely wreck the agrarian economy. He proposed an agricultural reform; reform which caters first for the needs of the indigenous population, before thinking of export and global trade. He was against primitive agriculture and made moves towards the establishment of better means for commercial and sustainable agriculture. He was very concerned about the agrarian situation in Peru as it meant exploitation by the over the rest. In order to spread this radical idea of a revolution, he joined the university student movement and fought for the removal of teachers who were pro- capitalist. He realised that for the kind of that he preached education had to reach the masses. He thus informed the natives to become educated and stated that it was a right for all to be allowed to become educated and literate. Apart from this Mariategui can be credited for - undertaking comparative studies and for his wide of examining the political economies and their trajectories of other third world nations.

42RIUS, (1976), Marx for Beginners, ( New York: Pantheon Books), 46. 43Ibid, 46 44 The concept of History and Society in the Philosophy of Karl Marx. 21. 15

CONCLUSION

No one would deny the fact, that economic factors have largely influenced history. Before everything, “man must live, must find food clothing and shelter. Mariategui in outlining the economic evolution of Peru defines most of it in economic categories. He like Karl Marx places economic activity at the centre of the historical process. One will agree with Mariategui that many societies have in history experienced tension between the privileged and the underprivileged. If one kind of follows his line of thought one finds there is inherent class struggle in Peru.

He made a careful narration of the evolution of the Peruvian economy and the problems that it encountered since the time of the Spanish colonization. As seen above he examined the agrarian situation through a Marxist framework and exposed the underlying capitalist and feudal . His understanding of history, his critique of economics as a scientific expression of the existing socioeconomic order, his ethical ideas, and his conception of the state, division among classes and revolution, his notion of a socialist and are all based upon his way of understanding what it is it to be a human.