Marxist international relations research method exploration

Source: "Chinese Social Sciences Digest" 2022, No. 6 P111 — P1112

Author: Li Bin Chen Ziyi Unit: The School of Political and International Relations of Tongji University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the original title "On the Research Method of Marxism International Relations -Methods of Evaluation of History and Western Realism Theory", from. "World Economy and Politics", 1221, Zhang Ping and Chen Qian picked up

The study of international relations with Marxism is to study the theory and practice of international relations with historical materialism. The historical materialism method analyzes society and history from the way of production methods. First of all, from the status (class) of various groups in the production process (class) in the production process, analyze social production relations. Based on this, analyze the upper -level building of society, and learn from the basic contradictions of the social production process. The potential motivation of social changes; and then analyzes their reaction to social production from the established elements of the upper -level buildings on their promotion or obstacles. Production relations have become the link between the economic foundation and the upper -level buildings, and are used to examine the interactive relationship between economic and politics. At the same time, Marxist classic writers believe that the most general results abstracted from the development of human history from the investigation of human history have no value if they leave the real history, and it is impossible to provide prescriptions or formulas that can be applied to various historical eras.

The difference between historical materialism and classical realism

At the national level, the path of historical materialism analysis starts from the economic foundation of the country at a certain period of time, combining the specific historical traditions of the country and the corresponding political system analysis of the country's external behavior. This is a "joint force" analysis under specific historical conditions. In the general sense, the logic of capital (the pursuit of surplus value) has spawned the imperialism of the great power. At the specific historical stage, due to the economic characteristics of capitalism at that time and the different characteristics of the political structure and national traditions of various countries, the imperialist policy under the capitalist system was very different from the longitudinal time and horizontal countries.

Compared with classical realism analyzed from the same national level, there are three main differences between the two: first, the understanding of the motivation of the Chinese family behavior in international relations is different. Both believe that the motivation of state behavior is interest, but classical realism believes that the determination of the benefit is the priority humanity. It is human "political animality" that causes conflict between state. Cooperation can only be achieved when the interests are the same or complementary. Historical materialism is based on the economic basis. It does not recognize this priority human nature. It is believed that the nature of human good and evil is shaped by the social environment, and the fundamental determined factor of the social environment is the practice of social production. The production method generated by social production has formed a person's class division, and the class that occupies the dominant position determines national interests according to its needs.

Secondly, there are different views on the inherent mechanism of foreign exchanges. Only in the country can there be conflict and cooperation in exchanges. Historical materialism believes that the inherent motivation of state exchanges is economical, and production is the basis for determining the exchange between state. Economic exchanges have generated social relationships and political relations, thereby incidental relationships, conflicts and contradictions. Classical realism often does not involve exchanges based on production, and avoids the inherent power mechanism of interaction as a self -evident "given". It is based on the economic basis to discuss exchanges and interaction rationality that Marxism blames the fundamental cause of the imperialism under capitalism on the capitalist economic system and reveals the class attributes of national interests.

Finally, the most fundamental difference is the different views of the two. Historical materialism believes that national interests and mechanisms between state exchanges are based on the production relationship of production practice. From the perspective of classical realism, national interests and state exchanges mechanisms are based on abstract human nature and the nature of human nature pursuing power. Historical materialism denies the duplicate and cycle of history, and believes that human production practice is continuously developing, and the contradictions generated by the practical process of social production prompted international relations under different time and space conditions. Classical realism lacks historical changes. The same human nature and the same country pursue the same power. The conflict will not lead to the essential change of the historical process. This is a disguised "historical end conclusion".

The difference between historical materialism methods and structural realism

Compared with the more typical Kennes Waltz's structural realism theory, it can be found that there are three main differences in the theory of the theory of the international relationship structure and realism of historical materialism. An autonomous political structure is completely spontaneous. Therefore, it does not involve the creation of the structure emphasized by historical materialism. In the eyes of historical materialism researchers, the international political and economic structure is shaped by the hegemonic state. This shaping is that the domestic production and exchanges model of hegemony country determines that it requires an international political and economic order to meet its internal production organization methods. As a result, in terms of structural and dynamic relationships, historical materialism emphasizes the structure lies in the active shaping of the active.

Second, Waltz's international political structure is a horizontal structure. The structure under historical materialism is both horizontal (between big countries) and vertical grade (center -to -periphery). There are also "no governance" led by the hegemonic state. Therefore, historical materialism emphasizes the parallel relationship between the great powers, but also the vertical level in the structure. Emphasizing verticality is the tradition of historical materialism. Third, the units in the system are basically the same as the size and functions. They are all entities pursuing security, and the state's response to the external anarch's structure is to develop power interaction on the rationality of "scientific" tools, which eventually leads to the balance. The country in the theory of historical materialism structure has at least the distinction between centers and peripheral countries, and emphasizes the national economic foundation, political system, and historical and cultural traditions. The state will make different reactions based on these uniqueness to structural pressure and restrictions. In structural realism theory, the state's consideration of security is the decisive factor of foreign strategies, which leads to politics to determine the economy. The structure of historical materialism emphasizes the decisive role of the economy. The hegemonic state interaction with the needs of economic needs, and political competition and checks and balances are also for economic benefits in the long run.

Fourth, the role of structural is to guide countries with only tool rational countries to form a power checks and balanced game. The changes in national strength in the system do not affect the nature of the structure -an anarch state. The structure of historical materialism aims to explain the structure of a historical period to promote interaction in accordance with the requirements of the hegemonic state, and to protect the political and economic order that the hegemony country hopes to maintain through the economic, political and cultural joint force reflected in the structure. As a result, the structure of historical materialism and its prescribedness is still the benefit of the power of the hegemony country than the strength advantage of the production organization and its development differences with other countries, which has become the main factor restricting international relations.

The difference between historical materialism methods and neoclassical realism

Neo -classical realism from the state's internal evaluation mechanism of external relative power changes, the difficulty of strategic transformation, the internal political system and the constraints of the interest group, the difficulty of the national recruitment and mobilization capabilities, and the influence of public opinion and the influence of public opinion The reasons why the state cannot follow the "law order" in the face of international relative power changes in the face of international relative power. It is this kind of violation of the "law order" of the structure that has caused the country's foreign strategy to suffer frustration. Finally, the "lost" return to the expected track of the structure, realizing the balance under the structure. Strictly speaking, neoclassical realism still emphasizes the importance of structure. The signal of the structure is the fundamental reason for the final determination of national interests and external behaviors.

Under historical materialism, the relationship between the actor and the structure is a relationship of interaction. The structure is shaped by the actor, and at the same time, it has a restraint for the actor, but this constraint is not absolute. There is a possibility that the active breakthrough structure shackles or even resumes the structure. Under historical materialism methods, international research with international structure and domestic attributes should have four characteristics.

First, the international structure in historical materialism is a political and economic structure. It is established and dominated by the hegemonic country. Through the "synergy" of material power, system and consciousness The structure of the structure is abide by the so -called international political and economic rules. This pressure also compresses the reform/transformation of the country's attributes in various countries in the system to varying degrees, so that it can obtain "legitimacy" in the system.

Second, because the system is both horizontal and hierarchically, the status of countries in the international political and economic system determines their possible response to the structure. "Center -peripheral" is an international embodiment of the historical materialist class analysis. The position of various countries in the world economic level system has shaped their attitude towards structure. The ultimate strategy adopted by a country depends on a variety of factors, and it cannot be mechanically and simplified that its identity in the system determines everything.

Third, at the level of level, whether it is power competition and checks and balance between Western powers, or "coordination" of "super -imperialism", they eventually depend on their world economic model in a specific era. In addition, it also depends on whether the hegemony country declines and what type of great power has risen. In the perspective of historical materialism, the rise and fall of hegemony between Western powers can only be a more than a different capitalist system for the world -leading pursuit.

Fourth, at the vertical level, the response of the peripheral country to the structure is more complicated, which may be both the resistance or follower, or the combination of the two. The same is true of countries in the international system. Factors such as domestic production relations, strategic positions, political and social elites, and leaders' political wisdom have caused refereers in the existing countries, as well as followers and opportunities. There are even Gaobee.

- END -