Marxist and Neo-Marxist international relations theories are positivist paradigms which reject the realist/liberal view of state conflict or cooperation; instead focusing on the economic and material aspects. It makes the assumption that the economic trumps other concerns; allowing for the elevation of class as the focus of study. Marxists view the international system as an integrated capitalist system in pursuit of capital accumulation. Thus, the period of colonialism brought in sources for raw materials and captive markets for exports, while decolonialization brought new opportunities in the form of dependence. International Relations Theory Realism Liberalism Idealism Neoconservatism Institutionalism Functionalism Marxism Critical theory Isolationism The term realism comes from the German compound word Realpolitik, from the words real (meaning realistic, practical, or actual) and politik (meaning politics). It focuses on the balance of power among nation-states. ... Liberalism holds that state preferences, rather than state capabilities, are the primary determinant of state behavior. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Capitalism The page is about the economic system. ... Most generally, the accumulation of capital refers simply to the gathering or amassment of objects of value; the increase in wealth; or the creation of wealth. ... World map of colonialism at the end of the Second World War in 1945. ...

Marxist theories receive scant attention in the United States where no significant socialist party ever existed. They are more common in parts of Europe and elsewhere. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view, because it describes socialism in terms that would not apply to contemporary governments which consider themselves socialist, such as those of Sweden and Denmark. ...

Leninism

Main articles: Leninism, and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]]

Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism (the forerunner of Communism) and is a branch in its own right (it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ...

Dependency theory

Main articles: Dependency theory, and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]]

Linked in with Marxist theories is dependency theory which argues that developed countries, in their pursuit of power, penetrate developing states through political advisors, missionaries, experts and MNCs to integrate them into the integrated capitalist system in order to appropriate natural resources and foster dependence by developing countries on developed countries. Dependency theory is the body of social science theories by various intellectuals, both from the Third World and the First World, that create a worldview which suggests that the wealthy nations of the world need a peripheral group of poorer states in order to remain wealthy. ... Dependency theory is the body of social science theories by various intellectuals, both from the Third World and the First World, that create a worldview which suggests that the wealthy nations of the world need a peripheral group of poorer states in order to remain wealthy. ...

World System Theory

Immanuel Wallerstein Immanuel Wallerstein (born 1930) is a U.S. sociologist. ...

Criticisms

Realists and liberals criticize Marxist theories for being outdated particularly after the collapse of communism across Russia and Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War. Postpositivist disagree with Marxists' elevation of class as the most important aspect. For the generic term for a high-tension struggle between countries, see cold war (war). ...

See also

• International relations theory
• Critical international relations theory
• Marxism