The Crash Course video “Karl Marx & Conflict Theory” can be used to introduce students to the foundations of critical criminology by highlighting how Marx’s ideas about historical materialism, class struggle, and power help explain the role of law and punishment in maintaining capitalist dominance. The video sets the stage for discussing key criminological concepts such as instrumental and structural Marxism, which interpret the state either as a direct tool of the ruling class or as an institution that preserves capitalism by mediating class conflict. By connecting Marx’s theory to radical and conflict criminology, students can understand how laws often reflect the interests of the powerful, while punishment systems, as argued by scholars like Willem Bonger and Rusche & Kirchheimer, serve to reinforce economic hierarchies.
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