Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat” (Marx and Engels 1848). Social class, therefore, is based upon economic criteria and conflict occurs between those who own the means of production (bourgeoisie) and the wage-labourers (proletariat). As well as having economic control over the proletariat, the bourgeoisie also have the power to determine the superstructure; the ruling class can distort perceptions of the world and hide the true nature of social relationships and the exploitation of the proletariat and, above all, promote bourgeoisie interests. Marx defines production as workers selling their labour for wages in order to exchange money for commodities that will meet their most basic needs. As Marx
Assess the usefulness of Marxist approaches to an understanding of crime and deviance in contemporary society Marxist criminologists argue that the state passes laws which support ruling-class interests, and maintain its control and power over the subject class. They put forward the view that laws do not reflect value consensus, but instead reflect the values of ruling class ideology. Therefore, laws work towards false class consciousness, as laws only benefit the ruling minority. Many Marxists also argue that there are a vast number of laws protecting property, and Snider (1993) argued the state is often reluctant to pass laws which might threaten profitability. She also argued capitalist states often pour large amounts of money into attracting business; for example offering new investors tax concessions and grants.
“It follows that people should enjoy the liberty to manage their own lives, associate as they please, exchange with anyone and everyone, own and accumulate property and otherwise be creative by state expansion into their lives” (Tucker, n.p.). Capitalism is defined as “an economic system in which property resources are privately owned and markets and prices are used to direct and coordinate economic activities” (Economics, p. G-2). Capitalism promises nothing, but gives you opportunities to earn what you want. Too often we hear people use the term Capitalism like it is a bad thing, the reason for all of our economic troubles. When things do not always turn out the way that they are supposed to and take a turn for the worse, primarily the blame is pointed in the direction of Capitalism.
According to Marx – in a capitalist society, the economic relationship of exploitation requires ideologies in the superstructure to cover up inequality – they are not innocent/neutral because they justify inequality and serve the interest of powerful groups. Marx argued that the organisation of production in a society shapes the nature of society – refers to this as base/superstructure. The base of the infrastructure is the economy – determines the ideas of society and superstructure – social, cultural, political and ideological parts of society. All history can be divided into five epochs/period; primitive consumerism – everything is shared, in class
Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess different Marxist views of the relationship between crime and social class. (21) The traditional Marxists believe that the main cause of crime is the capitalist society. They believe that crime is inevitable because capitalism is criminogenic, by it’s very nature it causes crime. David Gordon argues that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system and hence it is found in all social classes, even thought the statistics make it seem to be a largely working class phenomenon,. Poverty may mean that crime is the only way that the working class can survive, as crime may e the only way that they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by the capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft.
As a result, it is possible to interpret the industrialization like another form of slavery because it is a nuisance to the worker’s freedom. Indeed, it is a fact; factories owner have a total control on the workers. They take decision without any consent, and they only seek their profits. In fact, Sam tells us about the factories owners’ behavior by denouncing the changes in the lunch hours. (Patch, 67) It is true that the workers are proud of their skills especially the spinners like in Sam Patch, but sometimes fighting back is an obligation.
Using material from Item A and elsewhere assess different Marxist views of the relationship between crime and social class. Traditional Marxism sees capitalist society as divided into two classes: the ruling capitalist class (or bourgeoisie) who own the means of production, and the working class (or proletariat), who’s alienated labour the bourgeoisie exploit to produce profit. Marxism is a structural theory. It sees society as a structure in which the economic base (the capitalist economy) determines the shape of the superstructure, which is made up of all the other social institutions, including the state, the law and the criminal justice system. Their function is to serve ruling-class interests and maintain the capitalist economy.
Outline and assess Marxist theories of crime. Marxist theories of crime are based on conflict. They claim that society is divided by capitalism and there is a conflict between the upper-classes and the working-classes. They suggest that social inequality is a cause of crime saying that the law is made by the upper class (bourgeoisie) to benefit the ruling class and is harsh towards the working class. Marxist writers such as Chambliss suggest that the majority of the working-classes are exploited by the owners of big businesses and the government.
The bureaucratic model operates like a cooperation that has CEO’s going downward to the labors. In the bureaucratic model they are hands on with illegal activities on a greater level and keep associates from an indiscriminate organization. Not like the patron-client model were they are not certainly connected to the individuals and create close associations. Accountabilities are mainly brought out in an uncongenial way and they keep a broad division of labor (Abadinsky, 2007). The commands come from the boss and are passed down to the second in command to put in effect the commands.
The article, Why I love Shoplifting, talks about the unfair treatment that big corporations force upon citizens of the world. The essay explains and expresses the opinions of a shoplifter and why she steals from corporations. The author gives valid reasons for why people shoplift and why it is acceptable for them to do it. In the essay, the author analyzes the pros and cons of shoplifting in order to establish a credible connection with the audience, thus providing a credible connection with them. Using the collective knowledge of ex-corporation workers, the author uses rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos to express the true nature of the shoplifter’s intentions.