Critically discuss and compare the ideas of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim about the Division of Labor in Society in the emerging 18th century European industrial society. Essay

The debate surrounding the period of the 18th century in relation to the social structures prevalent at the time mainly centered around three theorists, two of whom shall be compared and contrasted in this essay. The Industrial revolution of the 18th century began a whole new social system characterized by class division, concentration of power in few people’s hands and oppression (Mcllelan: 1980). Money and wealth became the force behind society and production became the main means of achieving it. However, in the process of transition into production type societies, the already existing divisions in society widened, one side were the elite who owned most if not all the wealth, political power and social standing and on the other side, the middle and lower class who had little or nothing (Mcllelan:1980). In economic terms, there were divisions in the structure of labor and the conditions in which the workers were entitled to (Mcllelan: 1980). This period set the foundation for the prevalent structures in labor. Karl Marx and Emille Durkheim were two theorists who put forward theories to try to explain the labor structures and their link to society. However they differed in their views.

KARL MARX
Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a Prussian thinker during the 19th century (Fine: 2004). After attaining his doctorate in Berlin, he moved around Europe with his family living in many different places including London, Paris and Belgium so he was exposed to the different types of worker- employer relations and managed to get a firsthand experience of the changing socio0-economics (Fine: 2004). Marx began to believe that the Industrial revolution had brought about a social system that was oppressive to the not-so-privileged who were the middle and lower classes. He believed that the gap between the poor and the rich had been opened wider and that the rich manipulated the poor (Fine: 2004). He observed that the Industrial revolution occurred rapidly but...