After-Shock and Social Conflict Theory Social Conflict theory, or approach, is a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. (Macionis J., 2011) Just as Macionis describes this social conflict in the book Society, The Basics—11th Edition, that this approach highlights how factors such as class, race, ethnicity, gender and age are linked to inequality in terms of money, power, education and social prestige, there are many examples of this in Robert B. Reich’s After-Shock, The Next Economy and America’s Future. In chapters two and three of Reich’s After-Shock, he describes situations and compares both the great depression of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s with the recession of the late 2000’s and the years prior to each describing what the economy was like and the situation the people of America were in at these times. During these 2 chapters, Reich points out several elements of social conflict theory between the people of different classes and the money and wealth that separates them. During this essay I will point out a couple examples of these elements of social conflict theory in Reich’s analysis and I will also point out some of the data that he draws upon to make this argument.
Understanding “The Diamond Necklace” Using the Marxist perspective The short story, “The Diamond Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant demonstrates the class system between the proletariat, represented by Madame Loisel and her husband, and the bourgeoisie, which is represented in the story as Madame Forestier and how these classes are in conflict with each other. The short story also has the idea of sign value and how it affects people. Lastly, it also has the idea that there’s false consciousness. All of these ideas are Marxist and this approach helped bring great insight into the story and helps give you a better insight into the story. “The Diamond Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant has a class conflict within it, which can be seen when the reader is using the Marxist approach.
He frames this separation of the classes as a struggle and a constantly losing battle for one group or the other (mostly for the poor). He explicitly states, “society as a whole is more and more splitting in to two great hostile camps, [….] Bourgeoisie and Proletariat” (Marx 338). Right away, Marx hopes to use this to build an argument that the current relations between the two classes is an illusion and that the proletariat are playing the zero-sum game, with the Bourgeoisie, that is capitalism. In direct contrasts to this, Carnegie believes that, in the capitalist system, the relations between the two classes is more symbiotic in nature.
Karl Marx Class Conflict and Today’s Perspectives Class-conflict is a word many also refer to as class warfare or class struggle. This type of tension or antagonism exists in society due to competitive socioeconomical interests and desires between people of different classes. There are many forms of class-conflict, such as starvation, unsafe working conditions, poverty, violence, cheap labor, and many more. Political and legal forms of class conflict also exist. Some examples of such would be, illegally lobbying or bribing government leaders to gain passage of certain laws, or tax codes.
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).
In the article, Marx attempt to clarify the goals of Communism, as well as underline the theory behind the movement. Marx discusses the class struggles and redefines the relationships among different classes. The bourgeois, who represent the upper class, hold the most money and are rulers over the proletarians, who have to work for their everyday living. Marx describes how “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles” and how this battle between classes is “haunting Europe” in the name of communism (57, 56). Throughout history there have been bourgeois and proletarians, in ancient Rome patricians, knights, plebeians and slaves (57).
Within these societies people would fight for ownership of land. Eventually the feudalistic society will give way to what Karl Marx called capitalism, where a society is driven by money. Karl Marx was a famous sociologist and well known for his studies on social class. His name is where we get the term Marxism from. He looked to overthrow the capitalist system in favour of the structuralist approach (Perry, 2009).
Each class, bar the king and queen, served the class above them. However, in the Manifesto, these class antagonisms have been whetted down to two rival societies - the Proletariat and the Bourgeoisie. Marx argues that though times have changed, the exploiter in the feudal system has now simply been replaced with the equivalent of a capitalist exploiter. The two classes’ struggle, in Marx’s view, means that there must be a revolution to the new ways of socialism. The bourgeoisie view that the feudal system of ruling was one of massive
As this capitalist industrial system spread, reactions in the form of socialist thought increased making it obvious that there was a dyer need for a revolution. This theory spread throughout the world into the early 20th century. After many socio-economic changes nations began to base their socialist/communist views on the ideologies of Karl Marx. Marx believed that the injustice in capitalism determined that the industrial working class
Karl Marx was the main thinker behind Marxism and he believed that society was spilt up between two groups the bourgeoisie who are the rich and the powerful who control society and the polartariant who are the poor and working class. There is a conflict between them two groups thus causing Marxism to be a conflict theory.