Marxist believe the conventional families are the foundations of capitalism it does this in many way; Private property inheritance, Marxists believe that all functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system. One of the key factors determining how our society plays in to the hands of capitalism is was who inherits Private property. Engles, Marx friend and supporter, argues that a monogamous nuclear family has become essential in society as men had to be certain of the parentage of their offspring to guarantee that their legitimate heir inherit from them. In Engels eyes this made for a ‘historical defeat for the female sex’ suggesting that woman were now under men’s control and just mere of object to provide offspring to become a heir to the inheritance. Marxist altercate that woman will never receive liberation from patriarchal control with the means of capitalism and private ownership nearby.
Sociology homework- Essay In this essay, I am going to be evaluating the Marxist claim that the family exists to support the continuation of the capitalist system. Marxism is a structural, social conflict theory. A social conflict theory is one that believes in a major conflict between two groups in society. The Marxist view, is that the ruling class (Bourgeoisie) exploit the working class (Proletariat) for profits. This is the opposite of functionalism, a structural consensus theory, which believes that society is based on agreement and it functions properly.
Marxism sees religion as a feature which is only relevant in a society based on class division I.E the ruling classes and the working classes. They believe that with the beginning of true communism after the social revolution religion, in classless society will disappear. Marxists believe that religion and the institutions linked with it such as churches and the education system is controlled by the same ruling classes which control economic production. They argue that religion as a belief system distorts people’s perception of reality in such a way that benefits the ruling class. For
Outline and assess functionalist and new right views on the family This essay aims to explore the views of the functionalist and new rights approach on the family. Functionalists argue that the family is the most important institution in society as it benefits both the individual and society. They have the most positive view on the family, and state that it performs vital functions for the maintenance of society. Their main emphasis is on the nuclear family which is the stereotypical family of married, heterosexual parents with children - they tend to ignore any other family types. The approach presents the family as a family isolated from wider kinships because of the mobility required by labour markets in industrial societies.
Assess the contribution of Marxism to our understanding of the role of education (20 Marks) In terms of education, Marxists see it based on class division and capitalist exploitation. Marxists see education as functioning to prevent revolution by reproducing class inequality and therefore maintaining capitalism. However this is a very negative view of education. Functionalists see education as a shared culture or value consensus; we perform functions that maintain society as a whole. Importantly functionalists see education based on meritocratic principles which is a big difference to the point of view that Marxists have.
Socialists have often traced this inequality in society to the institution of private property. This principle of common ownership, sets them apart from other ideologies such as Liebralism and Conservatism. It is argued that the people should have the right to own property but that ownership of property should not be so concentrated into such few hands that it damages the interests of society or the community. In regards to community, this is another of its traditional principles that is based upon a broadly positive view of human nature. They believe that individuals are capable of surmounting social and economic challenges through collective action and harnessing the power of the community.
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.
Karl Marx was one of the founders of sociology. He focused on the effects of capitalism. He thought that the economic system of the society determined the beliefs and values of that society. Marxists believe that the most important force in society is class conflict. In capitalist societies, workers are employed to produce goods which are sold by their employers at a profit.
Marxism is a structuarlist ideology which means that they paying attention to social institutions and structures over individuals, and it was Karl Marxs (1945) who came up with it. The belief that society is divided into the bourgeoisie, who own the "means of production", and the proletariat, who do the work, also known as upper class and working class. The bourgeoisie or capitalist class exploit the workers, and arrange society to keep the workers down. Most of the profit from the work that the working class do is kept by the bourgeoisie. Now, when we know the definitions, we can look at the Marxism view of education.