Progressive DBQ In the history of the United States the progressives attempted to change the lives of United States citizens for the better. Progressives are reformers who worked to improve social and political problems, beginning in the late 1800’s. During the industrialization era many reformers came together to solve the difficulties of society. There were several reform groups such as, the Populist Party and Muckrakers. Their goals were to help make life better for immigrants.
Throughout the duration of this essay, I will begin with exploring the idea and concept of postmodernism, and then move on to depict and evaluate these claims made by post-modernists in more depth. Postmodernism is a late 20th century phenomena that argues there has been a departure from modernism. There have been many changes which have led to this new epoch known as postmodernity. Most importantly, there has been a new form of society, brought about by fundamental changes in the nature of society. There are three distinct characteristics that allow us to recognize the difference from modernity; changes in capitalism, changes in the consumer society, and the rise of a global society.
Marx believed that societies grew and changed due to struggles of different social classes. Durkheim believed in studying the “social facts,” which would help determine if a society was healthy or pathological. Weber’s focus on the structure of society included the elements of class, status and power. Each sociologist had a great influence in the field of sociology, but took different approaches to studying societies. Sociology enables us to understand how society functions and under which circumstances.
It was developed by other sociologists in the 20th century and was a popular idea until the 1970s when it came under criticism from new ideas. Functionalism is most often associated with sociology and sociocultural anthropology. Functionalism focuses on the structure and workings of society. Functionalists see society as made up of inter-dependent sections which work together to fulfill the functions necessary for the survival of society as a whole. People are socialized into roles and behaviours which fulfill the needs of society.
Between the years 1825-1850, Americans has entered a new stage where we sought to expand democratic ideals in our society. We have shifted some of the way we are living and made changes on our traditional principles. Some reforms that we believed helped expand our ideals include temperance, abolition, women right’s, and religions. These reforms, which the people believe, would make America as a “utopian” society. Some of these reform movements failed but some didn’t, for example, The Second Great Awakening led a path for equal rights and the desire to bring order and control.
Do classical approaches to class remain relevant to contemporary societies? Your answer should refer to the work of Marx and/or Weber. ‘The word class has been used to describe broad and diffuse groupings within a national population that are seen as forming a set of layers or strata in a hierarchy, as in the terms ‘upper’, ‘middle’ and ‘lower’ class’. (Crompton and Scott, 2000, pg.1) Class has been a key subject in sociological debate. Recently however the debate has shifted from the classical questions that Marx and Weber were asking over a century ago- How is class defined?
In addition, we will examine the impact of decolonization, in which process Asians, Africans, and the people of Latin America created new types of politics and struggles based on their own traditions in interaction with not only the cultures of their colonizers, but an emerging world culture. The state and heritage of the world's peoples, as well as our present conditions, will round out our study. Are we moving into a new world of diversity and opportunity for all, or is that ideal as far away as ever? Benjamin Barber describes the present as a struggle of "jihad versus McWorld"; in so doing, he highlights the difficulty of strengthening democracy when the world faces increased tribal and religious identification on the one hand, and the formation of a homogenizing corporate mass culture on the
“Imagination… can lead to moral clarification.”(1) Savant believes that we must try to imagine why an illegal immigrant chooses to come illegally before we make a judgment call. He goes on to tell two stories of two different, yet similar illegal immigrants and their (though illegal choice) morally correct choice. He closes in stating that “The survival and growth of our own civilization may well depend upon our imagining better.”(2). In other words, to achieve a better society we must imagine a better society. What Savant fails to provide in his article though, is both sides of immigration.
Structural theories such as functionalism and Marxism are macro (large scale), and deterministic: they see society as a real thing existing over and above us, shaping our ideas and behaviour – individuals are like puppets, manipulated by society. Social action theorists use qualitative research methods to gather an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons behind such behaviour. This method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where and when, for example, covert or overt participant observations and unstructured interviews. Structural approaches use methods that are scientific, as they want quantitative data (e.g. questionnaires and surveys).
The plan pressed for modernization, boasting the fallacious slogan "modernization or downfall." The movement focused on priming the economy after World War II by rebuilding the nation's basic industries. It was continually expanded to integrate agriculture, welfare and housing. There is speculation that Baudrillard’s early stance as a structuralist was likely influenced by the plan’s "official and indicative government policy." As structuralist philosophy suggests, the system preceeds the subject – in the case of the Monnet plan, people would be viewed as subjects (or cogs) in a system, and therefore achieved meaning in relation to their work towards a greater goal (modernization) for the system.