In this new capitalist period, the more simplified means of production as seen in feudalism, had developed into a “complex industrial state” as stated in Haralambos and Holborn (2008). Capitalism brought a new way to sustain humanity; industrial production. Marxism, as a sociological theory, focuses on the economics of Britain. Lee and Newby (1983) say that to “organize the production of its subsistence” is the most basic human instinct. The economy provides us with our means of survival and defines our society.
If all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. I think that functionalism and the whole theory is similar to the human body all organs have to work together in order for the body to function properly and if one organ fails the whole body is affected. [http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/functionalism.htm] Marxism (Karl Marx 1818-1883) The Marxist theory is based on the unfairness of society through wealth by the capitalist economic system and also the effects it has on individuals and society. Economic structures (financial) and social classes are key to Marxist thinking. Marx’s key principles are: • Humans need to work together to survive • Production is a social activity/enterprise • Human beings need to produce things to survive (food, shelter and material goods) • Land • Natural resources (for production of material goods) • Technology • Labour Karl Marx believed that instead of the above society is made up of economic power and wealth (capitalism).
Karl Marx was a late 19th Century thinker. He saw class as being the central category for analysing social relation and social struggles. This is because he believed that class struggles drive the social changes in our societies ‘The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles’. (Marx, Engels, 1848, pg.8) He viewed class objectively, defining it by the ownership of property. The class struggle’s which Marx refers to above is that of the Bourgeoisie, who own the means of production and the proletariat, who sell their labour.
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.
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
Marxists believe in two defining categories that shape society, the infrastructure and the superstructure. The capitalists reside in the infrastructure, or the economic base. They have the power and capital to both own and control the rest of society. The superstructure plays host to the different institutions of society, such as education, law and media. Marxists believe that the people in economic power ideologically control society by using these
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.
4. Believed industrialism forced people into two rival categories: the middle class and the working class. These classes would always fight for political power, but the middle class would always rule because it owned the factories, property, and money and needed to oppress the workers to stay in power. 5. He advised workers to form unions that would overthrow the middle class.
He believed that someone’s behaviour was shaped by society but he also believed that someone’s social class defined the person within it. It is a method of social analysis that focuses on class relations and societal conflict. Karl Marx also believed that the economic system defined different parts of society and peoples self-worth. Karl Marx believed there were two social classes Bourgeoisie/Capitalists- This social class is
In one side there is the working class fighting for his rights, and on the other side middle and upper class seeking their profits. As a result, frictions occur among the classes leading to a Democratic revolution. The industrial revolution has an important effect on America, but it is also a threat that creates frictions among classes