1 - Traditional Marxism

• Marx (1818-83)


  Driving force of all societies is the conflict between rich and poor. The interests of the rich are to not pay their workers. Heart of the system is the 'mode of production' made up by the 'means' - own resources to produce goods (factories, land, money) and the 'relations' - roles and responsibilities to produce goods.
• Relationship of two-class system is unequal, exploitative and create class conflict. The relentless pursuit of profit causes low wages and ruling class take difference in pay and value of goods as 'surplus value'.
• Workers lose jobs as new technology is introduced to increase the output of goods to increase the profits. They are alienated by this process and united by shared experiences.
• A common class experience means, we are a 'class-in-itself'. People accept this as they do not see it as exploitation via indoctrination by ideological apparatuses. They believe the capitalist system is fair and natural as they are suffering from false class consciousness.
• Marx predicted that:

  • Bourgeoisie get richer as competition causes companies to reduce prices, smaller businesses (middle class) would lose business falling into working class. Means of production become concentrated and monopolisation occurs.
  • Proletariat get poorer (pauperisation) as they are paid low wages to maximise profits for the ruling class and are exploited even more.
• Marx predicted that the two classes would polarise until proletariat rise up and overthrow the bourgeoisie to establish a fairer, equal society (communism) and become a 'class-for-itself'.
• Evaluation:

  • Outdated to 19th century - no Trade Unions, growth of middle class and did not fall into working class.
  • Weber believes the two class distinction was inappropriate.
  • Working class actually get higher wages now and cheap consumer goods.
  • Use of machinery has also created more jobs.
  • Dahrendorf suggests working class is fragmented into occupational groups with very different life chances.
  • Growth of shareholders
  • Working class uninterested in revolution as labour means affluent workers and higher standard of living (can be argued to be false class consciousness)
• More evaluation:

  • Communism is discredited - collapsed in Russia
  • Determinist and reductionist as contemporary conflicts are not explained via economic terms (race and gender)
  • No fulfilled predictions
  • Alternative sources of identity, not just class (women's rights)