1.2.1

Marxism

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Marxism

Marxism is an economic and social theory developed by Karl Marx (1818-1883). Marxism sees society as divided by conflict between two opposing social classes (the working class and the middle class).

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Key ideas

  • Marx argued that in order to understand the development of society, it’s necessary to examine how people produce the things they need to live (or subsist).
  • The term ‘mode of production’ refers to the way people produce the means of subsistence.
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The mode of production

  • According to Marx, there are two key aspects of the mode of production:
    • The means of production.
    • The social relations of production.
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Capitalist means of production

  • Under the capitalist mode of production (capitalism) these include:
    • Capital (money).
    • Machinery.
    • Factories.
    • Land.
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Marx and capitalism

  • Marx was critical of capitalism (an economic system in which private owners of capital invest money in businesses to make a profit) because he saw it as unfair.
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Social relations of production

  • The social relations of production are the relationships between people as they engage in production.
  • The two main social classes are the bourgeoisie (the middle classes) and the proletariat (the working classes).

Social Class

Marx argued that the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat was the key to social change.

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Main social classes

  • The bourgeoisie:
    • The minority ruling (middle) class who own the means of production and private property (e.g. factory owners).
  • The proletariat:
    • The majority working class who own nothing other than their ability to work as labourers (e.g. factory workers).
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Other classes

  • Other classes include:
    • The petty bourgeoisie (small business owners).
    • Lumpenproletariat (the underclass or ‘dropouts’) who sometimes sell their services to the bourgeoisie.
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Exploitation

  • The bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat by making money or profiting from their labour.
  • According to Marx, the gap in the resources of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat would widen over time, while the petty bourgeoisie would sink into the proletariat.
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Class struggle

  • Marx argued that the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat was the key to social change and that eventually the proletariat would develop a class consciousness (see themselves as a social class with common interests) and would overthrow the capitalist class, leading to a period of social revolution and a move to communism.
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Communism

  • Under communism, the means of production would be held communally (by everyone) rather than the minority and a classless society will emerge.

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1The Sociological Approach

1.1Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?

1.1.2Culture & Socialisation

1.2Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism

1.2.2Marxism 2

1.2.3Functionalism

1.2.4Feminism

1.3The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach

2Families

2.1Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family

2.1.2Marxist Views on Family

2.1.3Feminist Views on Family

2.2Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?

2.2.2Nuclear Family

2.2.3Families in a Global Context

2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity

2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity

2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms

2.3Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles

2.4Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline

2.4.2Domestic Abuse

2.4.3Symmetrical Family

2.5Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families

2.5.2Marxist Views of Families

2.5.3Feminist Views of Families

2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate

2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families

2.6Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate

2.6.2Consequences of Divorce

2.6.3Functionalist Views

2.6.4Marxist Views

2.6.5Feminist Views

2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce

3Education

3.1Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach

3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives

3.1.3Types of School

3.1.4Alternative Education

3.1.5State & Private Schools

3.2Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes

3.2.2External Processes

3.3Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success

3.3.2Social Class & Education

3.3.3Social Class & External Factors

3.3.4Gender & Education

3.3.5Ethnicity & Education

3.3.6Parental Choice

3.3.7History of UK Education Policy

3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy

3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education

4Crime & Deviance

4.1The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance

4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime

4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime

4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime

4.2Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control

4.2.2Formal Social Control

4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime

4.3Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime

4.3.2Social Class & Crime

4.3.3Gender & Crime

4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime

4.3.5Age & Crime

4.3.6Criminal Responsibility

4.3.7The Prison System

4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime

4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime

4.4Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime

4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

5Social Stratification

5.1Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?

5.1.2Functionalism

5.1.3Socio-Economic Class

5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 2

5.1.5Life Chances

5.1.6The Affluent Worker

5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion

5.2Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty

5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty

5.2.3Explanations of Poverty

5.2.4Impact of Globalisation

5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue

5.3Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber

5.3.2Sociological Perspectives

5.3.3Power Relationships

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority

6Sociological Research Methods

6.1Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design

6.1.2The Scientific Method

6.1.3Other Considerations

6.1.4Primary Sources

6.1.5Secondary Sources

6.1.6Surveys

6.1.7Sampling

6.1.8Questionnaires

6.1.9Interviews

6.1.10Observation

6.1.11Statistics

6.1.12Case Studies

6.1.13Longitudinal Studies

6.1.14Ethnography

6.1.15Experiments

6.1.16Small Scale Research

6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

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Culture & Socialisation

Marxism 2