Chapter 4 - Social Inequality and Social Class Flashcards
______ was One of the most important figures in the development of sociology and the Founder of conflict theory
marx
what inspired marx to come up with the conflict theory
Inspired labour unions and worker’s parties, advocating for worker’s right and safe working conditions - fought for socialism and said other academics should too
who collaborated with marx
redrich engals
Marx argues that ______ struggle is the core struggle in all societies
class
______ is “the economic system in which businesses are privately owned and goods are sold on the market for profit - the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie”
capitalism
explain the conflict between marx talked about, who was it between
conflict between those who own the means of production (capitalists/bourgeoisie) and those who only own their labour (working class/proletariat)
Controlled by small group of wealthy business owners
Founded on internal tensions that make it unsustainable
Marx Argues that historical periods are distinguished by the _____ of _______ of _______ and services that dominated the time
Argues that historical periods are distinguished by the mode of production of goods and services that dominated the time
_________ (acc to marx) - groups of people who play different roles in the productive system; capitalism has 2 (bourgeoisie and proletariat)
classes
differentiate between the bourgoisie and the proletariat
Bourgeoisie - own means of production and property (any resource that can be used to produce things of value and to generate wealth) eg. land)
Proletariat - own their capacity for labour only; which they sell to capitalists to survive
Marx argues that capitalism function and continues to exist through this perpetual exploitation of the workers’ labour and subsequent oppression
explain how this is sustained due to a relationship of reliance between the two gorups
Capitalists cannot exists without workers to labour in their factories; at the same time, workers must have somewhere to sell their labour to make money to survive
The proletariat and bourgeoisie depend on each other, but their relationship is unequal - leading to class _______
struggles
why does marx think class struggles exist
Marx says class struggles exist because classes want diff things & have diff interests
Capitalists want the most _______ _______
surplus value
define surplus value
the excess value that workers produce beyond the cost of their labour - the amount of money the capitalists get to keep after paying their worker’s wages
what does the capitalists idea of wanting the most surplus value mean for workers
Means keeping wages low
Having workers work quickly
Setting long work hours
what do workers want, how does this conflict with capitalists’ desires?
Workers want to make a good wage that allows them to live and support their families
Work under safe conditions
Reasonable number of hours
These desires conflict with the capitalists attempt to make large profit
_______ are sets of conscious and unconscious ideas or beliefs that govern people’s lives
ideologies
Ideologies such as meritocracy, individualism, progress, expansion and development are so fundamentally intertwined within our [capitalist] economic system, yet they …….?
yet they often seem so natural and invisible that they end up being accepted by those within
define meritocracy
the idea that people will achieve backed on their own merit (wealthy ppl got there cause they worked hard, poor people are lazy)
who do the dominant ideologies benefit? how are they a disadvantage to the other side?
These ideologies benefit the bourgeoisie and make it more difficult for the proletariats to revolt - promotes the idea that the proletariat can too become rich if they work hard enough
The workers in capitalism develop a _____ ___________ - a willingness to believe in ideologies that support the ruling class that are actually disadvantageous to working-class interests
false consciousness
Why Marx says capitalists use the state to further their own interests
State is used to sustain class systems
Through media and school curriculum capitalists persuade workers to accept the concentration of power
what are th two main criticisms of the manifesto of the communist party?
no longer two simple classes (betite bourgoisie, lumpenproletariat)
Important differences between the time marx was writing in and now - the workers do diff things
define the two additional classes (other than bourgoisie and the proletariat
Petite bourgeoisie - small-scale capitalists (shopkeepers and managers)
Don’t necessarily sell their labour - work alongside
the labourers
Lumpenproletariat
Lowest level of working class
Petty criminals and chronically unemployed
______ ______ People’s beliefs regarding their social class and class interests
class consciousness
marx distinguished between two types of class consciousness’
“class in itself”
“class for itself”
Differentiate
“Class in itself” -a category of people with a common relation to the means of production (such as the worker or the proletariat)
“Class for itself” - a group organised in active pursuit of its own interests (eg. unionised workers fighting for better working conditions)
______ _________ is important for being able to organise a class for itself to advocate for class interests
class consciousness
_______- organisations of employees who work together to negotiate a variety of common matters, including pay, benefits, hiring and firing practices, and working conditions
unions
______ union _______ describes the percentage of wage earners in a population who are part of a union
trade union density
differentiate between overt resistance and covert resistance
Overt resistance - behaviour that is visible and readily recognized by both targets and observers as resistance
Covert resistance acts are intentional yet go unnoticed (and thus unpunished) by their targets
______ was influenced by marx, and wrote his theory of inequality by looking at the distribution of power in society
Agreed that economic power is very important, but added that other, non-economic factors are at play such as. religion
weber
what is a difference between marx and weber reguarding defining the classes
marx described 2 groups, weber said there were 4
what were weber’s 4 classes
Large capitalists - own large factories, farms, or other business that employ large numbers of people
Small capitalists (= petit bourgeoisie for marx) - smaller businesses with fewer employees
Specialists - doctors, lawyers, and profs with marketable skills and training that they sell through labour
Working class (= proletariat for marx) - manual labourers
weber discussed ______ _____
where generally high social ______ = high social ______
status groups
Generally, high social status = high social class
there are exceptions to weber’s theory on status = class, give an example
priests who dont make much but have very high status
plumbers and electricians make a ton but have little status
