PATTERNS AND TRENDS - MARXISTS

Question 1

what is Marxists focused on?

Answer 1

capitalist society which emerged from feudalism as goods began to be mass produced in factories

Question 2

what two new classes rose

Answer 2

1. proleteraint = working class
2. boeurgeosie = ruling class

Question 3

what are the 3 things capitalism does to society?

Answer 3

1. polarisation of social classes
2. alientation
3. ecnomic crisis

Question 4

explain what is meant by the polarisation of social classes.

Answer 4

• The divide between the working class and the ruling class is getting wider
• small business owners would be driven out of business by big business

Question 5

explain what is meant by alienation.

Answer 5

• workers have no satisfaction because they have no control over their own work
• encouraged to find goods in materialism than real human relationships

Question 6

explain what is meant by economic crisis.

Answer 6

• capitalist society suffers from a periodic crisis because of competition between companies creates boom periods
• could lead to the collapse of whole capitalist society

Question 7

how does Marx argue the proletariat could overthrow capitalism?

Answer 7

realise their potential and unit to create a revolution. However, they need to overthrow ‘false class consciousness’

Question 8

what is ‘false class consciousness’?

Answer 8

• when the capitalist class is brainwashed to justify inequalities through the political system, law, mass media, religious beliefs and the education systme

Question 9

what kind of economy would be placed once capitalism is down

Answer 9

communism

Question 10

criticism of Marxists

Answer 10

• people may think/behave due to cultural reasons
• ignores the importance of other types of inequalities such as gender
• ignores middle class
• only undeveloped countries have had communist revolutionaries
• The working class enjoy a rise in living standards and access to wider goods

Question 11

what did john Westergaard and henrietta reseler find?

Answer 11

• little evidence of class divisions in British society disappearing
  -arguably class divisions have widened since the 1970s

Question 12

who argued about the proletarianisation of the middle class?

Answer 12

Braverman

Question 13

explain the proletarianisation of the middle class.

Answer 13

• many middle-class classes have been deskilled to be programmed into machines or broken down into simple tasks that can be performed by less-skilled workers
• middle class reduced down to working class

Question 14

what did Braverman argue about

Answer 14

the proletarianisation of the middle class

Question 15

what is neo-marxism?

Answer 15

a developed version of Marxism

Question 16

what does neo-Marxist Gramsci argue?

Answer 16

• the concept of hegemony = ruling class dont exert force for power because they rule through persuasion
• dual-class conscience = wc are somewhat aware of inequalities

Question 17

what does hegemony mean?

Answer 17

using cultural and political means to encourage the working class to side with the ruling class = involves media and education to control minds

Question 18

what are the sociologists used for Marxism?

Answer 18

• Gramsci = hegemony & dual-class conscience
• Braverman = proletarianisation of the middle class
• Westergaard & Reseler = little evidence of class divisions in British society disappearing
• Marx = capitalist society