Class Struggle

Perhaps one of the biggest problems today is classism. Research papers on class struggle in the United States, and the world, look at the elements that make up class in society. Have a custom written project on the class struggle written for you today by a sociologist or philosophy writer that understands the different theories and ideas that contribute to class division.

Things are moving towards a system in which those with economic power will have access to education, health insurance, and a great quality of life. People lacking economic resources will have very little opportunities to advance. As such, they will be compelled to work multiple jobs, often hourly jobs lacking benefits.

There are wealthy people aware of the problems of not having to pay enough taxes relative to their financial success. It is true that by a percentage of income, many people within the lower middle class pay more in taxes than the upper class. This occurs because people in the upper classes often have access to passive income, the sort of income one does not personally have to work at to acquire. Most working people have active income, which occurs while trading time for money.

More Americans are starting to realize the difficulties of moving from one social class to another. Many people are considering returning to school for continued education. Pursuing a career as opposed to just having a job will be one way in which people may ascend social classes. Overall, it is important that people recognize their friends may be in different social classes. The means to contribute significantly to the economy occurs when one has capital. As such, it seems like the class struggle will continue for those at the bottom economically. People at the top will continue to flourish.

The philosophies of Karl Marx and Max Weber and how each defined and described class and conflict have contributed not only to the debate between socialism and capitalism, but the general field of class structure as well. In many ways, both Marx and Weber are known as conflict theorists, with many of their theories meeting in some aspects and differing drastically in others. To depict both the similarities and the differences between the main theories of these men, your research paper will start by providing a general overview of each theory and then compare and contrast the two.

There are many levels on which the philosophies of Marx and Weber are similar to each other, as well as many ways in which they differ.

1. Weber agrees to a degree with Marx on the economic basis of social inequality of class
2. Marx limited his theory to two classes, the bourgeoisie and proletariat, Weber did not.
3. Marx focused on the economic laws of capitalism and predicted its future breakdown
4. Weber focused on the historical context of capitalism and of how it came to be in the first place
   

Weber's views about the "inescapable rationalization" and "bureaucratization of the world" are similar to Marx's views on alienation in some aspects. Both men agree that the modern methods of organization have greatly increased both the effectiveness and efficiency of production and organization as well as spurred domination of man over the world of nature. In addition, both men agree that the world of "rationalized efficiency" has turned into a "monster that threatens to dehumanize its creators" . However, Weber disagreed with the claim made by Marx that alienation is the only transitional stage on the road to man's emancipation. In other ways however, Weber's sociology is seen as antagonistic to the Marxian approach. Although Weber agreed with some of Marx's ideas, he believed that the relationship between social structures and ideas were multiple and varied. "He was most respectful of Marx's contributions, yet believed, in tune with his own methodology, that Marx had unduly emphasized one particular causal chain, the one leading from the economic infrastructure to the cultural superstructure".

Weber depicted class structure as being somewhat more complicated than Marx in that he added the conflict of finance capitalists into his theory. While Marx defined his classes according to the ownership of the means of production, Weber defined his classes according to their position on the market. Further, Marx believed that people were shaped by the society in which they lived while Weber believed that individual's themselves create society by their own actions and interactions.

The theories of both Marx and Weber have contributed greatly to the study of the social class system and structure. Not only were the ideas of these men revolutionary at the time the philosophers lived, they are also notable in that they contained far reaching insights that are applicable to the world today. While Marx believed that class structure was a product of the ownership of means of production, Weber believed that the class to which one belonged had more to do with the class the individual was born into. Although these two differed on the exact makeup of the class structure and sources of conflict, both have provided valuable points that will be debated for some time to come.