Sociological Aspects Marx`s Works

One social cultural context that shaped Marx’s works and worldviews was the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment period occurred during the eighteenth century. During the Enlightenment period, individuals experienced driven values and prioritized independence. According to Marx, the proletariat and bourgeoisie came together to resist the feudal lords. However, this did not affect capitalism and the workers continued to still be cheated by the bourgeoisie. Marx stated that the Enlightenment period resulted in the alienation of the proletariat, causing them to have a lack of motivation when it comes to revolting.

Another sociocultural context that shaped Marx’s works and worldviews was the centralism of capitalist control. Individuals from the bourgeoisie class had resources, property, and money- making it hard for any individuals in the class below them to surpass them. In the text, The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx states, “The modern bourgeoisie society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones” (157). This shows that the proletariat lived in conditions in which the capitalists had full control of them. This notion influences Marx’s beliefs because he believes that the proletariats should reform society and overthrow the bourgeoisie. This idea influenced Marx to write the Communist Manifesto, that argues why society should get rid of private property and social classes.

Finally, one last sociocultural context that shaped Marx’s works and worldviews is the formation of the Communist league in 1847. The league was founded in Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The overall goal of the communist league was to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Their belief in communism caused a rise in the popularity of this government type. Without the formation of this league, Marx would not be able to form his views on the social classes and would not be able to write books that convey the effect industry has on a person financially (such as poverty) and mentally (such as alienation). In the book, the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx states, “The Communists are distinguished from the other working-class parties by this only: 1. In the national struggles of the proletarians of the different countries, they point out and bring to the front the common interest of the entire proletariat…” (165). Marx and Engel centered their beliefs around the power of the bourgeoisie and the lack of ability for the proletariat to move up in society. This shows the ideals that were set by the Communist league when first created, and the ideas that would later go on to influence Marx.

When stating, “The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas […].”, in The German Ideology, Marx insinuated that the bourgeoisie dominates society through ownership of production and industry. In this text, Marx explains why the wealthy class has accumulated money and why the proletariat has an inability to do so. Marx believes that the material class is the same as the intellectual class in society. Ideologies are formed based on this notion that the bourgeoisies are the wealthy class and the proletariat are the working class. Ideologies replicate itself in this circumstance because these rules are widely accepted by both social classes. This is seen through the fact that the proletariat never made any revolutionary moves towards overpowering the bourgeoisie. The wide acceptance of the ideology occurs through alienation and an inability for the working class to gain better finances and working conditions. These ruling ideologies contribute to false consciousness because they give the proletariats a lack of motivation or willingness to perceive their true nature of their social and financial roles in society. This relationship impacts how society functions because without an ability to recognize poor conditions and livelihood, the bourgeoisie will always remain superior to the proletariat.

Durkheim’s concept of collective consciousness compares with Marx’s dominant ideologies because society according to Durkheim utilizes shared morals and beliefs to come together. In contrast, Marx explains that the social classes divide society between the owners and the workers. In Marx’s dominant ideologies, beliefs and values are derived from money and materialistic items- the more one has attained, the higher they are in the social chain. Durkheim uses collective consciousness to describe how an individual avails social interactions to identify their own identity. This shows that Durkheim and Marx are different in that Durkheim studied an individual, while Marx studied more groups of people. In the text, The Rules of the Sociological Method, Emile Durkheim states, “[The term “social”] is commonly used to designate almost all the phenomena that occur within society, however little social interest of some generality they present” (203). This shows that Durkheim and Marx were similar in their ideas of society, but they were different in their ideas of how society functioned and what groups in society composed of.

According to Marx, species- being is the natural states of socialness and altruism. Alienation occurs from species being and from the negative effects of capitalism (such as social inequalities and exploitation). Marx believes that alienation will always occur when someone other than the proletariat (working class) controls the means of labor (typically, the bourgeoisie). In the textbook, Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory, the author states, “Recall Marx’s argument of species being: That which makes us distinctly human is creative production, and we become aware of our humanity as our nature is clearly reflected back to us by the mirror of the produced world” (Allan, 92). Marx states that humanity is neither good nor bad, but rather can be determined by looking at the material world and how social classes function. This shows that alienation and species of being occur because of conflict and economic crisis, something that does not always result poorly (according to Marx).

Marx’s idea of humanity’s natural state differs from Spencer because Herbert Spencer believes in an evolutionary society. He believes that social conflict occurs to weed out the individuals who do not spark the improvement of society. This conflicts with Marx’s idea of capitalism because the proletariat will spend all of their time on labor and earning a wage, that they will not have time to interact with another class (and thus start a revolution). Rather than a “survival of the fittest” society, Marx explains that species being encourages both the proletariat and bourgeoisie to stay in their class roles and to complete the work that is expected of them. Marx’s idea of humanity’s natural state differs from Durkheim’s because Emile Durkheim believes that humans are naturally selfish, and that society provides moral culture through collective practices (rather than individually). This is different from Marx’s view because in capitalism, the proletariat (working class) does not have the resources to be selfish. The two theorist’s views of humanity are also different because capitalism is less about moral obligations and more about using wealth to run society. Another difference between Marx and Durkheim is their ideas of “alienation” and “anomie”. According to Durkheim, anomie is a loss of moral order. In comparison, Marx states that alienation feeds the system of capitalism. Alienation can be supported through commodification, or the process in which, “people increasingly buy (and sell) the world in which they live, and thus see the human world in terms of money rather than human nature and social relations” (Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory, Allan, 84). There are four types of alienation- alienation from product, process of creation, other people, and from one’s true self. Thus, Marx is different from other theorists in his beliefs about human nature and in his beliefs about what encourages a financial society to be efficient (alienation).

According to Marx, the bourgeoisie are the owners in capitalism and the proletariat are the workers in capitalism. Capitalism is a pursuit of profit and the bourgeoisie uses the proletariat as just that. Marx believed that these groups were to be in conflict and that over time more and more people would become members of the working class. In a web article titled, “Marx on Class Conflict”, the author states, “Thus, the normal operation of the capitalist system, through competition and exploitation, produces an even greater number of workers who will eventually rise up to overthrow the system” (2017). This shows that it is harder to become a part of the bourgeoisie class than it is the proletariat class, leaving the wealthy even more in control. The owners provide the workers with very low wages and poor conditions, giving them reason to revolt. A capitalist determines how much a worker makes, how much the worker works, and the materials they are given.

The proletariats and the bourgeoisie are entwined because they both determine each other’s commodities. A commodity can be defined as a product that holds a beneficial use to an individual. In the text, Wage- Labour, and Capital, Marx states, “The workers exchange their commodity, labour, for the commodity of the capitalist, for money, and this exchange takes place in a definite ratio. So much money for so much labour” (182-83, 1874). This shows that the proletariat and the bourgeoisie are reliant on each other. Marx argues that this relationship is an exploitative one because the capitalists are taking advantage of the workers lack of financial revenue and inability to come out of poverty. It is difficult for the proletariat to up rise because they need the bourgeoisie for money and job opportunities. Two ways that the bourgeoisie could exploit the proletariat is by lowering the wages and the monopolization of private property. This would be bad for the working class because they do not have the resources to change any of the circumstances. Two ways that the proletariat can fight this exploitation is by revolting and refusing to work, as well as through alienation. The owner’s business cannot function without the workers, so this could prove beneficial for the working class to fight back until they get the conditions they deserved. The only option is for the bourgeoisie would have is to do the work themselves. Thus, the two classes are reliant on each other and are crucial for the capitalist system to survive.

According to Marx, capitalism would not occur without supply and demand, competition, wages, and labor. The bourgeoisie are the owners and the proletariat are the working class. Based on the supply and demand, determines how much wage the workers receive and how many hours they are expected to work. Competition affects the bourgeoisie class because it encourages them to change means of production and relations. This affects the proletariat class because it can change the working conditions, whether that be for the good or bad. The working class relies on the wealthy to earn an income, showing that they are greatly influenced by the bourgeoisie’s decisions and the changing political economy. Labor and commodities inter-relate because labor is a source of commodity. The proletariat are unable to exchange anything but labor, for the bourgeoisie’s money. In the text, Commodities and Money, Karl Marx states, “And lastly, from the moment that men in any way work for one another, their labor assumes a social form” (1, 2005). Whenever there is a surplus of commodities, there is a decrease in labor. This shows that labor is a commodity for the proletariat class.

Use value is the function that a product or commodity serves, while exchange value is the value of a product during a trade. For example, a use value for a car would be the ability to drive, while the exchange value would be that it is worth an item that is just as expensive (such as a year of college tuition). According to Marx, every commodity has an exchange value and a use value. The profit comes from the proletariat’s work, but is maintained and controlled by the bourgeoisie. Profit is such a big deal when discussing the “accumulation of capital”, because profit and income is the capital that keeps the system going. Without money, the bourgeoisie would not be able to afford to pay the workers and continue their businesses. Engel believes that industry is the center of society, placing an emphasis on capitalism and the revenue that it produces. Overall, the proletariat class and the bourgeoisie class connect the capitalist economy and its factors (supply and demand, competition, wages, and labor).

Sources

Allan, Kenneth, and Sarah Daynes. Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory: Seeing the Social World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2017. Print.

“Cultural Reader.” Marx on Class Conflict - Short Summary and Definition, culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2017/03/marx-on-class-conflict-short-summary.html.

Durkheim, Emile. “Rules for the Demonstration of Sociological Proof.” The Rules of

Sociological Method, 1982, pp. 147–163., doi:10.1007/978-1-349-16939-9_7.

Fayazmanesh, Sasan. Money and Exchange: Folktales and Reality. Routledge, 2006.

Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. 12th Media Services?, 2018.

Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. Selected Works Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. Wildside Press, 2012.

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