Introduction
Karl Marx was one of the most influential social thinkers and scholars of the 19th century in Germany. He was a revolutionist, a historian, and an economist. The world knows him as the architect of socialism and the champion of communism.
Early Life and Education
Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1815, in the Rhenish city of Trier in Germany. He was the eldest son of his parents. His father was a lawyer.
Karl Marx got his early education at his birthplace, Trier. He took a degree in law from Berlin University in 1836. In 1841, he did a Ph.D. from the University of Jena. He started his career as a journalist.
Karl Marx as Theoretician
Karl Marx proposed his “Theory of Scientific Communism” with the help of his friend, Engels. He also discovered “Theory of Surplus Value” and “The theory of Alienation”. These theories enjoyed great economic and sociopolitical significance.
Theories of Karl Marx
The theories of Karl Marx about the class system are the following
- Social Class Theory
- Thesis of Class Conflict or Class Struggle
- Theory of Classless Society
1. Theory of Social Class
Meaning of Social Class
In the views of Karl Marx, Social class means the presence of economic differentiation among the members of society. It must be noted that social type is not determined by the occupation or income of someone but is determined by the position an individual enjoys in a particular society.
For example, suppose there are two persons in a factory, of whom one is the factory owner while the other is a paid worker; they belong to two different classes.
Types of Social Class
According to Karl Marx, two classes exist in society.
1. DOMINANT CLASS
The class that owns and controls the means of production in factories is called the Dominant Class—for example, Feudal Landowners.
2. SUB-ORDINATE CLASS
The class that works for themselves to earn their living is called the Sub-Ordinate Class. For example, enslaved people and labourers.
Relationship b/w the Two Classes
There is a close relationship between these two classes. There is a relationship of exploitation along with dominance and subordination.
The workers (subordinate class) work for the Owners (dominant class) and produce wealth in the form of food, products, and services for them. But they are unable to enjoy their work.
On the other hand, the dominant class exploits this situation and uses it for their benefit.
2. Theory of Class Conflict
Karl Marx first proposed conflict theory. According to this theory, society is continuously conflicted because of competition for limited resources.
Origin of Class Conflict Theory
The concept of class conflict came from his famous book “The Communist Manifesto” in 1848. The first sentence of the book is as follows:
“The history of the hitherto existing society is the history of the class struggles. A free man and an enslaved person, patrician and plebian, lord and self-guided master, the oppressor and the oppressed always stood to one another.”
It is evident from the above passage that there existed a war between the classes at every stage in history.
War b/w the two Classes
Marx says that the High Profile class in society exploits the lower class, and it is the tradition everywhere in the world.
- The capitalist class uses the state as an instrument of oppression and exploitation.
- The owners exploit the workers
And thus, every exploiting class gives rise to an opposite class.
3. Theory of Classless Society
What is a Classless Society?
A classless society is one in which the classes with opposing interests are not found. It means that the courses like landowners and the landless, Freemen and laves, the rich and the poor, capitalists and the labourers, and the exploiters and the exploited are not present in a classless society.
Views of Karl Marx
Karl Marx says that such a society has never existed in the past. He further noted that these classes had existed since the beginning of history.
He wanted to establish a society possessing the values of equality and social coherence. He aimed to develop a classless society in which there would be no concept of exploitation.
Final Note
It is concluded that two classes exist in every society in the world. One is the Dominant class, and the other is the Working class. The dominant class exploits the other type using different techniques. Karl Marx has explained the nature of these two classes and revealed that the class system is present in every society.
