Karl Marx and Max Weber’s Definition of Class

Karl Marx and Max Weber’s Definition of Class

Introduction

Class remains to be a matter of importance to society. People are placed in different social classes depending on factors such as wealth, race, family legacy and sometimes gender. People hold stereotypic thoughts that people of the higher or better class are better and their opinions are always right. Many times political opinions are influenced by people of the higher class and in this regard the candidate who gets support from them ends up winning the favour of the majority.

This paper seeks to bring to light the key differences between Karl Mars and Weber’s understanding of class.

Karl Marx and Max Weber made a significant contribution to today’s famous meaning of social. The most important contribution is their varying approaches to the definition or rather, understanding of social inequality and class. According to Marx, class should be seen as a means of production. He believed that having strong sectors such as agriculture, where owners of the land would be distinguished from peasant class, could trigger a shift from a feudal society. Similarly, Marx held the view that owners of companies could be distinguished from individuals working in those factories through the concept of industrial revolution.  Half a century later, Max Weber responded to Marx view of social class by developing his viewpoint of social class. According to him, class is defined on three key factors which are wealth, power and prestige. Further in his argument, he held that Marx’s definition was too narrow as he was only interested in matters related to economics. Weber also faulted Marx’s argument that the economic understanding of social class is the central force that transformed people’s lives and society as a whole. Unlike Marx whose definition of class was only centered on means of production, Weber offered a broad meaning of class, for example, by factoring in the micro-sociological phenomenon. Weber perceived that when looking at class, one should consider various factors that are likely to cause change in the society. In summary, Marx’s definition of class is a two-class structure while Weber suggested a four-class system comprised of; the dominant property-owners and commercial class, white collar intelligentsia, owners of small businesses (petty bourgeoisie), and manual working class.

One of the main characteristics of Marx’s definition of class is that an individual’s social class was determined by their means of production such as factories and land. Marx viewed social stratification as both source and outcome between two social groups in that the difference between production of the two groups created a social gap. However, Weber founded his definition on class and status. In this view, class is according to production and acquisition of goods whereas status is according to the consumption of goods or “style of life”.

According to Marx, class interest does not merely exist is one’s imagination but first of all in reality during interactions with the individuals among whom labour is divided which in turn influences their economic interests. Also, class interest is derived from social relations of production rather than random personal interests. Weber on the other hand says that class interest refers to the interest of individuals for those people sharing a class situation. For Weber, there is no class interest but only average interests of individuals sharing a common economic position.

In conclusion, new forms of social stratification keep emerging. There will always exist an undocumented system of social stratification that will dictate the unequal distribution of goods, services and prestige. Those in higher classes will continue to enjoy some privileges that those in lower classes cannot access.