Marxism And Inequality Of The Working Class

Marx would argue that capitalism propelled history by dividing society into two classes, the working class and the bourgeoisie. This division is what contributed to the class struggle and inequality of the working class. The poor were forced to work for the capitalists as a result of not having the capability to own their own resources and the need for survival. Since resources and the means of production were privately owned, labour power was essential to gaining profit. Furthermore, the increased desire for consumption in modern society, meant that capitalism could only exist and be successful by exploiting the working class.

The appropriation of surplus value resulted in workers being exploited, where capitalists profited greatly off the labour of the working class. The workers were paid much less than what the product they have produced had been sold for. The surplus value was considerably responsible for the inequality of wealth that affected the working class. Not only are the workers exploited, but they were alienated from their work. Labour in capitalist societies are directed by alienation. To uphold efficiency, workers are coerced into
social facts); that are external and only exist as a product of social human interaction, propelled history. It propelled history by adhering norms and values to societies to limit and coerce individuals into acting a certain way to prevent deviation. He contended that in the absence of social facts, a society would find itself in anomie or the state of normlessness. Due to the individualism which prevailed in modern societies, he argued that the lack of a collective consciousness would result in anomie. These social facts contributed to the construct of crime and deviance. The consequences resulting from deviating from these common ways of acting thinking and feeling (413), deterred individuals from not behaving