Jump to a key chapter
For Karl Marx, and thus Marxism, class refers to any particular individual's relation to the mode of production currently being utilized by society. In our modern times, Marx would say that there are two broad classes; the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. He would further argue that these two classes, as the classes that came before them, are bound to struggle against one another until a large enough conflict arises to remove both classes. This is what Marxists mean when they talk about class conflict.
Class conflict definition
Class Conflict: Conflict between different classes in a society resulting from different social or economic positions and reflecting opposed interests.
Now that we have a working definition of the idea, let us unpack it a bit!
Class conflict Karl Marx
The idea of class conflict emerges most clearly from the work of Karl Marx. Before Marx, French theorist Henri de Saint-Simon had discussed the idea, but it was Marx who took the concept and placed it as the driver of social revolution and political struggle. For Marx, living and working in the mid-19th century, he needed a way to describe how and why revolutions happened to better theorize about how to get society past the undesirable conditions brought on by capitalism.
Marx turned to history as a guide and began noticing the largest societal shifts were brought on when the mode of production (how Marx refers to economic systems) switched and restructured class within the society. He realized that each time one of these shifts happened a new political and social order would be established to benefit the minority who owned land and did not work, over the majority who spent most of their time laboring for the benefit of the land-owning class, which was also the ruling class.
Class conflict theory
Class conflict theory argues that conflict between the producing class and the owning class is bound to erupt because the interests of the two classes act in opposition against each other. The worker, whether it be slave, vassal, or employee is always attempting to acquire more free time, better working conditions, and increased pay; while the land owner/employer is constantly trying to increase the length of time the worker works and decrease the cost out of their own pocket to fund the work. These two opposed objectives permeate throughout the rest of society and drive most, if not all of the conflict in which the society finds itself.
The theory also says these relationships establish the ways in which individuals will act within the world by determining their consciousness; this is referred to as class consciousness. Class consciousness, as it relates to class conflict, can be seen as establishing the battle lines between "us and them" where the non-land-owning/employee class (proletariat) sees itself as being constantly held to the demands of the land-owning/employer class (Bourgeoisie).
Think about the owner of a large company and an employee working at that company for a moment. The worker depends on their employment with the company to provide the income needed for basic needs and amenities. Without their employment they may lose their housing, be unable to afford food, and be incapable of affording basic needs such as healthcare or automobile insurance. The necessity to work for the income to provide themself with these things is always at the forefront of the workers' consciousness. When they think to themself "I hate this job" they are quickly reminded internally that quitting the job is not a realistic option and they have to continue to work to make ends meet. Even if they quit, they may be forced into a position where they have to take a worse job than the one they currently hold if they are unable to find a better job in a short period of time.
The owner of the company in this example, on the other hand, does not face the constraint of having to work as they could simply sell their company or sell off a portion of their shares and spend the rest of their life living well off of shares. this freedom to do as they please with access to large sums of money shapes the consciousness of the business owner as they are freed up from the reality of having to work to get by.
If you have ever looked at the life of a billionaire and been hit with a sense of jealousy, resentment, injustice, or anger; Marx would say this is a result of your awareness (your consciousness) being forced to observe a reality where the material restraints you face are not a factor. This jealousy, resentment, injustice, and anger from the lower class builds over time and begins to produce conflict within the society. Similarly, the upper class looks at the lower class and sees them purely as workers and objects who need to be utilized. Their class forms a type of consciousness that necessarily sees humans in terms of use-value as opposed to intrinsic value.
Imagine you own a company with 1,000 employees and those employees are split into 33 different sections. As you review your quarterly report you see that one of the sections costs more to keep in operation than the value it generates for the company and decide that it is no longer necessary to keep around. You as the CEO send an email to the section head and tell him that he needs to fire the 36 employees working in the section and that he will be moved over to a different section. From your perspective, the objective of the company is to produce something of value and generate profit and the dismantling of the section is necessary to further that goal. The individuals in that section, while unfortunate for them that they will be without a job, are secondary to your responsibility as the CEO to run the company in accordance with what the shareholders expect.
This article is not an argument that what is described above is the truth or the only way of seeing the relationship between employee and employer. It is the Marxist lens on the relationship.
Politics as class conflict
This struggle between the proletariat and bourgeoisie plays out in the realm of politics. The political debates of our time are centered around economics, wealth inequality, homelessness, healthcare, immigration, social justice, housing, minimum wage, and other similar themes. Marx would argue these topics being at the center of the discourse is no surprise as they are a direct reflection of the power struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.
Politics and government, especially in a liberal democracy, are the battlegrounds where the proletariat fight for better conditions, better wages, and better opportunities, and the bourgeoisie fight to keep wages down, labor cheap, and laws governing corporations to a minimum.
In Marxist thought, there is the idea of "base and superstructure" with the base being the economic system and superstructure consisting of things such as law, culture, religion, and politics. The base determines what the superstructure looks like and while the superstructure has some bearing on the base, its ability to alter the base is ultimately limited to the constraints of production established by the base. Because the base determines the boundaries of the superstructure, the politics always reflect the class conflict that appears in the economic system established by the base.
In modern times with a capitalist economic system as the base, our politics center around questions of employee rights, health insurance, the length of the average work week, minimum wage, and so on; all of which are questions that would be politically irrelevant in a society utilizing systems of feudalism or slavery.
Historical examples of class conflicts
Before classes, there was a period of time Marx refers to as "primitive communism" which is the time of hunters and gathers. This is the only period of time that did not include distinct classes for Marx. The rest of history consisted of the following class conflicts:
- Slavery (Master-enslaved conflict)
- Feudalism (Lord and vassal conflict)
- Capitalism (Bourgeoisie and proletariat conflict)
As Marx's theory goes, capitalism is followed by socialism which then leads the way to communism, which is the final mode of production.
Class Conflict - Key takeaways
- Class conflict is the conflict between different classes in a society resulting from different social or economic positions and reflecting opposed interests.
- Each time the mode of production changes so too do the social classes that dominate a society.
- Class consciousness determines the ways in which an individual understands themself in the world.
- For Marx, the Bourgeoisie see the proletariat as a use-value.
- In Marxist thought, the four stages of history before socialism are primitive communism, slavery, feudalism, and capitalism.
References
- Fig. 1 Karl Marx 1875 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karl_Marx,_1875.jpg) photo by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, colored by Olga Shirnina (https://www.flickr.com/photos/22155693@N04/32109448247/) licensed by CC-BY-SA-2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en) on Wikimedia Commons
- Fig. 3 Base-superstructure (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Base-superstructure.svg) by Afreudian (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Afreudian&action=edit&redlink=1) licensed by CC-BY-SA-4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en) on Wikimedia Commons
Learn with 6 Class Conflict flashcards in the free StudySmarter app
We have 14,000 flashcards about Dynamic Landscapes.
Already have an account? Log in
Frequently Asked Questions about Class Conflict
What is meant by class conflict?
Class conflict can be seen as the political tension in society due to class
What causes class conflict?
the opposing interests of different classes.
What did Marx say about class conflict?
That it defines the political tensions of any given society.
What are the effects of class conflict on society?
It results in differing consciousness and political conflict.
What is social class in socialism?
The class somebody belongs to.
About StudySmarter
StudySmarter is a globally recognized educational technology company, offering a holistic learning platform designed for students of all ages and educational levels. Our platform provides learning support for a wide range of subjects, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Languages and also helps students to successfully master various tests and exams worldwide, such as GCSE, A Level, SAT, ACT, Abitur, and more. We offer an extensive library of learning materials, including interactive flashcards, comprehensive textbook solutions, and detailed explanations. The cutting-edge technology and tools we provide help students create their own learning materials. StudySmarter’s content is not only expert-verified but also regularly updated to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Learn more