Sociology Assignment

1
Name : Ansh Mohan Jha
Subject: Society of India
Professor: Dr. Sadhika Beri
Class: BA LLB II
Division: A
2
Assignment - 1
Course: Society in India
Write short notes on the following:
1. Karl Marx - As a Conflict Theorist

2. Marx’s Concept of Class Conflict/Struggle
3. Polarization of Classes
4. Concept of Surplus Value
5. Pauperization
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Karl Marx - As a Conflict Theorist:

Born in 1818, Karl Marx, the spiritual father of Communist Russia, was a German sociologist
and philosopher. According to him, the economic character of a society forms its base and
determines the evolution of society. As a conflict theorist, he states that a society is in a state
of continuous conflict due to the unending competition for gaining control over finite
resources. Those who own the resources and means of production will try to hold on to them
by suppressing and exploiting the poor strata of society, while the poor will also endeavour to
get access to the finite resources. Furthermore, he classifies people who control the
production process as bourgeoisie, and the people who owe labour and have no control over
production as proletariat. Karl Marx further states that the society will eventually split into
classes - proletariat and bourgeoisie. To gain control over the finite resources, two great
classes - proletariat and bourgeoisie - will turn highly hostile to each other. The conflict will
be at its peak upon the maturation of class consciousness, ultimately leading to the existence
of only one class, i.e., proletariat.
Marx's Concept of Class

Conflict/Struggle:
Karl Max put forth the "Social Conflict" theory. The central theme of the theory is "Class
Struggle". Karl Marx defines class as a group of those people who share the common
relationship to the means of production and distribution process. In primitive society, the
distribution of resources was more or less equal. Hence, there was no existence of classes.
Except primitive society, in every society, there exists two classes -haves and have-nots-
because of unequal distribution of resources. Class struggle is bound to happen in every
society that consists of class. In feudal society, the landlords used to exploit the peasants by
forcing them to produce more and more crops and imposing high taxes on them. Due to class
struggle, those classes come to an end, but it again leads to the rise of two classes-
bourgeoisie and proletariat - in the industrial society. Bourgeoisie, who control the industrial
operations, exploit proletariats by making them work to produce surplus value without
remunerating them properly. As a result, class struggle is bound to happen between these two
groups. Karl Marx predicts that the class of bourgeoisie will ultimately disappear, and society
will consist of proletariat only, leading to the formation of classless society.
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Polarization of Classes:
Karl Marx propounded the “Social Conflict” theory. The basis of this theory lies on the
economic inequalities prevalent in every society, which further leads to the formation of
classes. However, in the primitive societies, there were no classes.
According to Karl Marx, in a capitalist society, one of the inherent properties is radical
polarization of classes. He puts forth that the society will eventually break into several small
groups, which will ultimately lead to the formation of two hostile groups:
1. Bourgeoisie
2. Proletariat
People who are involved in the production and distribution process are classified as
bourgeoisie while those people of the society who only owe labour are termed as proletariat.
Apart from bourgeoisie and proletariat, a group of petty bourgeoisie also exists in the society.
On maturity of class consciousness, class conflicts will culminate, which will lead to the
abolition of small capitals or petty bourgeoisie. Their property will be confiscated and they
will ultimately merge into the labour class, i.e.,proletariat. Due to class polarization, only two
extreme antagonistic classes - proletariat and bourgeoisie - will exist.
Concept of Surplus Value:

According to Karl Marx, in a capitalist society, there exists primarily two classes:
1. Bourgeoisie - Capitalist Class
2. Proletariat - Labour Class
Those who control the means of production, i.e., bourgeoisie, more often than not exploit the
labour classes to maximise the profit, aiding them to amass huge wealth. The value of any
commodity depends on the amount of labour required to manufacture it. The wages
reimbursed to the labour classes are not in proportion to the amount of time they are made to
work. The term "Surplus Value" can be defined as the additional value put in by the
labourers in the production process for which they are not paid. For instance, a group of 50
workers in a footwear factory manufactures 100 shoes a day. By selling 60 percent of the
shoes, the capitalist earns enough to pay the wages to his workers and maintain the
machineries used for production, and after the sale of the remaining 40 percent of the shoes,
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he earns a huge amount of profit. To generate more and more profits, capitalists exploit the
labourers as they enjoy the monopoly over the means of production.
Pauperization:
According to Karl Marx, in a capitalist society, there exists primarily two classes:
3. Bourgeoisie - Capitalist Class
4. Proletariat - Labour Class
According to Karl Marx, in capitalist society, poverty exists because of the exploitation of the
working class at the hands of the capitalists, not because of the scarcity of resources.
The prime objective of the capitalists or those who control the means of production is to
maximise the profit. In order to do so, the surplus value of commodities or services need to
be produced, which ultimately leads to the exploitation of the working class, as they are
coerced to generate more value than they are compensated. As a result, the gap between the
proletariat and bourgeoisie widens. The capitalist class becomes richer, and the labour class is
pushed towards abject poverty. Labourers somehow manage to fulfill their barest necessities,
while capitalists amass a huge amount of wealth by exploiting and pressuring the workers.
The increase in the economic inequality between the bourgeoisie and proletariat is known as
"Pauperization".

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1

Name : Ansh Mohan Jha

Subject: Society of India

Professor: Dr. Sadhika Beri

Write short notes on the following:

1. Karl Marx - As a Conflict Theorist

Karl Marx - As a Conflict Theorist:

Marx's Concept of Class

Concept of Surplus Value:

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