Class and Class
UNIT 4 CLASS AND CLASS STRUGGLE * Struggle
Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Class Structure
4.2.1 Criteria for Determination of Class
4.2.2 Classification of Societies in History and Emergence of Classes
4.2.3 Intensification of Class Conflict under Capitalism
4.3 Class Struggle and Revolution
4.4 Marx’s Concept of Alienation
4.5 Let Us Sum Up
4.6 References
4.7 Answers to Check Your Progress
4.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you should be able to:
define the concept of class;
describe the various criteria for class formation;
identify the various stages involved in the history of society that change due
to class conflict or change in mode of production;
discuss what is social revolution and how it will be reached; and
explain Marx’s concept of alienation.
4.1 INTRODUCTION
This Unit will explain the key notion of class as used by Karl Marx. We will
discuss about the various criteria that are basic for calling any collectivity a class.
Also we shall discuss how and why classes come into conflict with each other.
We will seek to understand the impact of these class conflicts on the history of
development of society. Finally, the present unit will give you a brief overview of
history including the future of human society on the basis of Marxian framework.
The Unit discusses the class structure, including the classification of societies in
history and class struggle. We go on to elaborate the intensification of class
conflict under capitalism, discuss class struggle and revolution and explain
Marx’s concept of alienation.
*
Adopted from IGNOU Course Material: Unit 8 of Sociological thought (ESO 13) with modifications by
Nita Mathur
47
, Karl Marx
4.2 THE CLASS STRUCTURE
The word ‘class’ originated from the Latin term ‘classis’ which refers to a group
called to arms, a division of the people. In the rule of legendary Roman king,
Servius Tullius (678-534 B.C.), the Roman society was divided into five classes
or orders according to their wealth. Subsequently, the world ‘class’ was applied
to large groups of people into which human society came to be divided.
Marx recognised class as a unique feature of capitalist societies. This is one
reason why he did not analyse the class structure and class relations in other
forms of society.
Marx’s sociology is, in fact, sociology of the class struggle. This means one has
to understand the Marxian concept of class in order to appreciate Marxian
philosophy and thought. Marx has used the term social class throughout his
works but explained it only in a fragmented form. The most clear passages on the
concept of class structure can be found in the third volume of his famous work,
Capital (1894). Under the title of ‘Social Classes’ Marx distinguished three
classes, related to the three sources of income: (a) owners of simple labour power
or labourers whose main source of income is labour; (b) owners of capital or
capitalists whose main source of income is profit or surplus value; and
(c) landowners whose main source of income is ground rent. In this way the class
structure of modern capitalist society is composed of three major classes viz.,
salaried labourers or workers, capitalists and landowners.
At a broader level, society could be divided into two major classes i.e. the ‘haves’
(owners of land and / or capital) often called as bourgeoisie and the ‘have-nots’
(those who own nothing but their own labour power), often called as proletariats.
Marx has tried to even give a concrete definition of social class. According to
him ‘a social class occupies a fixed place in the process of production’.
Activity 1
Can Indian society be divided into classes in Marxian sense of the world ‘class’?
If yes, describe these classes. If no, give reasons why Indian society cannot be
divided into in Marxian sense of the word ‘class’.
4.2.1 Criteria for Determination of Class
In order to have a better understanding of the concept of class and class structure,
one must be able to respond to the question – “What are the criteria for
determination of class”? In other words, which human grouping will be called a
class and which grouping would not be considered asclass in Marxian terms. For
this exercise, one could say that a social class has two major criteria: (i) objective
criteria (ii) subjective criteria.
i) Objective Criteria: People sharing the same relationship to the
means of production comprise a class. Let us understand it through an
example – all labourers have a similar relationship with the
landowners. On the other hand all the landowners, as a class, have a
48
UNIT 4 CLASS AND CLASS STRUGGLE * Struggle
Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Class Structure
4.2.1 Criteria for Determination of Class
4.2.2 Classification of Societies in History and Emergence of Classes
4.2.3 Intensification of Class Conflict under Capitalism
4.3 Class Struggle and Revolution
4.4 Marx’s Concept of Alienation
4.5 Let Us Sum Up
4.6 References
4.7 Answers to Check Your Progress
4.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you should be able to:
define the concept of class;
describe the various criteria for class formation;
identify the various stages involved in the history of society that change due
to class conflict or change in mode of production;
discuss what is social revolution and how it will be reached; and
explain Marx’s concept of alienation.
4.1 INTRODUCTION
This Unit will explain the key notion of class as used by Karl Marx. We will
discuss about the various criteria that are basic for calling any collectivity a class.
Also we shall discuss how and why classes come into conflict with each other.
We will seek to understand the impact of these class conflicts on the history of
development of society. Finally, the present unit will give you a brief overview of
history including the future of human society on the basis of Marxian framework.
The Unit discusses the class structure, including the classification of societies in
history and class struggle. We go on to elaborate the intensification of class
conflict under capitalism, discuss class struggle and revolution and explain
Marx’s concept of alienation.
*
Adopted from IGNOU Course Material: Unit 8 of Sociological thought (ESO 13) with modifications by
Nita Mathur
47
, Karl Marx
4.2 THE CLASS STRUCTURE
The word ‘class’ originated from the Latin term ‘classis’ which refers to a group
called to arms, a division of the people. In the rule of legendary Roman king,
Servius Tullius (678-534 B.C.), the Roman society was divided into five classes
or orders according to their wealth. Subsequently, the world ‘class’ was applied
to large groups of people into which human society came to be divided.
Marx recognised class as a unique feature of capitalist societies. This is one
reason why he did not analyse the class structure and class relations in other
forms of society.
Marx’s sociology is, in fact, sociology of the class struggle. This means one has
to understand the Marxian concept of class in order to appreciate Marxian
philosophy and thought. Marx has used the term social class throughout his
works but explained it only in a fragmented form. The most clear passages on the
concept of class structure can be found in the third volume of his famous work,
Capital (1894). Under the title of ‘Social Classes’ Marx distinguished three
classes, related to the three sources of income: (a) owners of simple labour power
or labourers whose main source of income is labour; (b) owners of capital or
capitalists whose main source of income is profit or surplus value; and
(c) landowners whose main source of income is ground rent. In this way the class
structure of modern capitalist society is composed of three major classes viz.,
salaried labourers or workers, capitalists and landowners.
At a broader level, society could be divided into two major classes i.e. the ‘haves’
(owners of land and / or capital) often called as bourgeoisie and the ‘have-nots’
(those who own nothing but their own labour power), often called as proletariats.
Marx has tried to even give a concrete definition of social class. According to
him ‘a social class occupies a fixed place in the process of production’.
Activity 1
Can Indian society be divided into classes in Marxian sense of the world ‘class’?
If yes, describe these classes. If no, give reasons why Indian society cannot be
divided into in Marxian sense of the word ‘class’.
4.2.1 Criteria for Determination of Class
In order to have a better understanding of the concept of class and class structure,
one must be able to respond to the question – “What are the criteria for
determination of class”? In other words, which human grouping will be called a
class and which grouping would not be considered asclass in Marxian terms. For
this exercise, one could say that a social class has two major criteria: (i) objective
criteria (ii) subjective criteria.
i) Objective Criteria: People sharing the same relationship to the
means of production comprise a class. Let us understand it through an
example – all labourers have a similar relationship with the
landowners. On the other hand all the landowners, as a class, have a
48
