ate the wealth by the sweat and toil, but their employers seize most of the economic rewards. This is known as the LABOUR THEORY OF VALUE.Marx has three contradictions:1.Polarisation of social classes. This is where Marx thinks that the proletariat will fall further behind the bourgeoisie. Class divisions will become more polarised as ‘intermediate’ classes merge with either bourgeoisie or the proletariat. 2.Social Alienation. This is the ‘impoverishment of the human spirit’, which means that the workers have very little chance of leaving the working class.3.Economic Crisis. This is when capitalist’s profits fall because it is an uncontrollable system. Marx believes that eventually the capitalist system will collapse.Max Weber also sees social class as an economic matter. However he did not seem to agree with the ‘two class model’. Weber chose to define class by position in the economic market. This market has various positions that all have a different amount of income, amount of occupational skill or educational qualifications required.Weber’s approach gives many more classes based on the position in the market. When Weber speaks of status he means the degree of honour which is in all social groups. Each group fights for the amount of ‘social esteem’ they have in society. Status has more to do with judging people based on consumption styles (how you spend your money).Party refers to the exercise of power by pressure groups, political parties’ etc. Each group competing for power. Parties can use their power to enhance their economic wealth. But Weber doesn’t believe that wealth automatically bestows power.Weber thinks that power in modern society is more in the large bureaucracies than in the ownership of the means of production.The Marxian and Weberian theories are very different. They both offer very valid points.Some sociologist suggest that the main difference ...
