Theorists Durkheim And Marx's Theory Of Class Conflict

“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” (Winston Churchill??). Despite the differences between the two types of societies, they both concern the sharing of wealth and the circumstances under which it is acquired. They also deal with class conflict and ways in which it could be resolved. Theorist’s Durkheim and Marx approach this matter differently. Durkheim, employed a functionalist approach on class conflict believing that it was generated by anomie and modern society could only function if every part of the society worked cohesively. Contrarily, Marx uses a materialist approach to understand class conflict by arguing that humans were heavily

This was a result of the complexity, the increasing growth of the economy, and differing worldviews which were present in this society which were not prevalent in pre-industrial societies. However, division of labour which was forced upon individuals contributed to social disorder. Forced division of labour is defined as when an individual is forced to do a job which they are not suitable. To prevent this, he believed that education could play a crucial role in the process of allocation suitable people to the most appropriate jobs. Additionally, Durkheim contended all talented individuals should be given the equal opportunity to be employed to the jobs which they were the most suitable. Though, this equal opportunity did not entitle all individuals to equal wealth. Considering some jobs were deemed more important, they were to receive more incentives and wealth than others; making a certain amount of inequality inevitable. Though, Marx believed that inequality was inevitable due to being generated by

Capitalism divided society into two distinct groups; the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie owned the means of production while the proletariat also known as the worker was forced to sell their labour power to earn a wage for survival. The ownership of capital and the means of production made it rather difficult for the working class to progress. The surplus value failed to benefit the workers and solely benefited those in power. While Marx stood on capitalism creating class conflict, Durkheim believed that anomie was the reason for class conflict opposed to