Sociological theory: an introduction to Marxism

One of the most complicated theories in Sociology is the ‘Conflict theory’ of Marxism. A conflict theory (unlike a consensus theory) suggests that society is based on a conflict of interests. For Karl Marx, the founding father of Marxism, this conflict was between the wealthy of society and the poor. He did not believe that the shape of society reflected the interests of a ‘consensual community’, but rather the power and privilege of a small well-off group of people. In his earlier work Marx concentrated on ‘Humanist philosophy’ and the capabilities of human beings and their potential if freed from constraint. At the heart of Marx’s ideas is the notion that people need to be freed from constraints (reminiscent of the philosophy of Jean-Jaques Rousseau – that ‘man in the state of nature’ was a ‘noble savage’), rather than controlled ‘for their own good’ (as argued by Durkheim). In his later work, he concentrated on the structure of society, economics and politics. In this work, he suggested that society was conflictual and would eventually lead to a ‘revolution’.