Marx's Role In Society: The Division Of Society

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The economy plays a major role in society, and the interactions of individuals within that society. Over time, the economy has grown to be a large force of power on the collective society, eliminating the aspect of individuals, and replacing it with collective groups; or classes. We can see that the division of society has drastically changed since the pre-industrial period (Bradley, 126). The competition within classes has made living as an individual almost impossible; one cannot be content to stay in their designated class, and is always yearning to move up in society. It is evident that people in society are grouped as a collective whole, losing the sense of individuality and uniqueness. This can be shown through the mode of production…show more content…
Marx describes the division between the owners of property, and the property-less; the bourgeois and the proletariat (Marx, 70). The workers, proletariat, become alienated with their routine (Marx, 74). This alienation is seen in all aspects of their lives. The routine of working becomes so mundane that the workers are estranged from all human contact. This is then further reflected with their relationships with others. With the entire working class feeling isolated in the workplace, they then lose the sense of community and begin further alienated from the rest of their peers. The proletariat now becomes confused as to who they are, and what their worth is. The proletariat becomes stuck in the cycle of work, which is seemingly harder to escape. This cycle in turn creates labour being objectified (Marx, 71). They are no longer individuals, but become defined by their work. With the working class being attached to their occupations, they no longer feel unique. We see that the proletariat then become further alienated from the species-beings (Marx, 72). This is due to the lack of feeling of community with the worker’s peers, community, and the…show more content…
With his theory of capitalism and class, his writings will be applicable for centuries to come. The monopoly the bourgeois has over the economy is ever prevalent today as it was in the past (Marx, 527). Clearly, the proletariat is a much larger community. However, although there is a much greater number of proletariat, they will never be able to overthrow the bourgeois (Marx, 528). The bourgeois hold an extreme amount of greed and power. They strive on the exploitation of workers, and oppress the less fortunate (Marx, 14). The bourgeois has all the power in society (Marx, 15). Whenever something is changed in society, it must be approved by the bourgeois, as they hold the power to permit change in society. There will be no changes or improvement made in society unless the bourgeois allow it. The proletariat have no option to alter society in any way, as they do not have the power or ability to do so. As Marx speaks on communism, it is the ideal solution for the ever-growing problem with the economy in society (Marx, 310). However, as society grows and reproduces itself, it is evident that communism is out of reach. We see that society operates off greed. With this greed in society, there will be no enhancements made to the division of wealth to allow for a Marxist communist

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