NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL

SOCIOLOGY

FIRST TRIMESTER

PROJECT WORK

THEORY OF CLASS CONFLICT : WORKING CLASS AND

REVOLUTION

SUBMITTED BY : SUBMITTED TO : DR. BIR PAL SINGH

DHWANIT RATHOR

2019BALLB (HONS) 43

PIYUSH SONI

2019BALLB (HONS) 62

DIVYESH SHARMA

2019BALLB (HONS) 45

PRABHAV SHARMA

2019BALLB (HONS) 28

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Page No.
1. Statement of problems…………………………………………………3
2. Objectives…………………………………………………………..…3
3. Hypothesis……………………………………………………………..3
4. Method of study……………………………………………………..…3
5. Introduction……………………………………………………………4-5
6. Origin………………………………………………………………….5-6
7. Class Structure…………………………………………………………6-8
8. History of Bourgeoisie………………………………………………….8
9. History of Proletariat……………………………………………………8-9
10. Proletarianization……………………………………………………….9-10
11. Class Consciousness……………………………………………….........10-11
12. Revolution……………………………………………………………….11
13. Assumptions of Conflict Theory………………………………………...11-12
14. Class Conflict……………………………………………………………13
15. Capitalist and Class Conflict……………………………………………13-14
16. Socialism and Class Conflict……………………………………………14
17. Application of Conflict Theory in Real Life…………………………….14
18. Conclusion………………………………………………………………15
19. Review of literature…………………………………………………….16
20. Bibliography……………………………………………………………17
21. Contributions……………………………………………………………18

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STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:
European industrialization in the 19th century transformed societies, improved lifestyle of
the people but also led to protest and revolutionaries movements. In the 20th century as
these societies developed, strikes and protests by the workers continued to take place. But
why did workers continue to protest even though societies became wealthier?

OBJECTIVES:
1. To analyze Karl Marx’s theory of class conflict.

2. To study the class structure in the society.

3. To understand the working class and how struggle and conflict aroused.

4. To analyze how tangible and non-tangible things evolved modes of production and
change in society in terms of changing material conditions.

5. To analyze different stages in which class conflict occurs.

HYPOTHESIS:
It appears that society is in a state of endless conflict due to high competition for limited
resources.

METHOD OF STUDY:
This research paper is based on doctrinal method of data collection.

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INTRODUCTION

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.1”

The theory of class conflict, proposed by Karl Marx, claims society is in a condition of
interminable conflict as a result of competition for limited assets. It states that the status
and position of individuals in the society is determined by the amount of participation of
that individual in the production process. A class is that unit of society where people
share common characteristics and interests; they are aware about those interests and
collectively act to fulfill them. To Marx, class consists of a group that has interests
differing from others. Different classes of people have different interests. For e.g., a
labor’s aim would be to have the maximum about of wages whereas businessman would
aim for the maximization of profits, which lead to clash or contradiction within the
system.

"A house may be large or small; as long as the neighboring houses are likewise
small, it satisfies all social requirements for a residence. But let there rise next to the
little house a palace, and the little house shrinks to a hut2."

The theory of class conflict has been utilized to clarify a wide scope of social
phenomenon, including wars and unrests, riches and poverty, discrimination and various
forms of domestic violence. It attributes a large portion of the major improvements in
mankind's history, for example, democracy and social liberties, to capitalistic endeavors
to control the majority as opposed to a longing for social order. The theory spins around
ideas of social imbalance in the division of assets and spotlights on the conflicts that exist
between classes.

1
Chapter 1 Bourgeois and Proletarians, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848).

2
Chapter 6, Wage and capital by Karl Marx (1849).

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Marx's conflict theory centered on the conflict between two essential classes i.e.,
bourgeoisie and proletariat. Each class comprises of a group of individuals bound by
shared interests and a level of property possession, regularly bolstered by the state. The
bourgeoisie are those individuals in the society who hold most of the riches and means.
The proletariat incorporates the working class or the poor. Marx conjectured that the
bourgeoisie, a minority inside the populace, misuse their influence to mistreat the
proletariat.

ORIGIN

Karl Marx's class speculation gets from an extent of philosophical perspectives including
left Hegelianism, Scottish Empiricism, and Anglo-French political-money related issues.
Marx's point of view on class started from a movement of individual interests relating to
social separation and human fight, whereby the game plan of class structure relates to
exceptional certain perception. Social man requires a social overabundance, free
endeavor basically makes this flood "private", and, only an agitation subject to uniting a
private man with his social self can convey chance to alienated (private) animals under
free venture."At a specific phase of their improvement, the material profitable powers of
society come in struggle with the current relations of creation, or – what is nevertheless a
lawful articulation for something very similar – with the property relations inside which
they have been grinding away up to this point. From types of advancement of the
profitable powers these relations transform into their shackles.

Each particular method of creation had its misused classes and its decision classes.
What's more, every mode contributed, in its own particular manner and for an
unequivocal period, to the advancement of the beneficial powers. The decision classes,
by setting up the matchless quality and development of their framework for their own
egotistical advantages, likewise managed a break with the old methods for working. In
this sense they assumed a truly dynamic job. Be that as it may, at specific focuses in time,

5
when the correct conditions met up, further mechanical and logical leaps forward were
made, opening the path for new, progressively proficient methods for sorting out creation
– however which were definitely obliged by the current class relations that were
extraordinarily fit to a specific (presently old fashioned) monetary and social structure.
Now the dynamic character of the decision class was no more. At that point starts an age
of social upheaval.

Political-budgetary viewpoints furthermore added to Marx's theories, concentrating on

"wellspring of compensation" where society is apportioned into three sub-get-togethers:
Rentier, Capitalist, and Worker. This improvement relies upon David Ricardo's theory of
free undertaking. Marx fortified this with a discussion over certain class connection.
Certainly, the beginning of a 'time of social change' does not by any mean reason in a
dynamic change beginning with one strategy for age then onto the following. A rising
social class needs to exist that can move the condition on and challenge the class in
power, and still, after all that "the standard ruin of the battling classes" is reliably a
likelihood. Thus, a mechanical clarification of Marx's weight on age as the motor
intensity of history is uneven and wrong. As he formed elsewhere, "History sits inactive,
it 'has no gigantic wealth', and it 'pays no battles'. It is man, certified, living man who
does all that, who has and fights." The aftereffect of a time of social surprise,
consequently, depends upon the class fight. Marx attempted to portray class as embedded
in beneficial relations rather than monetary prosperity. His political and financial thought
made towards an excitement for age instead of flow, and this from this time forward
transformed into a central subject in his concept of class.

Class Structure

According to the theory of Karl Marx, there are two major classes under the capitalist
mode of production. They are:-

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 1. The Bourgeoisie3
2. The Proletariat4

The bourgeoisie is the capitalist class as they where the owners of the means of
production in the society. While the other one is the larger class, that is, the proletariat
who are the working class in the society as they have to contribute their labor power. As
such, Marxist ideology states that there is a state of inequality and a social disorder in the
capitalist structure of society. In this structure the bourgeoisie class is in a dominating
position with respect to the proletariat. And the dominating factor of the bourgeoisie is
the capital power. As the bourgeoisie become more dominating, the proletariat is stripped
from the basic means of production for them. And this lead to a collective political action
amongst the proletariat which can turn out to be social revolution.

Marxist ideologists are of the opinion that there has been a war of classes between the
controllers of production and the producers of that goods or services in the society. It can
also be regarded as a conflict between the bourgeoisie class (capitalists) and the
proletariat class (laborers). Thus in capitalist system, the proletariat are being exploited
by the bourgeoisie. Marx himself pointed out that the proletariat has to come up and
replace the capitalist system with socialist system.

In addition to the two main classes discussed by Marx, he also discussed some other
classes in the society. The two important ones are:-

1. The Petty Bourgeoisie - This class mainly comprises of the middle class structure
of the society. This class structure mainly comprises of artisan, merchants, small
manufacturers etc These people also have to work for their livelihood as they also
do not have much capital of their own. They are also known as “smaller
capitalists”.
2. The Lumpen Proletariat – This consists of the lowest strata of the society. It
consists mainly of beggars, criminals, prostitutes, and the unemployed youth of

3
By bourgeoisie is meant the class of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production and
employers and wage labors.
4
By proletariat, the class of modern wage laborers who, having no means of production of their own, are
reduced to selling their labor power in order to live. [Engels, 1888 English edition].

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 the society. Marx considered them as the “Dangerous class”. As this group is not
capable of contributing for the development of socialism.5

And as we see the Marxist theory mainly critics the capitalist structure of society for its
division of the society in two main classes, that is, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
This theory points out that there is always a stage of conflict among these two major
classes in the society. So Marxist ideology emphasis on creating a socialist society to
avoid this conflict by means of proper distribution of resources amongst the masses
which can lead to the welfare and betterment of society.

HISTORY OF BOURGEOISIE

Originally people who used to live in "borough6” referring to people who have certain
work with financial capital or work which related to upper strata of society. People who
used to belong to middle or upper strata of class usually consisted of businessman
merchant banker and entrepreneurs.

In society due to bourgeoisie economic might they were able to employ poor proletariat
and exploit them because proletariat did not had anywhere else to go so they were
exploited as only resource that was of proletariat that was their labor.

Due to bourgeoisie economic might they were able to control society and suppress any
sociopolitical challenges that were posed by proletariat. They did anything to keep power
in their own control and to maintain status quo.

HISTORY OF PROLETARIAT

5
http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/s28f99.htm
6
a town or district which is an administrative unit.

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Proletariat word was originated from roman society where it was used as “proletarii”.
Where proletariat was a social class of poor roman citizen who used to own little or no
property.

Word was linked with “The census" which was conducted by authorities of Rome once in
every five years to produce a record which consisted record of property, military duties
and voting privileges of people of Rome. For citizen who used to own property worth less
or equal than 11,000 assēs their record was recorded in official record of census of that
lenticular year but their children namely called "Proles" (from Latin prôlēs which used to
mean offsprings) were listed.

Marx described a working class which did not have any ability to posses or own any
private property. Their only means to survive was to sell only resource they had that was
labor power for daily means of their survival.

According to Karl max “petite bourgeoisie” who were supposed to be better payoff than
their lower-class brethren. Petite bourgeoisie were who rely on self-employment but their
income was no different from ordinary or lower than ordinary wage that was earned by
Proletariat.

Proletarianization

The Marxist ideology suggests that Proletarianization is a social process in which many
people move from being an employer, unemployed or self-employed, to be employed as
wage labor for an employer. Under the Marxist ideology this process is one of the aspects
of accumulation of capital resources. This is also seen as a major form of downward
mobilization of society. Marx points out in his various works that how this process is a
continuous one and how it affects the society in the capitalist system. As in the general
mode of production in a capitalist society, there is a continuous accumulation of wealth
amongst the capital class (the bourgeoisie) of the society. So the major part of the wealth
is concentrated among them and this leads to the deprivation of wealth from the other
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sections of the society. As wealth is concentrated among the capitalist class, majority of
the people have to accept the job as wage laborers for the capitalists for their survival in
the society.7

Class Consciousness

The ides of class consciousness originates in the work of Karl Marx, who said that it is
necessary for the proletariats i.e., the working class to consider itself as a group with
shared interest with the goal to meet up and topple the bourgeoisie i.e., the capitalist class
and to take control of the means of production in a revolution. In spite of the fact that
Marx never really termed the word ‘class consciousness’, he made a distinction between
“class in itself,” and “class for itself”. “Class in itself” is where laborers just have a
common relation to the means of production, and “class for itself” where they seek to
pursue common class interests.

In The Communist Manifesto, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx urged laborers to join by
advising them regarding their abuse by nineteenth century capitalists who constrained
them to bear terrible working conditions, long working hours, and wages so low that
numerous families needed to send their kids to work to enhance the family salary. Marx
and Engels tell that proletarians confronted estrangement from both their work and the
world in general. The Communist Manifesto expresses that in light of the fact that the
prevailing classes control significant social organizations like training and religion, they
can shape social standards and qualities with the goal that individuals from the proletariat
will censure themselves for their incidents. A person who accuses oneself will neglect to
perceive that others have similar issues and will neglect to see an aggregate answer for
them. Therefore, Marx and Engels believed that a familiarity with the undeniably

7
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletarianization

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exploitative nature of private enterprise would make class awareness unavoidable and
that it would help laborers around the globe to topple the bourgeoisie.

REVOLUTION

When people become aware of their non-human situation it is inevitable to stop radical
transformation. This revolution will be first step to the establishment of communism8.

Instead of old bourgeoisie society with its classes and its antagonism there shall be free
development for all classes of society.

According to Karl max there are two types of revolution -

1.Final conflagration, a violent revolution supers sing the old condition of production that
happens between bourgeoisie and proletariat both carry its own extreme point.

2.Permanent revolution involves a temper or coalition between proletariat and

bourgeoisie who rebelled against superficially united capitalist society. Once its
revolution is completed proletariat authority is divided into formation of new class
middle class who have more power than proletariat but less that bourgeoisie.

Marx left it ambiguous regarding destruction of capitalist society and what will be result
of general crises or the action of consensus proletariat or both will be at once?

Assumptions of Conflict theory

8
Communism is an ideology of economic equality through the elimination of private property. The beliefs
of communism, most famously expressed by Karl Marx, center on the idea that inequality and suffering
result from capitalism.

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There are basically four assumptions taken for the understanding of the conflict theory.
And they are:-

1. Competition – Many of the conflict theorists believe that one of the most basic
factors in societal interactions and human relationships is the competition
amongst the masses. It mainly exists in the society because of the scarcity of
resources, including both tangible goods and intangible goods. Thus competitions
the most general assumption for conflict theory as it lies among the social order
and had become a major o part of the modern day developing society.
2. Revolution – As conflicts occur in the society one of the most possible outcomes
is a revolution, and that can be either social or political. And the process of
revolution is not a gradual one but it is more abrupt in nature and also mainly at a
large scale. So it becomes an essential part of conflict in the society. And also as
in Marxist ideology we find that the method of revolution is proposed to establish
socialism in the society by replacing the communist society.
3. Structural Inequality – The main basis of structural inequality in the society is the
unequal distribution of power. And then a group of society acquires more power
that results in the suppression of the other class of society. And thus a conflict
occurs between the two groups of the society formed from the unbalanced
distribution of power. Under the Marxist ideology, there has been a distribution of
power in society through the acquiring of means of production. The two classes
were formed, that is, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, which then create a state
of conflict in society.
4. War – In the views of the conflict theorist, war is basically an outcome of the
cumulative and growing stage of conflict among the people, groups, or the society
as a whole. The war here referred to is more of social in nature as to redistribute
the power and wealth in the society in an equitable manner. So as to balance the
needs of the masses and distribution of wealth which can result in the proper
functioning of the state for the development and progress of the people and the
world at large.

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CLASS CONFLICT

According to Karl Marx class conflict is a situation which arrives when there is excessive
of competition for limited number of resources when rich or powerful class tries to fulfill
its greed and use its power to gain maximum of limited resources without caring about
consequence of their act or what it might cause changes in society due to their selfish
nature and poor and powerless class being powerless to do something about situation are
left to suffer for act of other.

Class conflict is a state when there is a tension between rich and powerful; poor and
powerless section of society. When rich feel that poor are rising on status they try every
means to control or oppress poor class of society.

Karl Marx’s Marxist theory of class conflict saw society divided on basics of economics
class where rich class of bourgeoisie compromises of King, Queen, merchants, factory
owner, mine owner , Mill owner etc. And poor class of proletariat which mainly consist
of working class who used to work in the mills factories household of rich aristocratic
bourgeoisie.

CAPTALIST AND CLASS CONFLICT

Capitalist is an economic system which has main characterized of “free market” and
absence or minimization of government interventions control or balance of capitalist
society is based on principle of “invisible hand “.

Capitalist system is solely based on profit making strategy or system wholly run with
utmost intent of making profit not welfare. Firms gains monopoly power, increases price
of necessity goods and exploit labor working class they are paid low wages with long

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working hour and little can be done on their condition due to availability of labor at large
scale.

In capitalist system rich becomes richer and poor becomes poorer. Poor are often
considered as a resource of cheap labor with little economic security when they are
injured and laid off.

SOCIALISM AND CLASS CONFLICT9

Karl Marx said “a class is formed when its members achieve class consciousness and
solidarity". It happens when a class comes to notice it's loopholes it's exploitation then it
will take an action against those who are exploiting lower classes. In sociologist all
factors of production is owned by state so all factories mines machines are capital owned
and are wholly in control of state. All citizens get benefit from production of goods and
services on basis of equal rights.

APPLICATION OF CONFLICT THEORY IN REAL LIFE

1. Government's try to manage class conflict between different classes of society by

relocation of resources between bourgeoisie and proletariat.

2. Government takes resources from who have more than ordinate by progressive
taxation and give them to who have less than ordinate with tariff or various schemes,
incentives like minimum wages for poor class and special program and social assistance.

If rich get richer and poor get poorer, gap between have and have not will widen that will
lead to social unrest in society poor will involve in crime or they would protest,
movement unrest in society if situation worsens it could lead to civil war between classes
for their survival.

9
Marxism and class analysis [Andre beteille, 2007]

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CONCLUSION

Karl Marx was indeed way ahead of his time. He saw what other people tend to ignore,
asked question and then researched on his theory. He then researched and presented an
answer as to and why there is tension between races and went inside the problem and
found out an answer that due to lack of resources powerful people or bourgeoisie try to
fulfill their greed, exploited people who were below them didn't care about them. All this
was because of economic differences. Poor people or proletariat were unknown of whole
situation but when they came to know about the reality they revolted and this conflict
between classes was all because of money. He failed to see that there are more than one
element that determine conflict in the society. For example opinion on one particular
subject can also lead to conflict in society. We as a student of sociology conclude that
Marx’s proposition that economy is the only factor in determining the class in the society
is not totally correct because many other factors are there on the basis of which the class
structure in the society can be determined.

Karl Marx viewed that society is always in conflict also does not explain that why there is
bonding between the people in the society and why there is sense of camaraderie in the
society or why people always stay together in the society. These instances undermine
Karl Marx’s statement. Karl Marx only presented view of European society but word
society also consist Asiatic society, where Karl Marx failed to answer his class conflict
proposition. In the end Karl Marx described one of the views of society which may please
or displease some but it is indeed accepted that class conflict answers some of the most
burning questions.

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Review of Literature

1. Marxism and Class Analysis by Andre Beteille

This book analyses the contemporary society of the study of Marxism in the field of
sociology and economics. In this book, the author also mentions the problems of
class, conflict and inequality in the Indian society, and there is also a mention of the
agrarian social structure with its problems. The approach of Marxism theory is mainly
based on the class division of the society. The analysis done by the author also points
out the modern aspects of class in different societies and its views regarding the
Marxist view of the society. The author also presents the different stages of conflict
and inequality at the various levels of the society and also referring to the varied
nature of different societies of the world. The book’s main emphasis is to analyze the
views of Marxism with the contemporary society and the sociological and economic
changes that took place in the society all over the world.

2. The Communist Manifesto:

The Communist Manifesto was intended as a definitive programmatic statement of

the Communist League, a German revolutionary group of which Marx and Engels
were the leaders. It was published in February 1848, just months before much of
Europe was to erupt in social and political turmoil, and the Manifesto reflects the
political climate of the period. .In the summer of that year, youthful revolutionary
groups, along with the urban dispossessed, set up barricades in many of Europe’s
capitals, fighting for an end to political and economic oppression. Their enemy was
capitalism, the system of private ownership of the means of production. The
Manifesto describes how capitalism divides society into two classes: the bourgeoisie,
or capitalists who own these means of production (factories, mills, mines, etc.), and
the workers, who sell their labor power to the capitalists, who pay the workers as little
as they can get away with. It presents analytical approach to class struggle, the
conflicts of capitalism and capitalist mode of production.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism
2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marxism
3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie
4. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat
5. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lukacs/works/history/lukacs3.htm
6. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto.ht
7. https://studyhippo.com/the-three-assumptions-of-conflict-theory-5859/
8. https://mises.org/wire/class-conflict-and-revolutionary-socialism

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Contribution
Dhwanit Rathore

1. Introduction
2. Revolution
3. Class conflict
4. Review of literature : The communist manifesto by karl Marx

Piyush Soni

1. Origin
2. Class structure
3. Application of conflict theory in real life
4. Review of literature: Marxism and class analysis by Andre beteille

Divyesh Sharma

1. History of bourgeoisie
2. History of proletariat
3. Socialism and class conflict
4. Capitalism and class conflict

Prabhav Sharma

1. Proletarianization
2. Class consciousness
3. Assumption of conflict theory.

CONCLUSION:

All four people have collectively made the conclusion of the project.

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19