...working class are subject to. They also believe that laws are enforced mostly to benefit the interests of the ruling class. (An example of this is 80% of laws exist to protect private property.) NeoMarxists (also known as critical criminology) are another branch of Marxism which was established in the 1970s. They discuss more contemporary ideas of crime and their ideas, such as saying crime results out of political anger. They note that the traditional Marxist perspective is too deterministic and try to implement an element of free will in their theory. Traditional Marxist’s view of crime has 3 key aspects: The Criminogenic capitalism, the state and law making and ideological functions of crime and law. As previously stated, criminogenic capitalism is the Marxist idea that crime is inevitable because of the nature of capitalism. They believe that because of capitalism as the unequal divide between classes, committing crime is sometimes the only way people can live. For example, a young woman who is living in poverty may have to resort to prostitution in order to survive. In addition, sometimes the working class may feel frustrated that they are under the control of the bourgeoisie and act out in crimes such as violence and vandalism as a way of venting their anger at being alienated from society. However, they do state that...
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...Karl Marx and Max Webber both many had many philosophies of the capitalism and its effects on society. Their ideas helped pave the way and expand on theories of previous sociologists. Both men have a deep insight of socioeconomic class in the origins and development of modern capitalism. This paper will analyze the impact of capitalism on society as perceived by both men and the areas in which they agreed, disagreed, and expanded on the ideas of the other. In many ways, the Weberian theory was “rounding out” Marx’s theories, working within the traditions of Marxian (Ritzer, page 26). Weber viewed Marxists as economic determinists who offered single-cause concepts on societal life (27). Marx’s material orientation and its effect on society was something that Weber did agree with completely. Weber had a strong belief that most ideas are what shapes an economy, while Marx believed that it is the economy (and the materials within it, help to define our ideas (27). Weber was said to have taken Marx’s ideas and, “turned Marx on his head” (27). The inverse relationship between Marx and Weber transcends into many tremendous ideas on capitalism and the effects on society. Both sociologists have unique ideas on the driving measures that led to the development and the rise of capitalism. One of Weber’s most famous works called the, Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, dealt with the origins of capitalism and their “ethos”; ideas that are engraved into religious beliefs. Weber...
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...Among the most compelling issues within the various attempts to define modernity involves placing it within a temporal framework by linking it to specific events within history to illustrate modernity as an distinct epoch. The debate surrounds locating the origin point of modernity, which in turn, shaped the character and nature of its meaning. Some question this temporal component by constructing modernity as a process of economic and technological conditions rather than a specific point in time attacks this logic. However, these seemingly competing conceptions of modernity seem to feed into a similar understanding of the modern that suggests modernity is not merely an epoch, but a new system of cultural understanding that resulted from...
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...It became the thought among many Christian philosophers that the act of labor is synonymous to the act of glorifying God. Thus, Weber postulates what he defines a “calling,” - a specific activity that a person is thought good do in the name of glorification of God, which ultimately summarizes the essential purpose of each actor in the social. The various 'callings' ascribed to the populace spawned the capitalist division of labor. Although justifying material acquisition, the Protestant Ethic maintained an opinion of thoughtful disvaluement of possessions. That is, while truness to thy 'calling' and thankfulness for thy riches is sought, he must never be distracted from glorifying God, and remembering his purpose. True to Marx’s commodity...
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...system, and the inequalities it generates. Crime also serves as a diversionary tactic, it diverts attention away from the exploitation and inequalities within the capitalism system and focuses the minds of the proletariat on deviants and criminals who are then mistakenly blamed for being the real cause of problems in society. However there are several variations in Marxist ideas on crime. Neo Marxists have developed critical criminology which has attempted to incorporate labelling theory and Brake has used subcultural theory to explain the attraction of youth groups. Assignment 2 – Using material from Item B and elsewhere assess the usefulness of Marxist approaches in explaining crime The traditional Marxist belief is a structural one as they see society as being based on a structure, this structure being determined and controlled by one of the two groups that they believe society is divided into. These two groups are the ruling capitalist class (bourgeoisie) who own the means of production, and the working class (proletariat) whose alienated labour the ruling class exploit to make profit. Item B draws on this point as it says “they see the law as a tool of the ruling class.” There are several variations in Marxist ideas on crime (Item B). Traditional Marxists talk more about the criminogenic nature of capitalism and the way the state makes and enforces laws in the interest of the ruling class and the way crime is used in an ideological way to support the ruling class’ power...
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...In 1902, German economic historian Werner Sombart published ‘Der Moderne Kapitalismus.’ In his piece, he hypothesizes that there is such a thing as a “spirit of capitalism” a spirit which has worked as a guiding force in the evolution of modern capitalism (Green 1973). Werner does not offer any explanation as to what the nature of this spirit might be, or where it came from, but he does argue that this spirit is responsible for the development of capitalism in the modern world. After reading Werner’s work, German sociologist Max Weber, one of the founding creators of sociology, seized upon Werner’s idea and set out to explain the origins of this spirit of capitalism. Weber’s visit to America, the heart and soul of capitalism, in 1904 brought him his answer. While in America, Weber observes that matters of business are very closely related to religious affiliation. This attitude manifests itself in many ways, but one example he provides is the story of a man’s visit to the doctor: “the patient’s statement of his church membership was merely to say: ‘Don’t worry about the fees’ (Gerth & Mills 1946, 304).” This, of course, meant that this man was financially sound, because he belonged to a specific church community. Weber explains: “Admission to the congregation is recognized as an absolute guarantee of the moral qualities of a gentleman, especially of those qualities required in business matters (Gerth & Mills, 305).” Essentially, in order to become a part of a religious sect, a...
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...a “social instinct” of antipathy between people. He explains that racism is not an inherent social attitude between people or groups because of its non existence before late fifteenth century. He states that the only reason colored people experience racism now is due to their exploitation during the capitalization in the past. He then merely proves his point that the reason Racism is encountered in western societies is because west exploited the cheap labor from other continents, especially Africa for the purpose of exploiting natural resources of the colonies. Therefore, in light of Cox’s explanation, racism is not based on color, but has its origins in labor exploitation due to capitalism. It is safe to assume, based on the essay that racism stemmed from slave trade, which was a direct result of Capitalism. Capitalism is an economic and social system in which most trade, industry and the means of production (capital) is privately controlled and operated for a profit. Therefore, to gain profit very cheap labor was required. The cheapest labor was found in shape of Slavery and hence the need for Slave trade from different parts of the world. The slave trade was “simply a way of recruiting labor” which was cheap. The slaves were not chosen based on their color, but they were chosen because they were the “best...
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...Foreign Affairs, Review Essay May/June 2015 Issue https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2015-04-20/what-causedcapitalism What Caused Capitalism? Assessing the Roles of the West and the Rest By Jeremy Adelman The Cambridge History of Capitalism, 2 vols. EDITED BY LARRY NEAL AND JEFFREY G. WILLIAMSON. Cambridge University Press, 2014, 1,205 pp. $260.00. The Enlightened Economy: An Economic History of Britain, 1700–1850 BY JOEL MOKYR. Yale University Press, 2012, 550 pp. $35.00. Empire of Cotton: A Global History BY SVEN BECKERT. Knopf, 2014, 615 pp. $35.00. Once upon a time, smart people thought the world was flat. As globalization took off, economists pointed to spreading market forces that allowed consumers to buy similar things for the same prices around the world. Others invoked the expansion of liberalism and democracy after the Cold War. For a while, it seemed as if the West’s political and economic ways really had won out. But the euphoric days of flat talk now seem like a bygone era, replaced by gloom and anxiety. The economic shock of 2008, the United States’ political paralysis, Europe’s financial quagmires, the dashed dreams of the Arab Spring, and the specter of competition from illiberal capitalist countries such as China have doused enthusiasm about the West’s destiny. Once seen as a model for “the rest,” the West is now in question. Even the erstwhile booster Francis Fukuyama has seen the dark, warning in his recent twovolume history...
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...This broader conception of feudalism has strongly influenced the worldhistorical perspective since the 1970s (see esp. Wallerstein, 1974). One major exception to this generalization is Giovanni Arrighi (1994, 1998), who in key respects has returned to the earlier, narrower conception of feudalism. In Arrighi’s scheme of things, feudalism is limited to rural social relations in medieval Europe. Although feudal relations are no doubt very relevant to an understandingof English, French, Polish, Swedish and many other “national” histories of the European world[,] they nonetheless are largely if not entirely irrelevant to an understanding of the origins of world capitalism for the simple reason that world capitalism did not originate within the economic activities and social relations [of territorial Europe]. Rather, [capitalism] originated in the interstices [the city-states] that connected those territorial organizations to one another. (Arrighi,...
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... 1. Why was Capitalism not a catalyst for improving the position of women in relation to Patriarchy? -‐ The Industrial Revolution was the origin of complete transformation, where people started to make things for exchange instead of for themselves. Value of the good is assigned depending on what people are willing to pay for it vs. the good’s actual worth. -‐ Capitalism was a revolution between classes and not between genders. -‐ From Feudalism to Capitalism 1. Rise of middle class-‐ money as new source of power vs. birthright (“To the manner born” 2. Fall of aristocracy – keep wealth but lose power, emergence of parliamentary system 3. Creation of working class – seems like a huge improvement to be paid in money, as compared to being rewarded with shelter and food. Capitalism promises to pay you what you are worth based on your skills and expertise. 2. Relationship between Patriarchy and Capitalism. When is it good? When is it bad? -‐ -‐ -‐ Capitalism reinforces women’s...
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...Using material from item 2b and elsewhere assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism. Marxism is a conflict theory which sees all society’s institutions, such as the education system, the media, religion and the state, as helping to main class inequality and capitalism. For Marxists, therefore, the functions of the family are performed solely for the benefit of the capitalist system. This view contrasts sharply with the functionalist view that the family benefits both society as a whole and the individual members of the family. First of all one reason in which the family does serve capitalism, is through the origin of the family. Engels argued that the need for the family arose when society started to value private property. With the rise of private property an organised system of inheritance became necessary. This serves capitalism, because if land and fortunes are inherited, inequality will be reproduced, in that middle class families can pass on more property to their family. Whilst the working class have little if anything to pass down to their family. This goes against everything to do with communism as they believe that property and earning should be shared. Therefore, this shows that the family serves capitalism. Engels also argued that monogamy arose. This was so that the farther knew who their offspring was, so that they could pass their property down to them....
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...Using material from item 2b and elsewhere assess the Marxist view that the main role of the family is to serve the interests of capitalism. Marxism is a conflict theory which sees all society’s institutions, such as the education system, the media, religion and the state, as helping to main class inequality and capitalism. For Marxists, therefore, the functions of the family are performed solely for the benefit of the capitalist system. This view contrasts sharply with the functionalist view that the family benefits both society as a whole and the individual members of the family. First of all one reason in which the family does serve capitalism, is through the origin of the family. Engels argued that the need for the family arose when society started to value private property. With the rise of private property an organised system of inheritance became necessary. This serves capitalism, because if land and fortunes are inherited, inequality will be reproduced, in that middle class families can pass on more property to their family. Whilst the working class have little if anything to pass down to their family. This goes against everything to do with communism as they believe that property and earning should be shared. Therefore, this shows that the family serves capitalism. Engels also argued that monogamy arose. This was so that the farther knew who their offspring was, so that they could pass their property down to them. This...
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...USSR and the USA, the two great nations in the 1940s united each other to defeat their common enemy, Nazi Germany. Their alliance was however ‘unnatural’ as both countries had conflicting ideologies, capitalism vs. communism and both wanted to spread their power and control in the world. Their incompatible ideologies from the start together with their troubled relationship since 1918 when the west intervened on the Russian civil war on behalf of the White Army, created an uneasy alliance in 1941 that that was most certainly ‘bound to fall apart’ when the common enemy was defeated in 1945. In order to come to a conclusion on the extent to which “An unnatural alliance that was bound to fall apart after the defeat of the common enemy” explains the origin of the cold war the essay will be divided into four parts: the opposed ideologies, events from 1919 to 1945, the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, and events subsequent to the conferences until 1949. The Bolsheviks seized power in 1917 leading to the establishment of the world’s first socialist state whose guiding ideas were those of communism. For the leaders of the western countries these ideas threatened the very basis of their societies, economically and politically, as they followed an ideology of Capitalism. For the USSR, capitalism which revolves around private enterprise was seen as creating divisions between rich and poor and thus the communists believed that all goods should be taken over by the government and distributed...
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...distant cousin, Marianne Schnitger in 1893, and moved to Freiburg where he was appointed as a professor in the University. Weber resigned and subsequently became an editor. He published his masterpiece “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” which focuses on the relationship between different religious ideas and economics. Weber feels that the modern system stems from rational capitalism and attempted to explain how the process occurred. In Weber’s perception, money is not the main driving force that inspires man to work hard; religious convictions can also influence their thinking (Weber 1904). Weber’s theory of bureaucracy is modeled on the rationalizing of organizations. Some characteristics of bureaucracy are division of labor and managerial hierarchy (Wren & Bedeian 2009). Bureaucracy, being the most efficient way of managing an organization has its disadvantages. Viewed like an “iron cage”, individuals feel trapped with no room for creativity where rules and regulations take precedence. Weber’s life ended in Munich on 14th June 1920 due to pneumonia. Nevertheless, he is recognized as a leading scholar of modern Sociology among his other achievements. 2. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Influences from his mother’s devout Calvinism clearly encouraged his study of Calvinism. Weber attempted to develop rationales and analyzed how...
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...State theory Marxists argue that the state serves the dominant classes in society. The state is "the executive committee of the bourgeoisie". In capitalist society the state rules primarily in the interest of the capitalist class. For example the state takes as its top priority increasing economic (i.e., business) activity, when it is clear that this is now accompanied by a falling quality of life and by environmental destruction. The state's most important characteristic is that is has the power to coerce members of society; e.g., to jail, fine or execute, and to make war. Marx claimed that the state will cease to exist when society becomes classless. He seems to have meant that the coercive apparatus, e.g., police and army, will not be necessary because these function primarily to enforce rules which benefit the dominant classes, but there will still be a need for bureaucracy to look after organisation and planning. Although Marx and Engels never put forward a unified presentation of the theory of the state, their conception of the state is a fundamental aspect of their outlook, and of what has since come to be called Marxism. In fact, theories of the state constitute critical facets of all totalitarian credos, not just the Marxian. After all, a given ideology may be overwhelmingly totalitarian in underlying logic, but if it lacks a focus on using the state as the means of transforming society—that is, of imposing its ideas—its totalitarianism will remain implicit....
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