Marxist Theory of Social Stratification (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

The two-class system

• Marx argued that modern society is based on capitalism, a system where society is divided into two main social classes:

  • The bourgeoisie – the small, wealthy ruling class who own and control the means of production, e.g. factories, businesses, land, machinery

  • The proletariat – the large, working class who do not own any means of production and must sell their labour to the bourgeoisie to earn a wage

• This is known as a socio-economic classification — a way of dividing people based on their relationship to work and wealth

Exploitation and the power of the bourgeoisie

• The bourgeoisie use their ownership and control to exploit the proletariat

• This means they take advantage of workers by paying them less than the value of what they produce, keeping the profit for themselves

• This unequal relationship gives the bourgeoisie:

  • economic power: control of wealth and production

  • ideological power: control over ideas and beliefs

• Marx called this process exploitation, and believed that exploitation lies at the heart of all stratification systems

False class consciousness

• To maintain their position, the bourgeoisie spread ideas and values that make capitalism seem normal, fair and natural

  • Marx called this ruling class ideology

• The proletariat experiences alienation under capitalism because they lack control over production and the products of their labour

• It creates false class consciousness — a false awareness among the working class that prevents them from seeing how they are being exploited

  • E.g. workers may believe that competition and hard work are the reasons that some people are rich and others are poor, rather than realising that inequality benefits the ruling class

Class conflict and revolution

• Marx believed that society is based on conflict between social classes, not agreement (consensus)

  • Workers want higher wages, while the ruling class want to pay as little as possible

• Marxist theory therefore states that revolution is inevitable:

  • Over time class conflict will grow, and workers will eventually become aware of their exploitation, overthrow the ruling class, and create a classless, communist society

  • This way wealth, land and factories will be owned by the community as a whole and the class system would disappear

Historical examples

• Marx argued that all societies in history have been divided into two main classes — one that owns and controls, and one that works for them

  • Ancient societies: masters and slaves

  • Medieval societies: lords and serfs

  • Modern societies: bourgeoisie and proletariat

• Before these systems, Marx believed early humans lived in small, equal communities where everyone shared what they produced — there were no rich or poor

Evaluation of the Marxist theory of social stratification

Strengths

• Marx highlighted how power and inequality are built into the structure of capitalist society

• He showed how the ruling class maintains its dominance through economic control and ideology

• Marxism still helps explain the gap between rich and poor today, where a small group of people own most of the world’s wealth and power

Criticisms

• Critics argue that Marx’s ideas are outdated, because capitalist societies like Britain have not had a revolution

• Standards of living for the working class have improved, and the welfare state offers support, such as:

  • education

  • healthcare

  • benefits

• Feminists argue that Marx ignored gender inequality and the role of patriarchy

• Weber argued that class is not the only cause of inequality — status and power also matter

• The New Right believe capitalism gives people choice and social mobility, rewarding those who work hard