Conflict View of Weber (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Key thinker: Max Weber (1864-1920)

Contribution to the development of sociology

• Weber made a major contribution to a range of sociological topics such as social class, status and power - these are aspects of social stratification

• Like Marx, Weber was interested in issues such as the development of capitalism and social class

• Weber recognised that small-scale interactions and social structures influenced human behaviour, which informed the development of social action theory

• Although Weber is considered the founder of interactionism, he never identified as an interactionist

The key ideas of Max Weber

Social class

• Weber, like Marx, saw social class as the key division in society and defined it in terms of economic factors

• Weber agreed with Marx that ownership and non-ownership of property are the most important basis of class divisions

• However, class divisions aren't just based on economic factors but also skills and qualifications, which affect the jobs that people get

  • For example, people with high-level qualifications and specialised skills are in a stronger position in the labour market than those without

Status

• Status refers to how much prestige or social standing a group has

  • For example, judges and surgeons are considered to have high status

• According to Weber, status and income are not always related because some groups have low status but high incomes, and vice versa

  • For example, people who sell used cars may have high incomes but low status

Power

• Weber argued that an individual or group exercises power when they can get what they want, despite opposition from other individuals or groups

• People have power when they can influence others to act in a certain way

  • People considered to have power in society include politicians, police officers, judges and religious leaders

Criticisms of Weber

• Like Marx, Weber ignored the divisions in society based on gender and ethnicity, as he only focused on class divisions