Marxist or Neo-Marxist Research Theorist Theory Summary

¶ … Marxist or Neo-Marxist Research

Theorist

Theory Summary

Critique of Theory

Max Weber

According to Max Weber the state is a special entity that possesses a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. Weber believes politics is a required activity of government used in order to influence and control the relative distribution of force and power in the country.

Weber wrote of three main types of authority and political leadership domination that is present in society. These three types are charismatic, traditional and legal domination.

Weber also developed a theory of stratification where he explained and used such ideas as class, status, and party. According to his theory class is determined by an individual's economic situation. The notion of status is similar to prestige and honor. And the main purpose of parties is to gain domination in certain spheres of life. Like Weber, Marx saw society as the struggle for class dominance, the confrontation between oppressors and oppressed.

Some of the ideas of Max Weber were criticized due to the lack of flexibility in his theories and conceptions.

There are also critics who disagreed with Weber's understanding of capitalism and its origin. There is much evidence in today's news to support Weber's portrayal of social order. Entities in positions of power seem have their interests protected by the government. The recent scandal on Wall Street has yielded very few criminal charges and the government stepped in to bail out the financial institutions that got into trouble. The banks then raised fees to cover their losses and passed the cost on to the people.

Karl Marx

The main concepts and notions that were studied by Karl Marx are dialectical and historical materialism. He also paid special attention to alienation and the problem of class and class division. Marx asserted that modern Industrial society (1848) is only different from past societies in that now the social order has been reduced down to two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marx believed that the state was in place only to protect the welfare of the bourgeoisie. Marx describes the antagonism between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat as ongoing and uninterrupted, sometimes overt, sometimes covert.

Max Weber was one of the critics of Karl Marx theory and he tried to completely refute his interpretation and notion of class and class conflict and power. Marx's Communist Manifesto is grounded in the idea of equality and social justice. These are noble ideas. Practically these ideas have not prospered because, I believe, the nature of man and government is to protect their own self-interest regardless of the consequences to others.

Mao Zedong