Karl Marx's Social Change Theory-Marxian Class Model

Karl Marx framework on power and social development:-

He defined the social classes by ownership of means of production. In capital society, there are mainly two classes, Bourgeoisie and Proletarian. Capitalism rests on economic class relations, and these necessarily involve exploitation and domination. The economic relations shape the other social relations in society, so that class is ultimately the most powerful and fundamental political division in society. Other divisions are conditioned by class and will not be so decisive in determining the society's political development.

The conflicts as inherent and inevitable. The logic of capitalism was to exploit workers to gain more profit, the degree of exploitation increased while the forces of production developed and, to certain time, the Proletarian would gain their class consciousness and become aware of their identity as an exploited and oppressed class.

The exploitation were in three level:
1. surplus value
2. wage level to be kept at minimum
3. working condition

The class struggles between Bourgeoisie and Proletarian finally will lead to revolution.

In the transaction period, those in the power have access to means to promote a reality that justified their exploiting actions or distracts people's action away from their oppression. Dominant ideology promotes a false consciousness were people in lower classes come to accept a belief system that prevent revolution. " The ideas of ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas".

How does ruling class keep their ruling ideas among others?

1. The ruling class denies the people 's freedom of political speech, and right to express idea, controlled by coercion


2. The ruling class controls the material resources which people need for formulating ideas and thinking,


3. The ruling class can selective encourage or discourage certain ideas, eg, religious ideas, that divert the tension from realizing their true oppressed states,


4. The ruling class actually produces ideas by supporting teachers, researchers, owing the newspapers, and other publication means to advocate their ideas in mass media
   

For Marx, the engine of social development is constant class struggles. The class position decides one's political attitude and decides one's affinity.

The empirical evidence of Marx's theory:

Concentration of wealth in any given society where tends to be a dominate value system; capitalist's business interests tends to be national interests and inequality tends to be seen as normal and inevitable.

The criticism of Marx's framework:

1. When socialist revolution occurred, it was about time to enter capitalism


2. Unlike Marx's predication, the working class in fact were enjoying wage increase and better living conditions


3. Many socialism states and nations later collapsed, changed from socialism to capitalism

In the view of State, there are following model for explanation:-

Instrumentalist Marxist Models
The state is an instrument for bourgeoisie class, it is not the Parliament and government, but capitalists who really own the source of power through the owning of properties and mode of production. Even if capitalists didn't rule directly, the economic power they had can dictate the mass media in religious and military, in order to protect their interests.

Though facing the challenge on economic redistribution on social welfare and labour movement, the instrumentalist argued that those were insignificant to threaten capitalist class interests but to run capitalism efficiently.

Class reproduction (how to maintain the capitalist class exclusive):-

- intermarriage and kinship connection within bourgeois.
- interconnected economic interests such as interlocking directorships, where individuals are directors for more than one company
- exclusive education background, such as Oxford, Cambridge, or Ivy League college in the States
- cross-sphere contacts and linkages, where individuals occupy and shuttle between elite position in various spheres

Structuralists Marxist Model:-

In this model, the individual has little control over the whole capitalism structure. The corporate has a "Monster" responsibility. It is possible for the person with working class background to rise up to the top government post, but still to serve capitalist interests.

Gramscian Marxist Model:-

This model thinks that within bourgeoisie class, there can be conflicts in different levels, called power blocs, social changes and regrouping is possible through the power blocs struggles. A power bloc is "an alignment of social groups, generally under the dominance of one of them, which is able to monopolize the levels of political power in a society over a sustained period".

Power blocs are always face challenge from potential new candidate, force political concession to make, shifting of power balancing within power blocs. It is necessary for current power blocs to give Hegemony,"refers to consent or acceptance of an ideology, regime or whole social system.".

Under this model, the state has relative autonomy and does not always serve capitalists' interest. The political progress is the result of power struggles between power blocs. This model also suggests that there is a necessary separation between economic power and the formation of political programmes through the states.