1. My favourite sociological theory
Karl Marks and the Origin of the
Conflict Perspective
Dupani Charmila

2.  Conflict theories are based on the belief that
differences of interests are a fundamental
features of social groups.
 Conflict is a common characteristic of society
 Conflict theories are analyse society in terms
of macro perspectives.It may explain social
structure.

3. • Marxists see economic systems as the basis on
which societies are organised.
• Marx was a German philosopher and
economist.He profound impact on the
development of sociological theory.
• Marks was mainly attempting to understand
and explain the human condition in capitalist
societies as well as analyse the ways in which

4. • The workings of society impacted on human
relations.
• Marx belived that understanding society was
but a precursor to changing it his work was of
a political and activist nature and his ultimate
objective was to achieve liberation.

5. • Marx also made an important contribution to
the long running ontological debate in the
social sciences between idealism and
materialism.
• Marx argued for a material transformation of
the world.

6. • Human must produce food and material
objects.
• Humans enter into social relationships with
each other.
• Marx understood the world in terms of how
humans produced themselves and society
through labour.

7. Marx Argu
• Marx argued that each system of production
there are basic contradictions where one
social group exploits another social group.
• One group always is at an advantage at the
cost of another group.
• This means the forces of production give rise
to conflict among the relations of
productionadictions and conflicts of interest
must ultimately be resolved.

8. • According to the marx,the source of wealth is
labour which in capitalist societies is
appropriated by the capitalist in the forms of
profits.

9. Historical perspective
• Important to understand social reality.
• People as both the producers and products of
their society.
• They are also shaped by social relationships
and value systems which they create.
• Analyzing class struggle is the basis of
understanding human history that class
struggle is what drove human history.

10. Dialectical materialism
• Movement refers to change that occurs
through struggle or contradictions.
• Human history changes as a results of the
dialectical movement of ideas and thoughts.
• Conflict or contradiction between
incompatible thoughts lead to new
concepts.as well as which are the basis of
social change.

11. • Marx emphasised the economic and material
aspects of life,his view of history is known as
dialectical materialism.

12. Alienation
• Marx stated that human alienation is highest
within capitalist societies.
• Human see their own creations as alien
objects-objects that are independent of their
creator and invested with a power to contol
them.
• They lose themselves and become strangers in
a world created by themselves.

13. • Marx argues that people are alienated from
the most human activity of all.
• The laws of the market are therefore seen as
impersonal and external to human existence.
• Marx argues that market forces are not
outside the control of humans

14. Class
• In Marx’s view understanding human
relationships is a core aspect of understanding
human history.
• Marx’s analysis of class and class relationships
is an influential analysis of social relationships
within sociological theory.
• Marx is divided in to social groups known as
classes.

15. • The realtionship between these classes has
always been one of the antagonism and
conflict and this forms the basis of social
change.
• Generally,the structure of society can be
described as a two class model with a ruling
class and a subject class.

16. • The struggle between two classes emanates
from the fact that while one class provides the
productive labour the major part of the
wealth is appropriated by another class.
• This means that the ruling class will always
benefit at the expense of the subject class.

17. Social change
• Marx believed that the contradictions of
capitalism resulting in increasing class conflict
would transform the proletariat from a class in
itself to a class for itself.
• The communist society would emerge from
the destruction of the capitalist society.
• However would resolve all class contradictions
and the new society would be one without
classes.

18. • Recent events in the global financial sector
have revived an enormous interest in Marx.
• Certainly the increasing gap between the rich
and the poor despite the growing wealth in
the world mirrors.
• Weber argued that status and political interest
are as much a divisive force in society as
economic interests.