Concept of the Working Class in Modern Britain - Case Study Example

Running Head: Concept of the working in modern Britain Affiliation: Introduction The working group which can also be the lower class, the labouring class or even proletariat is simply a term used by social scientists to describe the people who are employed in lower level occupations as measured by level of education, the skills and the income. It also extends to the unemployed or even those who earn below average. The working classes normally exist in the industrialized nations as well as in the urban areas of the developing nations. There are several economic changes that has occurred over time, and this include the agrarian revolution and the industrial revolution which has led to urbanization which resulted into the emergence of the working class and the owners of the properties which are also the ruling class. The working class according to some theorists likes Weber and Marx are based on the means of production and this can also mean the same empirically. Body According to Karl Marx, the class is the relation in which individuals discover the identity of their collective interests which only occurs in the process of engaging in the struggles against other individuals whose ideas and interests are incompatible to theirs. According to Karl Marx, social classes are defined and structured by economic factors such as; Control or possession of property, Means of production, work and labour. According to Marx, class is defined by the relationship to the means of production and that the main requirement for class existence is the possession of sufficient surplus product (Roberts 2001). Marxists view the struggles between the capitalists and the wage workers as a ‘war of classes’ in their struggle to control classes. Proletariats have no other resource apart from their ability to work using their hands bodies and minds. This means that their daily bread is determined by the will of the capitalist to employ and pay. Since these two classes are involved in a struggle for survival, capitalists will at all times try to accumulate profits and capital. This is done by keeping the wages of the proletariats as low as possible inhibiting their ability to gain ownership of property (Roberts 2001). According to Marx, the relationship between workers and the capitalists has given rise to conflicts as demonstrated by the frequent strikes, political struggles and other crises. The conflicts between the capitalists and the proletariats have resulted into past change. The other social class according to Marx is the petty bourgeoisie. They own some little property and insufficient finance to have all the work done by employed workers. They double as small scale owners of property as well as workers. Members of this group must therefore work to survive. The petite classes always have a divided interest of preserving private property and that of property rights. Their interest is however opposed to that of the bourgeoisie. Karl Marx anticipated the desertion of this class to either capitalists or into the working class depending on their success. It is worth noting that this has happened but looks like it continues to recreate itself into different forms. Lumpenproletariat is a class consisting of the ruined and adventurous as a result of the bourgeoisie damage, according to Marx, it is a dangerous class that consists of discharged soldiers, vagabonds, pick pockets, brothel keepers, beggars, rag pickers just to mention a few. They are often homeless and poor. Max Weber on the other hand came up with the conflict theory in which he argued that conflict is a common and constant feature of society, and that conflict is the most elementary eye of social life. He views social stratification in a three component theory. He argued that the financial conditions of an individual can be measured by his wealth; the farms, buildings, and industries. According to him, one’s class position and chance is determined by the position he is situated in the market place. He further argued that in order to dominate one must control access of the desired social resource. It is the social superiority that enables one to exercise power over others as they can respond positively to instructions. Social resource always commands a positive response. Those who have power influence decision making process directly or indirectly. This does not apply to the working class since they lack both resources and power to influence decision making in the society. Functionalism theory states that the society props towards equilibrium and social order. Durkheim argued that the society functions like an organism for the benefit of the whole and in this case, the working class has a role to play in the society which is to provide labour for the ruling class (Blokland 2003). David Lockwood was a proletarian traditionalist. He came up with the most influential ways of looking at the working class using the SCA model in 1996. He argued that the manual workers would develop a unique lifestyle as well as a strong sense of class consciousness. Lockwood named this type of manual worker the proletarian traditionalist (Roberts 2001). He did not believe that this group was a representative of all manual workers, but had a strong believe that the proletariat traditionalist were those types of individuals in the community who work in areas such as ship building, dock places and in coal mining. In this regard, Sociologists have been using this theory to determine extend to which the working class has changed. The Proletarian traditionalists have always lived in societies dominated by a single occupational group which include; fishermen, coalminers, Dockers, steel miners among others. These groups are usually isolated from the larger society. They therefore work together as a group and support each other and this is what makes them have a sense of comradeship. On the other hand, a proletarian conservative is not a loner but one who strives for the common good of comrades. Lockwood argued that the proletarian traditionalist does not hunt for personal achievement by way of promotions unlike the middle class. The middle class identify themselves strongly with the pursuit of individual goals (Roberts 2001). It is worth noting that the image of the working class is quite clear; the husbands in this class are the main bread winners, while their spouses are charged with the responsibility of looking after siblings. In most cases, wives and husbands spend their leisure time apart. The men are allowed to mingle with their colleagues at work place but their spouses tend to associate with female relatives. The other distinctive feature is that the mother has a strong bond with the daughters while father has strong bond with the sons (Roberts 2001). There are various social changes that have occurred suggesting death of working class for example class consciousness in the current society. These include; the manual workers constitute a declining proportion of the employed of advanced capitalist societies. The jobs in manufacturing for instance have fallen by 54%, while the service works have improved by 45% since 1945(Roberts 2001). Employment in most sectors, which was the key engine for the proletarian traditionalist, has fallen rapidly due to deindustrialization. This has affected major industries such as the mining industry. However, there has been a rapid increase in the development of non-manual jobs and this has created considerable opportunities for upward social mobility from the working class to the middle class in a process termed as Embourgeoisement. This has weakened class identity. The living condition in modern Britain has from time to time risen rapidly and hence members of the working class now enjoy high standards of living though they work as manual workers. In addition, they are well paid and respected. The working class in modern Britain no longer works as a group; they are strongly separated based on different occupations as well as the level of success (Adonis and pollard 1997). Embourgeoisement which is a process of upward mobility in the social stratum saw an increasing number of manual workers enter the middle class stratum. This resulted into a stratification system dominated by the middle class. Goldthorpe and Lockwood conducted the affluent worker class structure in 1960 and came up with some conclusions. They argued that the affluent workers define work in instrumental terms. They view work as the only means of earning a living. Workers were less satisfied with their work as they have fewer friends at work and rarely participated in social clubs given by their firms (Adonis and pollard 1997). It is important to note that most of them feared that there are little chances of promotion and like the traditional workers valued trade unions rather than individual achievements. The affluent workers also lack strong solidarity and union loyalty. Devine found high level of geographical mobility but she differed with Goldthorpe and Lockwood in the notion that the workers did not migrate in search for higher living standards ((Adonis and pollard 1997). She also found that those in her sample were interested in using work as means of improving their living standards. Devine concluded that the poor conditions of workers were often shared with fellow workers. Mike Savage has come up with the recent article about the working class. He differed with Goldthorpe and Lockwood in the view that there was close relationship between money and exercise of power in determining an individual’s class. Marx and Engels had predicted in 1848 that the members of the working class would become more homogeneous. This has not been true because of various reasons. The complex machinery required more skilled personnel to design, build and maintain. This resulted into division of labour (Roberts 2001). The division of labour was believed to have existed since time immemorial and that the unions defended the interests of all the members. The working class was also becoming divided into new and old working classes on the basis of sectors. Most of the workers are no longer union members. They also work in private industry where they are well paid. They as well own homes (Adonis and pollard 1997). Conclusion In conclusion, the idea of the working class and the ruling class picked up during industrial revolution. The industrial revolution led to urbanization which resulted into greater emergence of the working class in the factories. The working classes were alienated based on what they were producing; they worked like instruments for the benefit of the proletariats who were the owners of properties in the society and who also controlled power. The idea of the ruling class and the working class has declined due to change in means of production and the emergence of the trade unions. Capitalism on the other hand is still the mode of production but it no longer exploit the working class since the working class has gradually changed to the middle class trough education and hence earn some good amounts of income which has enabled them to live improved lives. The idea of Marx that the capitalists will be overturned by communism seems to be impossible. References: Adonis A., and Pollard, S. (1997). A Class Act the Myth of Britains Classless Society, London: Hamish Hamilton. Blokland, T. (2003). Urban Bonds, Cambridge: Polity Press. Roberts, K. (2001). Class in Modern Britain, Basingstoke: Palgrave Read More