Marx, Weber and Durkheim on historical forces
The nineteenth century in England was a transitional time from feudalism to capitalism, that was characterized by a rapid increase in industry and extreme poverty among the masses. In response to these conditions, a new concept of society, called socialism, came into being. However, despite the clash between those who believed in capitalism and those who advocated socialism, the real dispute was between those who believed in the power of individual ideas and those who emphasized the role of impersonal historical forces. A number of nineteenth century thinkers were concerned with the existing conditions and developed different ideas of bringing about change. For example, Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism addresses the role of religion in developing a capitalist mode of thinking. In Hard Times, Dickens highlights the plight of England's poor and the role of industrialism in perpetuating poverty. Lastly, in The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels develop an alternative framework to capitalism that is founded on the abolishment of private property and the creation of a commonwealth society. Traditionally, capitalism has been associated with self-regulated individualism, and socialism, with dialectical ev
In addition, Dickens clearly disapproves of the depersonalization of factory workers by continuously referring to them as "Hands", thus depicting them merely through the part of their body that performs the factory work. This framework, in turn, is developed by human thinkers. In the The Division of Labour in Society, Durkheim showed that society is what shapes the individual. Weber stressed the significance of ideas in shaping economic development of society (ibid). However, the nineteenth century condition cannot be narrowed to a dispute between capitalism and socialism. For Marx, the changes in society were brought about by historical forces. Weber rejects the notion of change as brought about by historical processes that take place outside the realm of individual action. On the other hand, divisions among the bourgeoisie were what will help overthrow capitalism. However, in order to reach this stage, we still need individualism. Marx viewed individualism as weakening the social structure. Weber argued that many of the principles of Protestantism, such as the importance of hard work, saving money and time management, were also the values needed for capitalism to take effect (Weber 48-49). Marx believed that because capitalism would continue to exploit people and worsen their living conditions, the proletarian would grow, thus increasing the workers' "class consciousness". He believed that people would come together in a collective action to better their individual interests. Marx also refers to capital as "not a personal", but a "social power" (Marx and Engels 12). While Weber believed that the ideas of capitalism were founded in the values of individuality, he also saw the outcome of capitalism as resulting in the loss of individuality.
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