Marx Kantor

Intermsofwhatthismeansforworkersandsociety,"thisformoflabouriscalled
cooperation"andresultsin"thecreationofanewproductivepower,whichisintrinsicallya
collectiveone"(p.443).Whilecapitalismmayseemtobeanindividualistic,competitive
system,Marxnoteshowcooperativeitisaneconomicsystem,inthatworkersandcapitalists
cometogethertoexpandproduction,productivity,andtheaccumulationofcapital,thereby
creatingamoreproductive,cooperativesystemforproductionofcommodities.

Further,Marxnoteshowthisisaccomplishedunderthedirectionandcoordinationof
capitalists,withnewformsoforganizationemerging.Henotesthattherewillbemanagers
andsupervisors"anindustrialarmyofworkersunderthecommandofacapitalistrequires,
likearealarmy,officers(managers)andN.C.O.s(foremen,overseers)whocommandduring
thelabourprocessinthenameofcapital"(p.450).Thisforeshadowsthemajorstructural
changesinbusinessorganizationinthetwentiethcentury,wherelargecorporationswith
variousstrataofmanagersandvariousdivisionsemerged.

Finally,Marxnoteshowthisnewproductivepower"appearsasapowerwhichcapital
possessesbyitsnatureaproductivepowerinherentincapital"(p.451)when,infact,thisis
the"sociallyproductivepoweroflabour"butis"afreegifttocapital."(p.451)Thisis
analogoustocommodityfetishisminthatthesociallyproductivepoweroflabourappearsnot
asvaluecreatedbysocial,cooperative,humanlabourbutbycapital,thusmaskingthe
essentialrelationship.

a. GroupBasis.

ForMarx,classescannotbedefinedbybeginningobservationandanalysisfromindividuals,
andbuildingadefinitionofasocialclassasanaggregateofindividualswithparticular
characteristics.Forexample,tosaythattheupperclassisallfamilieswithincomesof
$500,000ormoreisnotanadequatemannerofunderstandingsocialclass.Thelatterisa
stratificationapproachthatbeginsbyexaminingthecharacteristicsofindividuals,andfrom
thisamassingaviewofsocialclassstructureasawhole.Thisstratificationapproachoften
combinesincome,education,andsocialprestigeorstatusintoanindexofsocioeconomic
status,creatingagradationfromupperclasstolowerclass.Thestratificationapproachis
essentiallyaclassification,andforMarxclasseshavemeaningonlyastheyarerealgroupsin
thesocialstructure.Groupsmeaninteractionamongmembers,commonconsciousness,and
similartypesofbehaviourthatareconnectedinsomewaywithgroupbehaviour.Categories
suchasupperclass,middleclassandlowerclass,wherethoseineachcategorymaybe
similaronlyintheviewoftheresearcherarenotfullyMarxianinnature.

Classesaregroups,andMarxdiscussesthebourgeoisieandtheproletariat,notindividual
capitalistsandindividualworkers.Asindividuals,thesepeoplemaybeconsideredmembers
ofaclass,butclassonlyacquiresrealmeaningwhenittheclassasawholeandthesocial
relationshipsdefiningthemthatareconsidered.Forexample,"Thebourgeoisie...hasputan
endtoallfeudal,patriarchal,idyllicrelations...."(GiddensandHeld,p.21).Herethe
bourgeoisieishistoricallycreatedandisanactorinpolitics,economicsandhistory.

Intermsofindividualsasmembersofclasses,theyaremembersofaclassastheyactas
membersofthatclass.Forexample,Marxnotesthatburghersormembersofthebourgeoisie
inearlycapitalistEurope:

theclassinitsturnachievesanindependentexistenceoveragainstthe
individuals,sothatthelatterfindtheirconditionsofexistencepredestined,
andhencehavetheirpositioninlifeandtheirpersonaldevelopmentassigned
tothembytheirclass,becomesubsumedunderit.(GiddensandHeld,20).

Totheextentthatindividualsareconsideredinthesocialsystem,theyaredefinedbytheir
class.ForMarxists,classstructuresexistasobjectivefacts,andaresearchercouldexamine
classandmembershipofaclass,butwouldhavetounderstandthenatureofthewholesocial
andeconomicstructureinordertodoso.Totheextentthatthesemembersactinsociety,
theyactasrepresentativesoftheirclass,althoughMarxwouldleavesomeroomfor
individualfreedomofaction.

c.ClassasSocialRelationshipConflictandStruggle.Atseveralpoints,Marxnoteshow
theclassdefinesitself,orisaclassonlyasitactsinoppositiontootherclasses.Referringto
theemergenceoftheburghersorbourgeoisieasaclassinearlycapitalistEurope,Marxnotes
how

Theseparateindividualsformaclassonlyinsofarastheyhavetocarryona
commonbattleagainstanotherclass;otherwisetheyareonhostiletermswith
eachotherascompetitors.(GiddensandHeld,p.20).

Bothcompetitionandunitycanthuscharacterizeaclass;therecanbeverycutthroat
competitionamongcapitalists,butwhenthepropertyrelationsandexistenceofthebourgeois
classisthreatened,thebourgeoisieactstogethertoprotectitself.Thisbecomesapparent
whenrightsofprivatepropertyortheabilityofcapitaltooperatefreelycomesunderattack.
Thereactionofthebourgeoisiemayinvolvecommonpoliticalactionandideologicalunity,
anditiswhenthesecometogetherthatthebourgeoisieasaclassexistsinitsfullestform.In
commentingonFrance,MarxnotesthattheFrenchpeasantrymaybedispersedandlacking
inunity,but

Insofarasmillionsoffamiliesliveundereconomicconditionsofexistence
thatseparatetheirmodeoflife,theirinterestsandtheirculturefromthoseof
theotherclasses,andputtheminhostileoppositiontothelatter,theyforma
class.(Giddens,p.37)

Itiswhenthepeasantryasagroupisinoppositiontootherclassesthatthepeasantryforma
class.Thesequotesdonotprovideanexampleofthesamewithrespecttotheproletariat,but
inhisotherwritingsMarxnotedthattheproletariatisatrueclasswhenorganizedin
oppositiontothebourgeoisie,andcreatinganewsociety.
Class,forMarx,isdefinedasa(social)relationshipratherthanapositionorrankinsociety.
InMarx'sanalysis,thecapitalistclasscouldnotexistwithouttheproletariat,orviceversa.
Therelationshipbetweenclassesisacontradictoryorantagonisticrelationship,onethathas
struggle,conflict,andcontradictoryinterestsassociatedwithit.Thestructureandbasisofa
socialclassmaybedefinedinobjectiveterms,asgroupswithacommonpositionwith
respecttopropertyorthemeansofproduction.However,Marxmaynotbeprimarily
interestedinthisdefinitionofclass.Rather,theseclasseshavemeaninginsocietyandare
historicalactorsonlytotheextentthattheydoactintheirowninterests,andinoppositionto
otherclasses.Unlikemuchothersociology,Marx'sclassesaredefinedbyclassconflict.