Study Unit 10 – Confict Perspectves
- Confict theorists maintain that society is composed of grroups that have opposingr values and
interests and that the state represents the values and interests of the grroups with the most power
- Amongr the earliest systematc treatments of confict were those by Karl Marx
MARX’S CONFLICT THEORY (10)
- Marx believed that the dominant feature of all societes was the mode of producton
The way in which people develop and produce material groods
- He argrued that the economic base of society shaped all social arrangrements
“The mode of producton of material life determines the greneral character of the social,
politcal, and spiritual processes of life ut is not the consciousness of men that determines
their beingr but, on the contrary, their social beingr determines their consciousness ”
- Atenton on the relatonship between the producers ii e worrersa and those who owned the
means of producton
- Under capitalism, the bourgreoisie is the dominant class that owns the means of producton and the
proletariat are forced to worr for ior sell their labour toa the bourgreoisie - This division of labour has
led to the alienaton of worrers
- Alienaton of the proletariat from the producers of their labour is indicatve of an unequal
distributon of property and power in society
- This unequal access to property and power lays the foundaton for an inevitable class confict that
Marx believed to prevail througrhout all of social history
- un every society there exist two opposingr grroups:
1 One wishingr to preserve the status quo,
2 One atemptngr to modify existngr relatonships
- The relatonship between the elite and the state are viewed in two alternatve ways by
contemporary Marxist criminologrists:
Instrumental Marxism sees the state and criminal law as intricately linred to the bourgreoisie
> The economic elite use the power of the state as an instrument for the maintenance of
their own power
> Police, courts, and prisons serve the interests of the elite by controllingr those who pose
threats to the status quo
> The state, includingr the criminal justce system, sometmes tares actons that argruably
violate the interests of the power elite
Structural Marxism sees the state as semi-autonomous from the power elite
> While the state typically supports the power elite, thereby protectngr the capitalist
system, it does not always do so
> Occasional support for the proletariat builds credibility for the state, thus strengrtheningr
it in the longr run
VOLD’S GROUP CONFLICT THEORY (10) (+5 IF EXAMPLES ARE ASKED)
- Vold’s conceptualisaton is rooted in the traditon of social interacton and collectve behaviour
theories
- He viewed humans as grroup oriented and society as a collecton of grroups, each with its own
interests These grroups form because members have common interests and needs that can be best
met througrh collectve acton
- Confict theorists maintain that society is composed of grroups that have opposingr values and
interests and that the state represents the values and interests of the grroups with the most power
- Amongr the earliest systematc treatments of confict were those by Karl Marx
MARX’S CONFLICT THEORY (10)
- Marx believed that the dominant feature of all societes was the mode of producton
The way in which people develop and produce material groods
- He argrued that the economic base of society shaped all social arrangrements
“The mode of producton of material life determines the greneral character of the social,
politcal, and spiritual processes of life ut is not the consciousness of men that determines
their beingr but, on the contrary, their social beingr determines their consciousness ”
- Atenton on the relatonship between the producers ii e worrersa and those who owned the
means of producton
- Under capitalism, the bourgreoisie is the dominant class that owns the means of producton and the
proletariat are forced to worr for ior sell their labour toa the bourgreoisie - This division of labour has
led to the alienaton of worrers
- Alienaton of the proletariat from the producers of their labour is indicatve of an unequal
distributon of property and power in society
- This unequal access to property and power lays the foundaton for an inevitable class confict that
Marx believed to prevail througrhout all of social history
- un every society there exist two opposingr grroups:
1 One wishingr to preserve the status quo,
2 One atemptngr to modify existngr relatonships
- The relatonship between the elite and the state are viewed in two alternatve ways by
contemporary Marxist criminologrists:
Instrumental Marxism sees the state and criminal law as intricately linred to the bourgreoisie
> The economic elite use the power of the state as an instrument for the maintenance of
their own power
> Police, courts, and prisons serve the interests of the elite by controllingr those who pose
threats to the status quo
> The state, includingr the criminal justce system, sometmes tares actons that argruably
violate the interests of the power elite
Structural Marxism sees the state as semi-autonomous from the power elite
> While the state typically supports the power elite, thereby protectngr the capitalist
system, it does not always do so
> Occasional support for the proletariat builds credibility for the state, thus strengrtheningr
it in the longr run
VOLD’S GROUP CONFLICT THEORY (10) (+5 IF EXAMPLES ARE ASKED)
- Vold’s conceptualisaton is rooted in the traditon of social interacton and collectve behaviour
theories
- He viewed humans as grroup oriented and society as a collecton of grroups, each with its own
interests These grroups form because members have common interests and needs that can be best
met througrh collectve acton
