POL 315 MODULE 2
(or social classes) are determined by the affiliation between human
beings in the society and the means of production. The owners of the
means of production enjoy the most beneficial position in the economy
and thus become members of the most influential social group is the
ruling class. In a pastoral society the ruling group would be those who
own the most livestock; in an agrarian society the greatest landowners
would dominate; and in an industrial society the capitalist class rules.
The foundation of society (the economic and social class systems)
determines the nature of society's superstructure, which rests upon the
foundation. The super-structure is composed of all nonmaterial
institutions in the society, and each is arranged in a way that suits the
ruling class. Included in the superstructure are values, ideology,
government, education, law, religion, art, and so forth (See adapted
figure 3.1). As the superstructure of society - the major institutions,
values and belief systems - is seen to be largely shaped by the economic
infrastructure, the relations of production will be reproduced in the
superstructure.
Therefore, the dominance of the ruling class in the relations of
production will be reflected in the superstructure in particular, the
existing relations of production between individuals must necessarily
express themselves also as political and legal relations. For instance, the
various ownership rights of the capitalist class will be enshrined in and
protected by the laws of the land. Thus the various parts of the
superstructure can be seen as instruments of ruling class domination and
as mechanisms for the oppression of the subject class. The function of
the superstructure is to assure the rulers continued dominance and to
keep the ruled in their place. Marx conceived of government as a tool of
class oppression that manipulates all the cultural elements in the society
to the advantage of those who controls the economy. A class becomes a
class for itself when the forces of production have developed to the point
where they cannot be contained within the existing relations of
production. In Marx's words: For an oppressed class to be able to
emancipate itself, it is essential that the existing forces of production and
the existing social relations should be incapable of standing side by side.
Revolutionary change requires that the forces of production, on which
the new order will be based, have developed in the old society;
therefore, the new higher relations of production never appear before the
material conditions of their existence have matured in the womb of the
old society. The free market does not guarantee that merit is equally
rewarded for all social groups. Social justice may therefore be promoted
if the state intervenes.
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