Essay on Sociology: Marxism and Traditional Marxism

Submitted By RyanStevens2014
Words: 1188
Pages: 5
Open Document
Assess different Marxist views of the relationship between crime and social class (21)
For Marxists, crime is inevitable in a Capitalist society as Capitalism is criminogenic- it causes crime. Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class therefore Marxists suggest that this may give rise to crime as crime may be be the only way for the working class to survive particularly if they live in poverty. Furthermore a lack of control over their lives and a feeling of alienation may lead to frustration and aggression resulting in individuals turning to crime. This can therefore explain non-utilitarian crime such as violence and vandalism. Another idea presented by Marxists is that crime may be the only way for the working class to obtain the consumer goods that are encouraged by the capitalist advertising which ultimately can result in utilitarian crimes such as theft and burglary.
However as we know, crime is not just limited to the working class. Capitalist society is very competitive among capitalists so the need to win at all costs or go out of business, along with the desire for self-enrichment, encourages capitalists to commit white collar crime and corporate crime such as tax evasion.
David Gordon (1976) argues that crime is a rational response to the capitalist system which is why it is found amongst all classes, despite the fact that official statistics appear to make it look as though it is a largely working class phenomenon.
Dissimilarly to Functionalists, who see the law as reflecting a valued consensus and representing society’s needs as a whole, Marxists see law-making as serving the needs of the ruling class. Chambliss argues that laws to protect private property are the cornerstone of the capitalist economy. He illustrates this with the case of the introduction of the English law system into Britain’s East African colonies. The economic interests of Britain lay in the colonies’ tea, coffee and various other plantations, which evidently needed a plentiful supply of labour. The British introduced a tax payable in cash, and non-payment of said tax was a punishable criminal offence. In order for the tax to be paid, individuals had to work on the plantations. This law therefore served the interest of the capitalist plantation owners.
In addition, it is believed by Marxists that the ruling class have power to prevent the introduction of laws which would threaten their interests. An example of this is shown through the lack of laws which seriously challenge the unequal distribution of wealth. Snider puts forward the idea that the capitalist state is reluctant to pass laws that regulate the activities of businesses or threaten their profitability.
Furthermore, the law, crime and criminals are also said to perform an ideological function for Capitalism. There are occasionally laws that are passed which appear to be for the benefit of the working class such as health and safety laws. However, Pearce argues that these laws benefit the ruling class also, for example by keeping worker fit for labour and appearing to have a caring face, their is a false consciousness created amongst workers as they don't realise their exploitation.
Equally important is the view of the Neo-Marxists, in particular Taylor et al who argue that traditional Marxism is deterministic. For example, it sees workers as driven to commit crime out of an economic necessity, but Taylor et al reject this idea, along with theories that claim crime is caused by other external factors such as anomie, subcultures or labelling, claiming that these theories neglect the idea of free will. They see crime as voluntaristic, a conscious choice of the criminal that performs the act. Additionally they claim that often crime has a political motive, such as to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor, this could be referred to as ‘Robin Hood’ crime. Criminals are not puppets of a Capitalist society but in fact deliberately trying to change
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Sociology: Marxism and Traditional Marxism

Health: Marxism and People Essay

Social Inequality Unit 04 [pic] What are Marxist theories of inequality? Learning targets: • Marxism is concerned for the poor and powerless. • It claims that society is in conflict between the rich who control everything and the poor who must work for the rich and gain little in reward for their work. • The rich are able to maintain their position of power through control of the law, the police and other forms of authority. • The rich also control the manufacture…

Words 3807 - Pages 16

Sociological Perspective-Stresses The Social Contexts On People's Life

contexts influence people’s lives. 2. Auguste Comte- positivism- scientific method held the key to answering such questions. Scientific method had revealed the law of gravity- study of society. 3. Herbert Spencer- social reform- second founder of sociology- survival of the fittest- (Darwin)- social reform- societies are evolving going from lower to higher. As generations pass a society’s most capable and intelligent members survive, while the less capable die out. 4. Karl Marx- Bourgeoisie- natural…

Words 485 - Pages 2

What Is Sociology Essay

AS Sociology- Summer Preparatory Work What is Sociology? The term ‘Sociology’ was first used by a French man named Auguste Compete in the 1830’s when he first composed a synthetic science combining all knowledge about human activity. Sociology is the study of the functioning of human society, including the structures of society and groups within human society. How these interact and how they are influenced by their societal environment and how societal problems and issues can develop and affect…

Words 689 - Pages 3

Introduction to Sociology essay work in progress

Introduction to Sociology “Sociology is the scientific study of human groups and social behaviour, including its origins, development, organisations, and institutions”. (Anon., n.d.) It uses various methods of investigation and analysis to develop knowledge about social order, social disorder and social change. Sociology and psychology are both social sciences, and deal with behaviour. Sociologists focus on groups of people -- societies, including culture, religion and traditions. Sociologists…

Words 3378 - Pages 14

Essay on HEALTH AND SOCIAL

Functionalism Functionalism, is the idea within sociology, that society is built up by different parts, which all work in cohesion with one another to function in an effective manor. Functionalism consists of various components, which all work together in order for society to function. Functionalism cannot exist successfully if one components is not working with other society’s. The society’s which exist within functionalism are: The health system; the political system; family; education…

Words 1499 - Pages 6

Outline The Leader Of Engels

1. a. Socialism: i. Goal: a society that operated for welfare for all people and state ownership of production; end poverty ii. Leaders 1. Henri Comte de Saint Simon: French socialist who advocated the end of private property 2. Robert Owen: Successful British Industrialist who wanted to make his worker’s lives better; he paid them higher wages, reduced hours, no child labor, built them houses and schools and encouraged them to share in the profits…

Words 1420 - Pages 6

Essay about Pulp Fiction - a Sociological Debate

Sociology 2XX Critically anlayse a popular culture ‘text’ utlising relevant theories and debates In sociological theory there are many concepts discussed that are utilized in the analyses of society and culture. Some of the main concepts are Postmodernism, Historical Materialism, Structuralism, Interpretive Sociology and Poststructuralism to name a few. These theories are relevant to the research of understanding certain or specific cultural texts. These concepts provide problems and solutions…

Words 1386 - Pages 6

Jan unit 7 assignment 1 Essay

P2- Explaining the different sociological approached to health and ill health Page 9:M1- assessing the biomedical and socio-medical models of health Page 11: Bibliography P1- Explaining the principles of the sociological perspectives Sociology is the study of human societies, especially groups within societies, and how these groups relate to each other and influence individual behaviour. Sociologists presume that societies are made up of social institutions: Family Economy Education system…

Words 5034 - Pages 21

Understanding Conflict Through Sociological Perspective Essay

Introduction 4 4. Objectives 5 5. Research Methodology 5 6. What is Conflict? 6 7. Works of Karl Marx 9 8. Conflict of interest 12 9. Conflict perspective in sociology 13 10. In classical sociology 14 11. Modern approaches 17 12. Types of conflict theory 20 13. Conclusion 21 14. Bibliography, websites referred 21 Introduction Conflict is the struggle for agency or power in society…

Words 5344 - Pages 22

Vietnam Education Essay

Student: Le Minh Phuong Vu Socio 1301 Instructor: Nguyen Tuan An Date: 15/07/2009 Midterm paper Vietnam Education Introduction: Viet Nam, a country with more than 80 million people, is a developing country which is in the process of transition from a centrally planned to a market economy and world economic integration. Besides common challenges facing developing countries, Viet Nam is facing with greater challenges, i.e. the need to accumulate for long-term development and industrialization…

Words 1905 - Pages 8