Sociology, Political

Economics and History

Marx and Weber

The Time of Marx (1819-1883)

• Born to “Middle-Class” family

• Influenced by philosophy of Hegel

• The “stench of progress” and the relationship with human rights (slavery, workers, women)

• Relationships create class • History did not seem to

be his emphasis!

How was Marx a

product of his time?

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” (Manifesto)

Our Major Players:

E.J. Hobsbawn

E.P. Thompson

BorisHessen

Loren R.Graham

Discussion Questions:

• Why is this argument framed this way?

• How does the work relate to the context of the author?

• What makes this work Marxist?• Can we find fault with the

argument?

How did Marxist and sociological

approaches influence

historians in other fields?

Marx and the Development of Capitalism:

Primitive

Feudalism

Capitalism

Tools make people exploitable

Lord vs. Serf

Capitalist vs. Worker

In each of the first three

revolutions, the bourgeoisie

serves as the agent of

transformation.

Slave

Socialism

Communism

Master vs. Slave

The Emergence of Merchant capital and Manufacture came from: widening commerce, divisions of production, technical advancements, exploitation of labor by employers - all creating a new class relationship.

Proletariat Wins!!!

What are the similarities and differences between Marx’s approach to understanding

capitalism and Weber’s approach?

Image SourcesImage: Karl Marxhttp://infed.org/mobi/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/karl-marx-wikimedia-commons.jpgImage: E.J. Hobsbawn ; http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/10/postscript-ej-hobsbawm.htmlImage: EP Thompsonhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/06/ep-thompson-unconventional-historianImage: Boris Hessenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%91%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81_%D0%93%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD.jpgImage: Loren R. Grahamhttp://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/bios/graham.htmlImage: Max Weberhttp://www.economist.com/node/12762398Image: Thomas Dolbyhttp://bestofthe80s.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/1.jpgImage: Einsteinhttp://washingtonsquarehotel.com/blog/2013/05/she-blinded-me-with-science/