Key Concepts from Marx and Weber's Theories

These flashcards summarize key concepts from Marx and Weber's sociological theories, facilitating review and understanding for exam preparation.

What was the primary focus of Marx's work?

Class inequality

According to Marx, how do people provide for their needs?

The forces of production

What do the relations of production refer to?

The social relationships people enter to produce goods

What term does Marx use to describe the working class under capitalism?

Proletariat

What does Marx refer to as the infrastructure?

The economy

Which of the following is NOT part of the superstructure?

Economy

What does Marx identify as the engine of social change?

Conflict

From whom did Marx borrow the idea of dialectic in history?

Hegel

What is false consciousness according to Marx?

The inability of the working class to recognize they are being exploited

What term describes the awareness of the collective plight of the working class according to Marx?

Class consciousness

How does Marx’s theory describe social change?

Revolutionary

What does Marx mean by alienation?

Loss or estrangement from control over social and economic processes

What society does Marx predict the proletariat revolution would transform into?

A communist society

What is a major criticism of Marx’s theory?

Economic determinism

What class did Marx's polarization of classes not account for?

The middle class

Which historical collapse challenges Marx's theory?

The collapse of the United Soviet Socialist Republic

What is a strength of Marx’s theory?

Recognition of the power interests of different societal groups

In Marx’s theory, what does dialectics refer to?

The struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat

How does Weber define the essence of rationality?

Capitalist society

What is Weber associated with in sociology?

Social action theory

According to Weber, what is the driving force for social change?

Ideas

What becomes pronounced along with capitalism according to Weber?

Bureaucracy