Karl Marx In sharp contrast to Durkheim’s focus
on the stability of society, German economist and
philosopher Karl Marx (1818–1883) stressed that
history is a continuous clash between conflicting
ideas and forces. He believed that conflict—
especially class conflict—is necessary in order to
produce social change and a better society. For
Marx, the most important changes are economic. He
concluded that the capitalist economic system was
responsible for the overwhelming poverty that he
observed in London at the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution (Marx and Engels, 1967/1848).
In the Marxian framework, class conflict is the
struggle between the capitalist class and the working
class. Th e capitalist class, or bourgeoisie, comprises
those who own and control the means of production—
the tools, land, factories, and money for investment