Class struggle
Also called: Class conflict · Topic: Schools of Economic Thought and Economic Laws · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Class struggle is Marx's idea of conflict between two classes. The bourgeoisie own the means of production: factories, land and machines. The proletariat own nothing but their labour, which they sell for wages. Marx and Engels (Communist Manifesto, 1848) saw this clash of interests as the engine of history. Owners want higher profits and workers want higher wages. Marx argued that the struggle would finally overthrow capitalism.
Example
In a textile mill, the owner wants longer shifts and lower wages to raise profit, while the workers form a union and strike for better pay. To a Marxist, this everyday dispute is one small case of the wider class struggle.
Don't confuse with
- Historical materialism: the broader theory that the mode of production shapes a society's laws, institutions and ideas. Class struggle is the mechanism of change inside that theory.
- Collective bargaining: a lawful, negotiated way to settle wage disputes. Marx saw class conflict as built into capitalism and impossible to settle for good.
Related concepts
- Marxian economics
- Historical materialism
- Surplus value
- Reserve army of labour
- Fabian socialism
- Democratic socialism
- Market socialism
- State capitalism