Theory of Social Classes II: Contemporary Trends

We begin by posing the key question about social classes: When did they emerge? Do they still exist? The emergence of classes is a historical phenomenon. Classes have not always existed, nor will they exist forever. The first form of social organization in the history of humanity, the primitive community, was a classless society. Society was not divided into classes. Classes are the product of historical development. With the dissolution of the primitive social order, the first class-based societies emerged. Marx and Lenin on Class Struggle Marx on social classes Bourgeoisie and proletariat The petty bourgeoisie The middle class Peasants Lumpenproletariat   Contemporary Approaches to the Working Class White-collar and blue-collar workers Intellectuals, students Engineers, technicians, and scientists Labor as a commodity The production of surplus value Division of labor and specialization Industrial stage of production Automation of production and alienation Marx's concept of alienation Marx on corporate capitalism, the role of the state, the impoverishment and maintenance of the working class, revolution, and the communist future of humanity.