| A | B |
|---|
| Bourgeoisie | Capitalists; the Ruling Class; owners and controllers of the means of production |
| Proletariat | the working class; those who work the means of production |
| Means of production | The things needed to economically produce in society; in the UK this includes factories, mines, land, etc |
| Market Situation | Weberian measure of class; how much a worker receives in exchange for their work. |
| Class | Marxian or Weberian term for a distinct social group based upon economic position |
| Status | Amount of "social honour" associated with a person or role; a Weberian term. |
| Ideology | Marxist term meaning a set of false beliefs which keep an oppressed group in their place. |
| Ruling Class | Marxist term. The bourgeoisie, so called because they rule society |
| Class Consciousness | When members of a class are aware that they are in that class, and see themselves as a distinct group. |
| Party | The third aspect of Webers system of stratification, along with CLASS and STATUS. It refers to social power, the ability of a group to get what it wants in society. |
| Exploitation | In Marx's theory, what the bourgeoisie do to the proletariat. |
| Class conflict | A clash of interests between social classes, which Marx said was inevitable, but Weber said was no more than a possibility. |
| Life Chances | In Weberian theory, a person's chances of obtaining valued things in society (such as housing, education, medical care, etc). Weber said that people in the same class (market position) had, broadly speaking, similar life chances. |
| Conflict Perspective | A general view of society which stresses the clash of interests between social groups. Marxism is the best example of a conflict perspective, as it stresses the conflict between the two main classes. |
| Lifestyle | The way people live their life, usually based upon membership of a status group; a Weberian term |
| Revolution | Sudden seizure of power by the proletariat. Marx thought that capitalism inevitably led to revolution because of the conflict it generated. |
| Capitalism | The economic system where the means of production is owned by individuals (Capitalists; the bourgeoisie). This is the system we have currently got in Britain, and which Marx was extremely critical of. |
| Underclass | A term derived from Weberian theory, which refers to those with a such a poor market situation that they have developed a distinct subculture at the "bottom" of society. |
| Petty Bourgeoisie | Marxist term for the self-employed; they own the means of production, but have to work it as well |
| Reserve Army of Labour | Marxist term for those who can be easily hired in times of prosperity, and then fired when companies lose money. This group includes women and ethnic minorities. (And students!) |
