class conscience is a complex concept developed within the scope of sociology and the Marxist political theory that resonated in the vast Marxist-inspired philosophical, sociological and political production of the 20th century. Thinkers like Louis Althusser and Georg Lukács regained class consciousness as a Necessary way of seeing yourself inside a system like capitalism. Although we refer to class consciousness as a concept, it is for the German philosopher and sociologist Karl Marx a condition of the existence of the subject in capitalism.
Read too: Classical thinkers of sociology: Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber
class itself
Class here concerns the social class, that is, the boundaries that occur within the capitalist system for separate people from different social levels. Despite the possibility of social mobility in the capitalist system, there is an obvious difficulty in this mobility, imposed in large part by the exploitation and oppression of a ruling class over a class dominated.
In Marxist theory, the ruling class is the bourgeoisie, owner of the means of production. The dominated class is the proletariat, which does not have the means of production, but participates with the main gear to maintain the productive system: its workforce. To learn more about this important sociological concept, read: social class.
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What is class consciousness?
Class consciousness is, for Marx, a situation to which the human being is naturally subject. It is she who allows the union, cohesion between equals and the struggle for improvements for the class. The concept of class consciousness is in the book. The Holy Family, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as something the working proletariat is destined to take within the capitalist system, not being, therefore, a goal, but something that necessarily and naturally must happen.
![Engels, who appears in this standing statue, launched with Marx two books that deal well with class consciousness. [1]](/f/18d47678ee1deebc6a24c65e7edf76ad.jpg)
The proletariat is an exploited class within the capitalist system. Exploitation is the brand that unites the proletarians in a single objective: to end the exploitation system and implement a new system that destroys social class divisions through a revolution. Class consciousness is the way to make one realize that the proletariat has the strength, precisely because they are the main cog in the productive machine. Without class consciousness, there is no possibility of changing society.
For the contemporary German philosopher (considered one of the main Marxists of the 20th century) georgLukacs, class consciousness is a phenomenon possible only in capitalism. the economic system feudal it had a completely different mode of production from the capitalist system. In addition to the almost non-existent social mobility, this system operated a legal and religious confusion with production and with social statuses (divisions).
Thus, it made no sense to unite the working classes against the feudal lords, not least because they were the ones who had the military power and offered protection to the other classes. only the capitalism it highlighted the way in which the proletariat is important to the productive process and placed, precisely because of this importance, in the hands of the proletariat the power to stop and rise up against the system.
To exemplify class consciousness, we can turn to strike movements. When a sector of workers decides to interrupt its activities, if there is a massive union of workers, the productive system stops. THE Class consciousness is what guarantees unity.. Recognizing oneself as an exploited worker and wanting change is the foundation of class consciousness.
For both Marx and later Marxists, only the proletarian class is revolutionary, thus, we must expect class consciousness from it. The big bourgeoisie also maintains its conscience (and the power) as this is best for them.
The so-called petty bourgeoisie, however, is in the middle between the two and is weak and sterile. It is still closely linked to pre-capitalist systems and tries, most of the time, to act as an appeaser of conflicts between the two other classes. In this sense, change can only be expected of the proletariat that becomes aware of the strength and power of its class. Class consciousness is therefore the proletarian conscience.
See too: Social status - position each group occupies in social dynamics
Class struggle
The class struggle is clearly evident in the moment following the awareness of class by workers. However, for Karl Marx, it is not exclusive to capitalism. This struggle reflects the way humanity constructed its history through production, always highlighting the conflicts of different social classes. However, it is at the moment when class consciousness emerges in the great proletarian mass that it is possible to establish a class struggle that ensures the victorious revolution of the proletariat.
For Marx, as soon as the proletariat realizes its strength and begins to struggle against the system of exploitation and oppression, it unites around a revolution aimed at overthrowing capitalism and deploy a new economic and political system. All private property is nationalized, and old media and government are pushed aside to make way for new systems. The Church, as a fundamental part of the maintenance of exploitation in the capitalist system, must also be removed.
There is a need for a strong government in favor of the proletariat that gradually eliminates property and therefore the bourgeoisie. The strong government must act in a dictatorial way at the beginning (dictatorship of the proletariat) and, when there is no longer any private property or social class, it must give way to agovernmentcommunist.
Image credit
[1]NG-Spacetime / Shutterstock
by Francisco Porfirio
sociology professor
