The concept of the middle class in sociology is central to understanding how societies are structured and how social classes are organized. This idea has evolved over time, and different thinkers have had varying perspectives on what defines the middle class.
Karl Marx’s View: Karl Marx saw society as divided mainly into two classes: the bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and the proletariat (working class). According to Marx, the bourgeoisie owns and controls the means of production (like factories and land), while the proletariat works for wages and produces goods. Marx believed that the middle class, which included small business owners and self-employed people, would eventually disappear as capitalism progressed. He thought these middle-class people would be absorbed into the working class or the capitalist class, leaving just these two major groups.
Max Weber’s View: Max Weber had a different perspective. While he agreed with Marx that economic factors are important, Weber’s concept of class was broader. He focused on people’s “market situation” or how much they can earn in the economy. According to Weber, classes are groups of people who have similar economic situations and rewards. This includes both those who own property and those who don’t. Unlike Marx, Weber saw the middle class as more significant and enduring. For Weber, the middle class includes skilled workers and professionals like doctors and engineers, who have valuable skills and earn more than unskilled workers but don’t own significant amounts of production resources.
Modern Views: Today, sociologists often differentiate between the “old” and “new” middle classes. The “old” middle class includes people who own and work with their own means of production, like small traders and farmers. The “new” middle class consists of skilled or white-collar workers, such as salaried employees and professionals, who do not own production resources but earn higher incomes and enjoy a different lifestyle compared to unskilled workers.
In summary, the middle class includes a diverse group of people whose economic positions and social roles vary, from small business owners to skilled professionals.
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