Knowra Class struggle Class struggle Class struggle is conflict between social classes with opposing economic interests, especially over control of production, wealth, and political power.
Class conflict : Conflict between groups occupying different positions in a social or economic hierarchy. A broader account of antagonism between classes, including struggles beyond production and ownership.
Ancient Greek political thought : The study of political ideas developed by thinkers and communities in ancient Greece. Greek writers examined conflict between rich and poor before modern theories of class struggle.
Social class : A grouping of people with comparable economic resources, occupations, or positions in a social hierarchy. Class struggle depends on identifying groups with distinct positions and interests.
Revolutions of 1848 : A wave of political uprisings across Europe in 1848, driven by demands for constitutional, national, and social change. These uprisings exposed tensions among workers, liberals, and established elites.
Status group : A social grouping defined by shared prestige, lifestyle, or honor rather than primarily by economic position. Status distinctions can divide people whose economic interests otherwise align.
Means of production : The resources and tools used to produce goods and services, including land, machinery, and infrastructure. Control over these productive resources is a central source of class power.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau : An eighteenth-century Genevan philosopher whose works addressed inequality, property, and political legitimacy. His account of property and social inequality helped shape later critiques of class society.
Capitalism : An economic system in which productive assets are predominantly privately owned and production is organized through markets. Its separation of owners from wage workers is a central setting for modern class struggle.
Russian Revolution : The 1917 revolutions that ended imperial rule in Russia and brought the Bolsheviks to power. The Bolsheviks presented revolution as a transfer of political power to workers and peasants.
Identity politics : Political organizing centered on shared social identities such as race, gender, or sexuality. It foregrounds forms of collective interest that class analysis may not capture by itself.
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