Chapter Five: The Future of Social Classes

2 major forms of conflict from mid-19th century to mid-20th century:

• class conflict
• national conflict (imperialist and colonial wars).

2 relationships between these:

• national conflict as instrument of class conflict (bourgeois wars)
• national conflict as inimical to working class politics - e.g. fascism undermine working class socialism. ; tension in marxism between class and nationalism.

East-West Cold War Conflict After WWII: Implications for Class Conflict (86-)

A) Reasons for post-war success of capitalism up to 1980s:

• greater stability than communism
• population growth
• state regulation of economy and economic planning
• welfare state, providing minimal economic standards, and some demand
• credit growth was rapid
• technological stimulation of economy
• massive military expenditures

B) Reasons for Problems in Capitalism in post-1980s Era:

• high unemployment
• inflation
• slowing of population growth
• aging population, putting pressures on welfare services;
• inadequate flow of savings to finance investments, resulting in high interest rates.
• economic stagnation and recessions
• increasing conflict between rich and poor
• Capitalist class remains strong despite problems
• Working class grew in strength in union and political organization after WWII, especially in Europe
• old animosity between socialist parties in capitalist countries and communist parties in communist countries now dissolved, with prospects for greater alliances between new socialist parties in East and old ones in West.

a) future development of working class will affect socialist politics:

• size and definition of working class, especially between the old industrial core and the 'new working class';
• proletarianization of lower parts of middle class add renewed strength to working class and its politics (88-89)
• socialist parties have expanded electoral base by dropping references to 'class conflict' and attracting middle class voters; Bottomore not sure this is a good thing.

b) Differing conditions of class organizations in working and capitalist classes: - capitalist class consciousness has always been easier to manage than working class consciousness -- conditions of hegemony, small class size, and great resources have always made capitalist class organizations and the solidification of consciousness much easier to facilitate than working class organizations and consciousness. (90)

c) Key Question: Future and Content of Socialist Consciousness: -- esp because some deny the existence of objective working class interests and consciousness.

d) Critics of Working Class Interests: Either that objective working class interests and thus consciousness do not exist (Hindess), or that there are only Bourgeois intellengtsia sources of working class socialist ideology (Lenin and others).

Bottomore's 3 points in rejecting critics:
1. Critics do not deny capitalist class interests
2. Critics do not deny national interests
3. Where did the labour movement spring out of? Thin air? Must have emerged out of some sort of expression of working class interests and wants and expectations. (91-2)

Continuing Questions About Socialism After 1989:

• in ex-socialist countries -- many view socialist ideology negatively, and want to restore capitalism as quickly as possible, especially in Poland
• - in capitalist west -- not clear what socialism means, especially with abandonment of public ownership goals by socialist and labour parties.

• bifurcated between the upper echelons supporting bourgeois parties, and the lower echelons supporting more left parties.
• Social Movements:(93-)

-new? although feminist, green, peace, movements are called 'new', movements have existed since Chartism in the 19th century.

-non-class? although the new social movements are seen as not based in class, many of them get their leadership and adherents from the middle classes

-labour movement is the oldest and most stable of all social movements.

-Touraine propounds a theory of social movements based in action and a non-marxist definition of class based on domination and subordination.

• extension of participatory democracy has been one of the most notable features of the new social movements.
• new social movements have been closely allied with socialist parties , and share some of the goals of the traditional working class organizations.(especially green parties in Europe)

ethnic and nationalist movements:

• some have been fascistic
• some push for independence within federal systems, as in Quebec
• complex relation to class forces:
• nation-states have had bourgeois origins;
• working class has been more internationalist;
• ethnic movements often cross class lines
• pro-democracy movements of eastern europe can be viewed as a series of nationalist movements against Soviet domination; essentially a conservative anti-socialist movement

Note: We will consider the relation between class and ethnicity/nationalism at the end of term. Click HERE for details.

-transition from capitalism to socialism doctrine challenged by transition from socialism to capitalism in eastern Europe; this doctrine perhaps should be abandoned.

-most valuable part of marxism should be retained - ie analysis of social relations of capitalist society itself.

2 Circumstances Confronting Such Analysis:(99)

1. 1- uncertainties in working class politics due to continued strength of capitalist class and influence of non-class based social movements; socialization of the economy: state involvement in almost all aspects of economy.
   • weakness of global working class consciousness and strength of individuation, withdrawal into consumerism, and resignation are prominent in many studies of working class. (102-3) Goldthorpe and Lockwood found evidence of instrumental collectivism (unions are a means to better wages, but not as a goal in themselves, especially involving socialism) and family centerdness:
   • 2 possible futures:
     1. reduction in working time and expansion in leisure time
     2. introduction of freedom and non-authoritarianism from leisure time into work situations, thereby transforming social organization of production.
2. 2-challenge in analysis of eastern europe as it moves towards capitalism (different in each country; mixed economies in some cases; in other cases a more pure market capitalism), plus strength of nationalist sentiments. -political and ideological differences between classes less sharp now as working class socialist parties weaken their support for social ownership and planned economies, and of any goal of a radical transition to socialism. Capitalism with a human face seems to be the platform of most socialist parties. Rethinking of socialism is now on the agenda.(109) especially the mix between market capitalism and public ownership and intervention.

1) "rise of new elites committed to rationality and efficiency in production and administration, and subscribing wholeheartedly to the doctrines of technological progress and unlimited economic growth"

2) "growth of radical movements which directly oppose the technocratic and bureaucratic character of modern industrial soceities and advocate 'participation' and 'community' as alternatives to the authoritarianism and elitism implied in the conception of a society directed by experts"

3) "the emergence of regional and nationalism movements"

4) at other pole, "growth of movements to create supranational communities" (EEC).(109)

(Are all four of these non-marxist types of politics; non-class based?).

Future presents us with a confusion of images.

© Copyright Carl Cuneo, Department of Sociology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. URL: http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/soc/courses/soc2r3/botom05.htm