Karl Marx and Max Weber

    In analyzing the history of sociology, two important people that heavily impacted the discipline were Karl Marx and Max Weber. Especially when put in comparison to one another, their countering thoughts show the deep differences between various sociological perspectives.

    Marx created the concept of Communism, which is a belief system centered on government control of business. He believed the existing system of capitalism was creating a growing gap between the rich and the poor. To that end, he thought communism would fix this issue by allowing workers to seize the “means of production.” Since his idea was brought to the world, countries to this day still debate on being Capitalist or Communist. Another major idea that Marx developed was the Conflict Theory and its relation to religion. The theory stated that religion prevented peoples’ demand for social change. 

Max Weber differed from Marx’s opinions on the connections between economics and religion, which Weber details in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In the book, he explored the values of religion (specifically Christianity) like destiny and the desire to work. He then connected these values to the founding of Capitalism itself. In other works, Weber also detailed his views on bureaucracy, which he thought were the most efficient and necessary way to maintain order in society. His writings helped ensure sociology as a legitimate academic study. It also greatly influenced future political views through its preoccupation with looking at society through an ethical lens.

    Both having mostly different perspectives on capitalism, communism, and religion, I believe these two sociologists greatly influenced our understanding of society and will continue to for many years to come.