The Conflict Theory: American Class System Cartoon

The Conflict Theory, first suggested by Karl Marx, is a sociological theory widely used to explain the behaviors of a society. This theory, unlike the functionalist theory and symbolic interactionism theory, looks at society as being in a state of everlasting conflict due to the domination of the upper class over the competition for limited resources. The three images displayed below are phenomenal representations of the Conflict Theory as they express the competition for limited resources, the different classes in a society, and the domination of the powerful individuals over the other weaker individuals. In the American Class system cartoon, the Conflict Theory is expressed through the focus of the small upper class being over the large lower class. When Karl Marx first proffered this theory, he used it to describe the conflict between the two primary classes of the time, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat class. The bourgeoisie was the upper class of the time, holding most of the wealth and power over the proletariat, or the lower class. In order for Marx’s Conflict Theory to take place in a society, you must first have a class system with a dominating upper class and a weak lower class. This cartoon shows the …show more content…
They all leave out at least one aspect of the Conflict theory and, due to this, it would be best if all three cartoons were utilized in making for a clear explanation of this theory. These cartoons can be used as a visual representation of the Conflict Theory and present the ideas of classes, limited resources, and unequal distribution of wealth, in a memorable fashion. To demonstrate the Conflict theory to help students learning sociology, attaching these images to the aspects of the theory that they relate to would enable the students to more clearly grasp the concepts being