Social Classes ; The Factors of Marx , and The Shame of Orwell

                    One of the most important elements of social stratification is the 'Class' . A social class is a category of group of persons having a definite status in society , which permanently determines their relations to other groups . Social classes have been defined by various  thinkers  in different manner . The notion of objectivity of class existence is the main contribution of Karl Marx , he emphasises on the economic factors . Power , style of life , and property determine the class status of individuals in the society . And also George Orwell who gave the word 'Shame ' in order to refer to social classes . 

                    Karl Marx defined  the social classes by their relation to the means of production ( ownership or non-ownership ) . In modern capitalist society there are two principal classes ; the capitalist and the proletariat . Max Weber , like Marx , is another German thinker who has seen the importance of economic factor in the classification of a society . He has defined class as a group of persons having the same ' life chances ' or social opportunities , as determined typically by economic conditions , He agreed with the  fundamental belief of Marx that control over property is a basic fact in the determination of the life chances of an individual or a class . That is to say , the members of a particular class will have more or less chance of getting good things of life , things such as a high standars of living , leisure ... ect . Thus  Weber's definition of class is broadly similar to that of Marx , except that Weber added two other dimensions to the economic dimention ; prestige and power .

                     George Orwell   is an english novelist , journalist , and critic . He  expressed his rejection to the the forms of division and differences thru  leaving  his own life to get involved into the class of miserable people , eating  , working  , and sleeping rough like them . And this ' class investement ' is the thing that made him feel what other people experience everyday , and that was an inspiration for him to write his famous books " Down and Out in Paris and London  " and  " The Road to Wigan Pier " .  For Orwell , the world is devided into three main class system : the Inner Party , the Outer Party , and the Proles  ( according to  his novel " 1984" ) .  The Inner party   is the group which makes policies , decisions , and governs . People of this party are the upper class , they are living in  comfortable homes , have good food and drink , having personal servants and access to helicopters and automobiles . The  Outer Party is  the group which is given state administrative  jobs and is composed of the more educated members of society , people of this party are  the " artificial middle class " . And the  Proles which is the lower class of workers that perform the majority of menial tasks and labors . They are in the poorest of conditions , and they make up 85%  of the population .

Society has developed the concept of social classes to categorize people into different  groups based on economic , political , and socio-economic status .  and this stratification  is an eternal problem that has  led  and still  leading to wars ,  segregation , and conflicts . Thus , it is very hard to  get over it . It becomes  a definition of identity .

By : Cholay Amine