SOC 104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Ruling Class, Capital Accumulation, Capitalism

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 104
• Professor: Lock Rebecca

Document Summary

Organized political structure that carries out tasks required by more complex societies as their population and geographic size, increase as warfare and trade expand, and as social inequalities become more extreme, it a major means of social control. Has a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. From a critical marxist perspective: have social control. Feudalism: ruling class had control over economic activity / military / legal / and administrative power. Present: distinct private / public separation, the economic class privately owns and increasingly control economic activity. The state is composed of the government, miltary, police and judiciary. State does not own private economic activity nor do they have strong control of them but are responsible for the repercussions of it. Only the benefits are privatized, the costs are transferred to the public sphere. Maintains social order and acts for good of citizens. State is an institution that favours the economic class (accumulation, function, corporate.