Social Order & Inequality
What promotes order in society?
Conflict between classes and limited resources (Marx)
The bourgeoisie holds power over the proletariat because...
What is economic ownership? (Marx)
Democratic governments may become threatened as institutions become...
What is manipulated by authoritarians? (Mills)
The ability to see the connection between our personal experiences and the larger society.
What is sociological imagination? (Mills)
Inequality involves...
What is class, status, and party—not just economic position? (Weber)
Which group controls the power and dispersion of resources?
The "power elite" - a small group of wealthy and influential people (Mills)
What must happen before the proletariat unites to change society?
What is class consciousness? (Marx)
Views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and social change.
What is conflict theory? (Marx)
The power elite is made up of these 3 groups.
What is corporate executives, military leaders, and political officials? (Mills)
This type of authority rests on the personal qualities and exceptional leadership of an individual.
What is charismatic authority? (Weber)
Meaningful social change requires understanding the links between...
What is personal problems and public issues? (Mills)
A set of values, or a moral and psychological mindset, that drives modern capitalism.
What is the spirit of capitalism? (Weber)
This is what matters most in society - not religion, education, etc.
What is the economy? (Marx)
This concept describes how people in similar economic positions share similar opportunities across their lives.
What are life chances? (Weber)
Societies could become increasingly _______ and governed by bureaucracy.
What is rationalized? (Weber)
Describes how modern society becomes trapped in a system of rigid rules, procedures, and hierarchy that stifles individuality, creativity, and personal freedom in the pursuit of efficiency.
What is the iron cage of bureaucracy? (Weber)