Which term represents the view that class interests shape social life and institutions?

Which term represents the view that class interests shape social life and institutions?

• A. Marxism
• B. Equal opportunities
• C. Redistribution of wealth
• D. Underclass

Answer: (A)

Marxism holds that class interests shape social life and institutions. In this view, the economic structure and who owns the means of production form the base of society, and this base influences the superstructure—the laws, politics, education system, media, and cultural norms. Those with power use these institutions to protect and perpetuate their interests, while the interests and experiences of the working class are shaped under this framework. Ideology can serve to justify the existing order, making inequality seem natural. Other terms don’t fit because equal opportunities describes policies aimed at fair access rather than a theory about how class determines social life; redistribution of wealth refers to a policy goal rather than a theoretical view of how society is organized; the underclass is a label for a group, not a theory about the relationship between class and institutions.

Marxism holds that class interests shape social life and institutions. In this view, the economic structure and who owns the means of production form the base of society, and this base influences the superstructure—the laws, politics, education system, media, and cultural norms. Those with power use these institutions to protect and perpetuate their interests, while the interests and experiences of the working class are shaped under this framework. Ideology can serve to justify the existing order, making inequality seem natural.

Other terms don’t fit because equal opportunities describes policies aimed at fair access rather than a theory about how class determines social life; redistribution of wealth refers to a policy goal rather than a theoretical view of how society is organized; the underclass is a label for a group, not a theory about the relationship between class and institutions.