Modernism Perspectives of Marx and Weber

Modernism emerged in Western Europe with the decline of the aristocracy, and the rise of the bourgeoisie, and proletariat.

Marx explained modernization with economy and class struggle. Modern society started with industrialization. Infrastructure shapes superstructure. Social reality determines people's consciousness. Societies' dialectic is formed by the development of productive forces. Class struggle is significant. Humans become alienated while maintaining control over nature. Increasing machines and work sharing destroy the attractiveness of workers, labor becomes an object. Workers are unaware, they are exploited. When workers develop "class consciousness," they will make a revolution against the bourgeois.

Weber explained modernization with political, religious, and rationalization. The transition from traditionalism to modernity is with ideas, actions, and rationalization. People acquire calculability, methodical behavior, and reflexivity. However, rationalization is not universal, it is the result of Western specialization and technical differentiation. Religion transformed traditional society into, capitalist-society focused on economic success. Protestantism encourages work and prevents luxury spending and laziness. Bureaucracy is an important part of the transition from traditional to modern. It will imprison humanity in the "iron cage".

Eventually, Weber created more realist, complex power relations instead of Marx's economic basis. Modernization can not explain solely by economics. The economy is not independent of politics, religion, law... Weber shows the middle class. The middle class is the majority of the population and its wealth makes society richer.