Editing Social conflict theory (section)

==Social conflict theories==
From a social-conflict theorist/Marxist point of view social class and inequality emerges because the social structure is based on conflict and contradictions. Contradictions in interests and conflict over scarce resources between groups is the foundation of social society, according to the social conflict theory.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Marx|first1=K.|last2=Engels|first2=F.|year=1848|title=Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei|location=London|publisher=J.E. Burghard}}</ref> The higher class will try to maintain their privileges, power, status and social position—and therefore try to influence politics, education, and other institutions to protect and limit access to their forms of capital and resources. Whereas the lower class—in contradiction to the higher class—has very different interests. They do not have specific forms of capital that they need to protect. All they are interested in is in gaining access to the resources and capital of the higher class. For example, education: the lower class will do everything to gain access to the higher class resources based on democratizing and liberalizing education systems because these forms of capital are thought to be of value for future success. The various institutions of society such as the legal and political system are instruments of ruling class domination and serve to further its interests. Marx believed that western society developed through four main epochs—[[primitive communism]], [[Ancient history|ancient society]], [[feudal society]] and [[capitalist society]]. Primitive communism is represented by the societies of pre-history and provides the only example of the classless society. From then all societies are divided into two major classes—master and slaves in ancient society, lords and serfs in feudal society and capitalist and wage laborers in capitalist society.

[[Max Weber|Weber]] sees class in economic terms. He argues that classes develop in market economies in which individuals compete for economic gain. He defines a class as a group of individuals who share a similar position in market economy and by virtue of that fact receive similar economic rewards. Thus a person's class situation is basically his market situation. Those who share a similar class situation also share similar life chances. Their economic position will directly affect their chances of obtaining the things defined as desirable in their society.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Sociology: Themes and Perspectives|last = Haralambos, Holborn|publisher = HarperCollins|year = 1995|isbn = 000-3223167|location = Hammersmith|pages = 37}}</ref>

Social conflict theory is also used to understand gender inequalities. One theory that is based on social-conflict ideas is radical feminist theory and feminism in general. According to a professor of political science in Belgrade, Jelena Vukoičić, radical feminism is a feminist theory that starts from the idea of conflict between the sexes as a fundamental conflict, and oppression against women as a direct implication of patriarchy. This theory rests on the assumption that all social activity is the result of certain restrictions and coercion, and although every social system contains specific forms of interactive constraints, they do not have to cause repression.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vukoičić |first=Jelena |date=2017-11-06 |title=Radical feminism as a discourse in the theory of conflict |url=http://doisrpska.nub.rs/index.php/socioloskidiskurs/article/view/3798 |journal=Социолошки Дискурс |volume=3 |issue=5 |doi=10.7251/SOCEN1305033V |issn=2232-867X}}</ref>