1. Both Marx and Weber emphasize the role of a “disciplined labor force” in the history of the origins and development of modern capitalism. I would like you to compare their respective accounts of this history. (Note: Marx briefly discusses this issue in his section on “Primitive Accumulation” in Capital, pp. 431-438 in Tucker’s The Marx-Engels Reader (on reserve); but you may wish to consult some other Marxian discussions of this issue). What aspects of the process of “proletarianization” (i.e., changing peasants into modern workers) are emphasized by Marx and Weber? How might their underlying assumptions about the essential features of modern capitalism have affected their respective accounts of its history? What do Marx and Weber see as causing the perpetuation of the “discipline” of the modern labor force? Is one account more persuasive than the other?
In order to answer these questions you will need to do some library research. Check Pitt’s electronic databases and see if you can locate a book or article that has some basic demographic data (i.e., age, region, race, religion, income level and so on) on the parties to the conflict you have chosen. This data may be on the characteristics of the activists or on their more passive supporters. You may only be able to find information on one party to the conflict, if this is the case focus your essay on this putative status group but also make some conjectures about the opposing party to the conflict.
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