Marxist Class Theory and Durkheim’s Sociology of Suicide

Marx: History as Class Struggle

Karl Marx famously stated, “History is the story of class struggle.” Classes form the core of his analysis:

• Feudal Society: Nobility and peasants.
• Modern Bourgeois Society: Organized around industrial production and commercial exchange.

The Modern Class Structure

Marx identified two primary classes in the modern era:

• Capitalists: Those who own the means of production.
• Proletarians: Those who own nothing but their own labor power.

Further divisions include financial capitalists, industrialists, agricultural landowners, and commercial capitalists. The petty bourgeoisie consisted of craftspeople, while the lumpenproletariat—the poorest of the poor and criminals—were viewed as uninterested in revolutionary advancement.

Alienation and Critique

Marx argued that individuals view the world based on their working-class position. He identified four types of alienation: from the product, from one's own labor, from fellow workers, and from one’s “species-being.” Critics argue that Marx overlooked the role of government, excessive political power, and suffered from economic reductionism and determinism.

Durkheim: The Sociology of Suicide

Egoistic Suicide

Durkheim believed egoistic suicide is caused by “excessive individualism.” When community goals are weakened, individuals rely solely on their private interests. In a healthy, strongly integrated society, social structures provide protective restraints and moral support. When this integration fails, excessive individualism becomes a catalyst for suicide.

Anomic Suicide

Anomic suicide arises when human desires become “limitless” and individuals pursue unattainable goals, leading to perpetual unhappiness. Moral regulation is necessary to restrict these desires. Anomic suicide typically occurs during periods of abnormal crisis or abrupt social transformation when collective order is lost.

Mechanisms of Anomic Suicide

• Disrupted social structures.
• Lack of shared values and regulation.
• Absence of restraint upon aspirations.
• Increased competition and limitless desires.

As noted in Kivisto’s work, the economic sphere of trade and industry is in a constant state of anomie, resulting in the highest rates of suicide.