The Research Of Western Middle Class And Social Stability

In recent years the research of middle class have become domestic and international sphere of learning with the problem that highly paid attention to, and arouse the universal solicitude of the scholars such as politics, sociology as well as economics. Paper researching the major problem that will be discussed is the relationship between western middle class and social order in the modern course of social political, economic and ideological cultural changes. Paper research has adopted the theory of modernization in political sociology for background, and social stratified theory for analysis frame. It is in historical materialism and dialectics materialism as the foundation to study, and specific research technique are method of comparison, class analysis method, system method as well as the case method.Theory of the western research of middle class set up in advance is: Middle class experienced from industrial and commercial development and civil society is the social stratum and group with similar to self appraises, worth orientation, way of life and psychological feature as well, therefore, takes important affection in market orientation, stability and development of society. Paper major theoretical orientation is different from theoretical viewpoint of the "stabilizer", " balanced ship " , and " buffer " the etc. in western theoretical research of middle class. Paper theoretical starting point and the basic assumption that sustains are: Since modern social transition middle class has broken up, made up and developed that makes itself filling with contradictoriness, different quality and complexity, it is not one for class. From the visual angle of social systematic variable to analyze dialectically, in the diversity of market economy of the course of the modern development, promoting the diversity of benefit subject and diversity of value orientation, middle class not only behavior orientation and the group consciousness in realistic society is a complex variable, and is also an important variable in the relation of development and stability of society. In the countries of different political and cultural background, each still has different intension and feature. Therefore relation between middle class and stability of social order not only lies in middle class' market ability, still depend on them whether have to win extensive cooperation and support of other social strata, mutually depend on it whether has the ability of participating in and promoting political democracy with the system background of country and society.This paper contains six chapters, which are outlined as follows:Introduction focuses on the reason and significance of the research, and summarizes the documents related to western middle class. At the same time, introduces the configuration of theory, basic concepts, research technique and major innovation. The first chapter discusses the theories of social stability and structural feature. This paper from the field of political sociology, thinks society stability be a complex systematic project of multidimensional degrees, its subsystems are depended on, interacted, restricted and affected mutually with dialectically unified relation. It is the comprehensive results of each subsystem developing to the stability of society. And middle class is variable and an essential factor in this systematic project only. Society stabilizes and develops should be the results of expressing benefits from each class and stratum of society in mutual competition, cooperation, compromise and balance, middle class can only is one of common winner in this kind of game. So the theoretical stabilizer that sets up in advance is not enough, merely a kind of static theoretical idea and unidirectional thought relatively.The second chapter is about the relation of western middle class and social changes from historical investigation. The paper relies on classical theory of Marxism as ideological guidance, does not think stability be the inherent feature or inevitable property of middle class, "balanced ship" and "safe valve" also do not be its congenital social function, commonplace, mild and conservative more do not be the social nature, and middle class has no fixed pattern in the course of social development. On the one hand, in the various stratum strengthens to pressure for political order, the middle class with benefit diversity and diversity of value orientation is often a kind of instability factor probably, on the other hand, each class in a society (include middle class) if can not get deserved social resource and system arrangement, it is the reason that it may form social order and normal to lose. Therefore how to guide, hold and develop the social function of middle class are still the important social program to the capitalist countries with different developing route.The third chapter focuses on the western middle class in class theory, it is the main part of this essay. This paper thinks the middle class with developing and changing, and then analyses from social systematic variance, though middle class in games of society with contradictory nature, it is a development variance of social development all along. Middle class regardless of opts what kind of role appeared in social political stage on, is compared by stratum strength and the expectation tension, as well as is political, economic, cultural background decided. They oppose and compromise, struggle and cooperation with each stratum, and insist to be subject of utility and interests in the choice of society politics, adjust goal with utility and interests to " reasonably " opt friend or competitor, middle class is hard to become leading class. Regardless of Theory of "management revolution" or Theory of "revolution of science and technology", the meaning is a kind of regulation in the field of private ownership only. Its limit is not destructive to bourgeois with controlling for enterprise efficiently as the watershed, it cannot be exceeded power boundary between the middle class and the class of upper levels.The fourth chapter thinks deeply from present situation about the relation of middle class and social order with the principle of Integration of theory with practice. This paper investigates the economic position,cultural life and social political attitude of middle class in the present western society, and thinks it has filled with multiplicity, contradictoriness and complexity. At the same time explains the pattern of middle class in language environment of western culture cannot be "clone" (only refer to, not copy to apply mechanically) with comparison, because economic and political positions of middle class are not firm, it is in course of breaking up and constructing continuously. So its intension that not only has difference in different ideology and the cultural background, also has different social attitude under different social stage and situation. Middle class should be the correspondingly developed concept in social historical development, is a concept of cultural and social space-time with discrepancy. Therefore the research for middle class cannot be static, especially for the country of "post-development form" can not "consume theoretically", otherwise will be impossible to understand the developing feature of society really.The fifth chapter is from the viewpoint of analysis of system to discuss the system, organization and mechanism for stability of social politics in western developed countries. It emphasizes mutually positive exchange between country and society, and to promote and regulate and maintenance the relation between country and society with mutually positive exchange should be political system, arrangement of system as well as orientation. At the same time, this paper tries to combine the tendency of diversity in present western society, to discuss political running form of present western society, it is not the pattern of class or stratum, and appears mainly with the forms of benefit group and social organization. Because of class, the ability of engagement in political action has been weakened by social diversity, the built-in benefit of class is nearly impossible, and the development of related the profession, occupation with more close benefit has replaced the organization role of class gradually. Different groups of middle class are playing their social political roles in the benefit groups with background of profession and occupation. Under the restraint of social order and system, benefit group or social organization as the political participator become the effective mechanism of benefit expression and balance, makes social tension keeping in controlled and helpful for society to stabilize.Finally, though political systems in western developed countries have drawback and are faced with problem and challenge, the essay considers that developed countries do not go through coup and the revolution from long-term, the public holds certain political identification for system, institution and policy, and has reflected the legality of regime and authoritativeness of government. On the other hand, capitalist to be not enclosed, rigid system, it is a kind of civilization impacted, adjusted, transformed and developed continuously by socialist criticism and lash. Presently capitalism is still developing continuously, it is explained that the system and institution arrangement have certain reasonability and meet foundation and development of social politics, economy and culture. Though western society movements to ebb and flow, can be controlled with various means in the scope that public order allows in, and various incidents can be also dissolved in the scope of system configuration and legal system. The channel of public leading off, benefit expression and politics participation is unblocked, it makes one-side social problem do not be gather and become comprehensive social problem, and local social conflict or upheaval,riot will not be brew and develop to social crisis with overall situation. Consequently, from the viewpoint of political sociology, stability of social politics in western developed countries relies on function of stability that political system and institutions have with, and can not be divided with the function of the political structure and system that maintain the balance and stability of various power relations, and this is not only relying on middle class or market power.