The Class Struggle: A Case Study

Introduction

Power has many layers to it, one cannot point out a set definition to it and even a set definition does not establish how to measure it in quantity. It is often invisible within society and can be pervasive. There are three elements to investigate power, namely intentions, counterfactual and capacities. Power has to be actively exercised, in order to be powerful according to Parvin and Chalmers (2012) one should achieve what they want not as a matter of chance, but as a result of some definite action/intention. The second element involves some form of control; it is not just a matter of simply getting what one wants but considering what would happen if the plan of execution does not go according to plan. The third element alerts

The second struggle is characterised by corporate power within businesses that exploit labour to maintain their status quo while being protected by government policies. Corporate and state elites of the upper class have the same interests of maintaining the status quo; which is executed through keeping those in the lower strata excluded and exploited through underpaying implementing a minimum wages to ensure that labourers are able to move up in their social strata’s. The upper class according to Wetherly, Barrow & Burnham (2008), especially in a capitalist society will continue to hold power until a radical social change takes place or according to Marxists the working-class develops a consciousness for themselves, thus fighting the system of oppression that is excluding them from accessing the upper

Domhoff (2010:176) further states that it consists of specific businesses and corporate sectors gaining favours such as tax breaks and other government assistance needed to realize their short-run and narrow interests for example South African Airways was given 5 billion bailout to cover the 4.7 billon loss they made. The most important aspects of the process include intricate and arcane tax breaks. The special interest groups also work through Congress trying to “hamstring regulatory agencies or reverse military purchasing decisions they do not agree with” (Domhoff, 2010:177). The special-interest process is very important to the corporate community connects them to the government and being able to influence and manipulate policies to working in their favour. Arguably this could be seen as corruption because if an ordinary middle class individual is competing with an individual from the upper class in getting a tender, the corporate elite have more financial influence and state machinery working in their