Comparing Marx's and Weber's Theories of Bureaucracy

Comparing Marx's and Weber's Theories of Bureaucracy
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Comparing Marx's and Weber's Theories of Bureaucracy
Introduction
The base of sociological knowledge of the 20th and 21st century was laid by classical sociologists of the 19th century, among them Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Max Webber (1864-1920). It is the contributions of these two together with others such as Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) that helped build what is known today as the classical sociological theory. These three sociologists attempted to explain the changes that were taking place in the society of the time. On the one hand, the views of Marx and Weber are very different, but on the other, they are quite similar. For example, while Marx was a strong opponent of capitalism, Weber’s view was that capitalism is an exceptional system (Nicholson, 2017). According to Weber, capitalism is a motivating factor for economic growth. On the other hand, Marx sees capitalism as not only unduly, but also a major cause of division among the populous.
Weber's theory offers a more compelling description of bureaucracy in the sense that, inasmuch as structures in society are rooted in the economy, one is left wondering whether the Marxist theory is limited in scope as it does not acknowledge other influencing factors. This is the main differentiating point between the Marxist and the Weberian theories of bureaucracy (Adhikary, 2016). Although both the theories review and assess historical context, Weber’s theory of bureaucracy covers a wider scope thus presenting a more detailed description. This is evidenced by the fact that Weber’s analysis shows the number of contexts that must exist for a particular outcome to be true. Weber seems to recognize that is futile to be too deterministic. It is Weber’s theory that presents the most compelling description and explanation of bureaucracy because he recognizes all causal forces in his analysis to arrive at his theory.
Comparison of the two theories
With regards to bureaucracy, both Weber and Marx did not create a comprehensive theory. Marx’s main point of concern was based on three basic concepts: the growth of capitalism, the extent to which it exploited the working class, and the liberation of the working class (Mai, 2016). In his analysis of these three basic concepts, Marx in the laconic form discussed all the relevant issues of economics, politics and social life. Among the issues he discussed was bureaucracy.
On the other hand, Weber's approach to bureaucracy is a bit different. His approach presents several features of bureaucracy. According to the Weberian theory, it is these features that suggest the characteristics of bureaucratic organizations (Adhikary, 2016).
The Marxist theory on bureaucracy states that “the general spirit of bureaucracy is secrecy, mystery, preserved inwardly using hierarchy and externally as a close corporation. Marx goes on to add "the hierarchy of the bureaucracy is the hierarchy of knowledge" Marx considers bureaucracy a component of government mechanisms, a governmental formation of the civil population, the government’s consciousness, the will of the government, a demonstration of the power of government. Th...