To what extent is the Marxist view an accurate interpretation of the Essay

To what extent is the Marxist view an accurate interpretation of the origins of the French Revolution in 1789 - Essay Example This time, though, the rising urban class of shopkeepers and artisans, known as the bourgeoisie, continued the struggle, focusing it against the noble landowning class that had traditionally been the support of the monarchy. With the bourgeoisie success, the noble class was pulled down, the king along with it as its figurehead, and replaced by the First Republic. This, however, is not the view of modern historians such as E.J. Hobsbawn and George Rude, who feel the populace and small traders had at least an equal part in the disruption. Studies have indicated that the percentage of urban capitalist shopkeepers and artisans made up perhaps half of the revolutionary forces. â€Å"Cobb †¦ found that the rank and file of the Parisian armies revolutionnaires was 35 percent artisan and 25 percent shopkeeper and smaller merchants† (Lewis 1998). Hobsbawm (1969) claims perhaps as many as one European out of every five was a Frenchman and the majority of these Frenchmen were rural farmers or small shop workers. In many ways, the search for the reasons and participants can be found in the theories brought forward by Karl Marx, such as in the popular protest movements of the day which provide a more accurate view of both how the monarchy lost its favor and who was most in control of the political and social changes that were happening in those years. The central concepts of Marxist economics, essential to understanding the causes of the French Revolution, include the theory of labour value, the disposition of production and the inevitable conflicts between the classes. Conflicts will always persist because the upper class can never totally control the lower classes. Lesser concepts include the idea of increased misery, the obsession with possessions and the consequences of economic alienation. Marx’s theories of labour value combined with his concepts of

Modern Organisational Theory and Applied Science Assignment

Modern Organisational Theory and Applied Science - Assignment Example The abovementioned makes the question of methods effectiveness and appropriateness to each certain case extremely important. This project will examine the appropriateness and effectiveness of qualitative research methods in organizational studies as well as provide an overview of the specific characteristics and methods of qualitative research. Historically, quantitative approaches and methodologies have been the first and foremost choice in the area of professional organizations and management research. The quantitative bias can probably be explained by the origins of modern organizational science which relies heavily on the natural sciences such as mathematics, economics, and sociology. Quantifiability and precision have traditionally been among the most essential features of these sciences and quantitative paradigm was undoubtedly the best choice to maintain and reinforce them (Patton and Appelbaum, 2003: 60). The primary task of a qualitative study is to provide the researcher with data that relates to a specific context or setting, for example, explaining participants' perception of an organization, understand participants' understanding of various phenomena, reveal their experiences, motivations, etc. At the same time, extrapolation of the qualitative study results in other similar situations and contexts is also an important aspect of qualitative research (Hoepfl, 1997). There is a definition of qualitative research found in the literature. Strauss and Corbin (1990) define qualitative research as "any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification" (p. 17). Denzin and Lincoln (1998) describe qualitative research as "...multi-method in focus, involving an interpretative, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them' (Denzin and Lincoln 1998: 3). Cassel and Symon (1994) claim that the most characteristic feature of qualitative research is "...a focus on interpretation rather than quantification, an emphasis on subjectivity rather than objectivity" (p.7). These three definitions identify the basic distinctions between qualitative and quantitative research and highlight the key features of qualitative me thodology mentioned above. It shall be noted though that quantitative and qualitative research shall not be perceived as absolutely antagonistic to each other: "qualitative research usually does use some form of quantification, but statistical forms of analysis are not seen as central" (Mason 1996: 4).