Explaining Marx's Theory of Class Society

Marx’s theory of class society has had a huge influence on sociology and on my own thinking. This podcast explains the theory in the simplest way possible. What is the basic structure of all class societies in history? The ruling class owns the means of production. They use this leverage to extract a surplus from the work of the subordinate class. This is just as true in capitalist societies - where this exploitation is masked by the monetary form of market exchange. Marx believes that class comes about as an invention of human societies. This happens when the invention of agriculture allows a surplus to be produced.