Quick questions on Theories of Social Change - TCE Sociology (Tasmania) - Level 3

The founders of sociology were all trying to explain the massive change of industrialisation. Karl Marx argued that change is driven by economic conflict: tensions between the forces and relations of production build until they erupt in revolution that transforms the whole society. Max Weber stressed the power of ideas, showing in his study of the Protestant ethic how religious beliefs helped trigger capitalism, and he saw modern history as a long process of rationalisation, the spread of efficient, impersonal, bureaucratic ways of organising life. Emile Durkheim explained change as a shift from mechanical solidarity, where small societies cohere through similarity, to organic solidarity, where complex societies cohere through interdependence and a specialised division of labour.

Several engines drive social change in contemporary Australia. Technological change, especially digital and communications technology, has transformed work, the media and everyday life. Economic restructuring has shifted employment from manufacturing toward services and the gig economy. Demographic change, including ageing, migration and smaller families, reshapes households and the welfare state.