Which theorist argued that societies grow through struggles between different social and political classes?

• A. Karl Marx
• B. Herbert Spencer
• C. Emile Durkheim
• D. Auguste Comte

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that social change is driven by conflicts between social classes. Karl Marx is the thinker who argues that societies grow through struggles between different social and political classes, especially the tension between those who own the means of production and those who don't. He frames history as a sequence of modes of production that generate class antagonisms, crises, and revolutions, pushing society from one major form to another—like capitalism to socialism—through the pressure of these conflicts.

This contrasts with other theorists who describe social change in different ways. Herbert Spencer emphasizes evolutionary progress of society through a form of natural social development, not specifically through class struggle. Emile Durkheim focuses on social cohesion and the functions of institutions to maintain order and solidarity. Auguste Comte highlights the progression of human thought through stages and the rise of positivist science. None of these center class conflict as the primary engine of historical growth in the way Marx does.