Class refers to social group politics in different class positions which are related to certain relations of production.

First, the concept and characteristics of the class

1 The concept of class and class relations are the basic categories of modern political science, and also the foundation on which the whole building of Marxist political science is built. Marxist political science holds that the essence of politics is class relations. In the field of political life of human society, the interests of all classes and strata and their mutual relations have been reflected intensively. We believe that class refers to the social and political identity formed by economic relations, especially the possession of means of production, when human society develops to a certain stage. 2 Class characteristics According to the concept of class, it has the following three remarkable characteristics: (1) Class is an economic category. Class is an economic category. First of all, it refers to the same body of human society-class, which is formed in a certain social production system. Possession of the means of production is the most essential feature of the class, and other features are derived from this essential feature, which is the inherent qualitative stipulation of the class. Secondly, the primary basis for dividing classes is economic status, that is, the relationship between the means of production is different. Therefore, class is an economic category. (2) Class is a historical category. Human society has not always had classes. "The existence of class is only related to a certain historical stage of production development", which is applicable to the situation that the productive forces have developed to a certain extent but are still incomplete. In the later period of primitive society, with the emergence of surplus products, social division of labor and private ownership, social productive forces developed and human beings were divided into different social groups with fundamentally opposite interests. Among them, the rich became slave owners who possessed social means of production; The poor, that is, the poor and prisoners of war, became slaves. Since then, mankind has entered a class society. With the development of social productive forces, human society has experienced four different social forms: slave society, feudal society, capitalist society and socialist society, and the class situation has continuously evolved and developed. However, this phenomenon of class differentiation in human society is not eternal, "it will be eliminated by the full development of modern productive forces." (3) Class is a political subject linked by economic relations. In a certain social structure of class society, the existence and development of irreconcilable class contradictions produce the state, and the economically dominant class becomes the political ruling class with the help of the state, that is, becomes the political subject with social public power. Because of their different positions in economic relations, other classes that came into being at the same time as the ruling class are in different political positions. It can be seen that class comes from economic relations, and takes economic relations as a link to become the political subject of political society and participate in the political process. Classes have the consistency of political inclination based on the same economic status; Similarity of psychological habits based on the same lifestyle; And the convergence of ideal pursuit based on the historical fate of * * *. 1 2. The class status and class structure of contemporary capitalist countries are divided according to the ownership relationship of the means of production in the social relations of production. Compared with early capitalism, great and profound changes have taken place in contemporary capitalist countries. This change is not only the adjustment of bourgeois ruling strategy, but also involves all aspects of capitalist political system, economic system and social life, thus directly affecting the form of capital possession, distribution and class structure. (1) The form of capital possession of contemporary capitalism has shown the characteristics of socialization. From the end of 19, the economies of most capitalist countries are no longer single and pure private capitalism, but there are socialized public and private economies at the same time, thus becoming a "mixed economy" or a "dual economy" with new characteristics. 1, the state-owned economy has developed greatly. After World War II, there have been many waves of nationalization in western capitalist countries. In contemporary capitalist society, the existence of state-owned economy is by no means a dispensable ornament, nor is it an insignificant accidental phenomenon. It has a considerable scale, which has greatly changed the traditional mode of pure capitalist private ownership. French state-owned enterprises once reached 3 1% of the total output value of industrial enterprises, with investment accounting for 49% of the total investment of industrial enterprises and fixed assets investment accounting for 53% of the total investment of industrial enterprises. In the early 1980s, Britain nationalized 100% of seven major industries, such as coal mining, shipbuilding, electricity, natural gas, railways, postal services and telecommunications, and 75% of steel and aviation industries. At present, the average output value of state-owned enterprises in developed countries accounts for about 10% of GDP. Italy 18%, France 15%, Britain 14%, Germany 12% and the United States 1%. The investment of state-owned enterprises accounts for 20% of the total investment in China on average, which means that the single and pure private ownership economic model has been partially changed. 2. The cooperative economy has developed rapidly. In contemporary capitalist society, there are still a large number of cooperative economies. It is an economic form developed by working people in capitalist society on the basis of established economic organizations and social groups and in accordance with the principles of voluntariness, democracy, equality and mutual benefit in order to improve production and living conditions and seek or safeguard their own interests. At present, various types of cooperative organizations exist in industry, agriculture, construction, commerce, services, tourism, banking and insurance, education, health care, transportation, fisheries and other economic categories and social institutions. For example, supply and marketing cooperatives in Japan sell 95% of rice and 90% of fish products for farmers and fishermen; American supply and marketing cooperatives provide food and daily necessities worth $654.38+0.23 billion every day; Cooperative medical organizations in the United States provide medical services to 220,000 patients every day; Credit unions handle $300 million in checks every day. There are also a large number of enterprises run by German trade unions, including big banks and so on. It is very obvious that the cooperative economy, like the state-owned economy, has broken the traditional capitalist model of pure private ownership, and its capital possession form and content have the characteristics of socialization. 3. The emergence of "stakeholder economy". From 1980s to 1990s, a new form of capital possession appeared quietly in Britain and America with new concepts. Almost unconsciously, it has brought about great changes in the form of capitalist private ownership. The so-called "stakeholder economy" is such an economic model, which regards an enterprise as a production system and a socio-economic system that creates value for all its constituent elements. In the traditional model of capitalist private ownership, the only goal and responsibility of an enterprise is to maximize the interests and profits of shareholders or asset owners. As for employees, customers and other stakeholders, they are just machines and means for enterprises to make money. Private property rights are absolutely unrestricted. However, the stakeholder economy has changed the traditional mode that private property is absolutely unrestricted. Stakeholders are no longer regarded as machines and means to make money, but as contributors to unique resources as important as shareholders and asset owners, and their interests are protected. For a long time, because private property rights are absolutely unrestricted, a wave of "hostile takeovers" appeared in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, which brought great negative impacts to society. For the purpose of plundering property and profiteering, some companies often buy a company's stock at a high price, then reorganize the company's senior management, change the company's business policy, and finally sell or arbitrage the public-private division. In this process, the acquirer will fire a large number of workers and employees of the acquired company, which will harm the interests of customers and business partners, bring great damage to productivity and bring great social instability. In view of this situation, since the late 1980s, 30 states in the United States, including Pennsylvania, new york and Wisconsin, have successively revised their company laws. Clearly stipulate that enterprises should not only safeguard the interests of shareholders, but also safeguard the interests of other social elements of enterprises; Enterprise managers have the right to take measures to refuse hostile takeover. For example, the new company law in Pennsylvania, USA, includes four new clauses: First, no matter how many shares a company owns, shareholders can only enjoy 20% of the voting rights at most, breaking through the traditional mode of "one share, one vote"; Second, the acquired company has the right to occupy the profits obtained by shareholders selling shares to hostile acquirers within 18 months after the announcement of the hostile takeover plan; Third, the successful malicious acquirer must pay the laid-off employees 26 weeks' salary as a job-hopping fee. Fourth, company managers have the right and obligation to be responsible to "stakeholders", not just to shareholders. As a new mode of capital possession, "stakeholder economy" has quickly become popular in the United States. Some newspapers even called Pennsylvania's new company law "Pennsylvania-style socialism". Now, this stakeholder economy has developed into an irresistible historical trend in the west.