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The Impacts of the Emergence of Sociology on the Works of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber

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The emergence of sociology as a discipline is a result of the social, economic, political and technological developments in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this essay, the adequacy of this viewpoint will be analysed by pointing out these developments and highlighting their impact on the works of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber. The three are considered because they are regarded as the pioneers of sociology. Furthermore, the relevance of the early work of the above to modern sociology will be highlighted.
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was a period characterised by large population growth coupled with a large demographic shift. This was aided by technological innovations such as the development of railroads and the steam engine. The demographic shift was mainly to urban areas where there was rapid growth and development in the manufacturing industry. The developments were driven by curious scientists and professionals who were extending the influence of large institutions, in biology, banking and etc., to larger portions of the society. The consequence was the emergence of a capitalist society.
The chaos and social disorder that resulted from the series of political revolutions ushered in by the French Revolution in 1789 disturbed many early social theorists. While they recognized that a return to the old order was impossible, they sought to find new sources of order in societies that had been traumatized by dramatic political changes.
Socialism

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