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Gumplowicz, Ludwig Ritzer wbeos1011.tex V1 - 01/12/2017 11:25 A.M. Page 1 and nonviolent. He proposed that racial hatred Gumplowicz, Ludwig was an inherent trait within humans, and that (1838–1909) this primal hatred brought on violence, slavery, genocide, and other atrocities (Weikart, 2003). MEHMET SOYER Gumplowicz claimed “the function of sociology Texas Woman’s University, USA consists of showing that universal laws apply to social phenomena” (Gumplowicz, 1980: 82). He described social and cultural evolution as a Ludwig Gumplowicz was a pioneer social con- continuous struggle amongst social groups and flict theorist. He focused on the driving factors that this served as “the struggle for existence and behind social conflict, highlighting racial hatreds the survival of the fittest among individuals.” as a major conflict factor (Gumplowicz, 1980). He stated that this social struggle surpassed the Moreover, he considered conflict to be a cycle individual one as a part of the theory of evolution. that brought on the economic exploitation of In addition, he claimed that, since the individual others. Gumplowicz emphasized that one social was a product of the group, only the group held group would come to dominate others in an any true significance (Timasheff, 1966). emerging society. The dominant group would Gumplowicz described that war between social not be required to be the mainstream subgroup groups was influenced by the groups’ desire to or demographic majority in a society. However, expand their economic dominance. War results in this group, equipped with social, economic, and violence and aggression against the group being political might, would end up molding into shape conquered. Furthermore, groups have motiva- the definitive characteristics of the community tions in subjugating and economically exploiting through establishment of rule, laws, and a unify- their conquered subjects. Gumplowicz theorized ing identity (Baali, 1988). Gumplowicz proposed that the concept known as the state originated that mankind had no common origin and that all from one social group establishing dominance societies are the byproducts of the never-ending over another. State formation is followed by wars struggle for survival and dominance of the groups between states driven by the urge for conquest. In that came before them. addition, class struggle emerges within the state Gumplowicz suggested that history is a as the dominant social class realizes it can protect repetitive cycle consisting of groups attack- and further extend its hegemony by establishing ing, suppressing, and absorbing one and other. laws and political bodies of power (Timasheff, The state emerges as a means to subjugate inferior 1966). groups, and laws are formulated to help govern Gumplowicz’s philosophy was inspired by the them. This cycle of inequality drives the continual polygenetic hypothesis, the concept that mankind formation of social groups. Due to his Darwinist has multiple origins instead of a single common and scientific approach, Gumplowicz advocated ancestor. He claimed that group conflict was the that society should be analyzed “purely in natural- result of racial hatred inherent in mankind stem- istic terms, without any resource to metaphysical ming from this polygenetic origin. Gumplowicz or supernatural explanations, to establish sci- asserted that through this struggle, social groups entific sociology” (in Faghirzadeh, 1982: 189). can extend themselves or combine with other Thus, Gumplowicz was key in developing of an multiple social groups to form a new singular empirical methodology for sociological studies. social body (Sorokin, 1928). In such cases, the He developed his theories on social group con- resultant social body subjugates the conquered flicts through a focal point on racial struggle. The group and must successfully manage it through racial struggle for dominance is the driving force numerous steps. First, a new state is formed as a behind history, whether it be vicious, or passive result of the conquering and conquered groups The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology.EditedbyGeorgeRitzer. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/9781405165518.wbeos1011 Ritzer wbeos1011.tex V1 - 01/12/2017 11:25 A.M. Page 2 2GUMPLOWICZ,LUDWIG (1838–1909) unifying. The conquerors become the entitled into dominance via set of laws. This formation of and ruling class at the expense and exploitation of lawalsobringsaboutwithittheideaoflegalrights the subjugated group. Second, law is established belonging to groups and individuals. Next, the as the whole body of rules determined by the stateformsandallclassesunderitaredesignated ruling conqueror group as a means of controlled legal rights and civil obligations. Later, hetero- exploitation over the conquered subjects. Third, geneous elements in the society gradually blend the emergence of social classes through inequality into one another through cultural integration turns the conquerors into an aristocratic class, and and assimilation, leading to a relatively homoge- the subjugated group into the lower class. Finally, neous people. Finally, a nation emerges. Thus all cultural differences between the conquerors and political bodies, including emerging civilizations, the subjugated are gradually diminished as result begin with one group permanently subjugat- of the conquerors dominance over the language ing another (Gumplowicz, 1980): “Gumplowicz and religion of the subjugated. However, as the developed his sociology of war as a necessary cultural gaps are closed between the two classes, prerequisite to social progress” (Sklair, 1970: 70). the class differences remain in place (Sorokin, 1928). This process usually continues with further SEE ALSO: Comte, Auguste; Conflict (Racial/ cohesion between the two groups until this social Ethnic); Conflict Theory; Durkheim, Émile; body is subjugated by an outside social group, Positivism; Ratzenhofer, Gustav; Simmel, Georg; and the process is repeated from the beginning. Small, Albion W.; Social Darwinism; Spencer, Gumplowicz claimed this repetition is a key his- Herbert; State; Ward, Lester Frank torical mechanism (Sorokin, 1928) and asserted that, even though gradual evolution and progress in cohesion occurs in each state, there are always References barbarians who remain waiting to initiating this historical cycle of conquest and subjugation. Baali, F. (1988) Society, State, and Urbanism: Ibn Khal- Powerful states recede into failure partially as dun’s Sociological Thought,SUNYPress,Albany,NY. a result of domestic dynamics that cause inter- Faghirzadeh, S. (1982) Sociology of Sociology,Soroush nal turmoil and destabilization. He stated that Press, Tehran. thereisnoabsoluteprogressorretrogressionin Gumplowicz, L. (1980) Outlines of Sociology,Paine- history, but rather only subjective instances of Whitman, New York. localized progress in certain countries and eras Sklair, L. (2003) The Sociology of Progress,Routledge, (Gumplowicz, 1980). London. Lester Frank Ward (1907: 205), a pioneering Sorokin, P.A. (1928) Contemporary Sociological Theo- American sociologist, summarized Gumplowicz’s ries,Harper&Brothers,NewYork. Timasheff, N.S. (1966) Sociological Theory: Its Nature societal theories in the book Pure Sociology: A and Growth,RandomHouse,NewYork. Treatise on the Origin and Spontaneous Develop- Ward, L.F. (1907) Pure Sociology: A Treatise on the Ori- ment of Society.Wardoutlinedtheprocessthus: gin and Spontaneous Development of Society,Macmil- First,oneraceissubjugatedbyanother.Second, lan, London. castes emerge as the conquerors form a superior Weikart, R. (2003) Progress through racial extermina- strata and the subjects a lower one. Third, this tion: social Darwinism, eugenics, and pacifism in severe class schism settles into a situation of Germany, 1860–1918. German Studies Review,26(2), social and political inequality. Fourth, the initial 273–294. military dominance gradually transforms itself.
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