This is a paper by Courtney Mickman that was written for a class on sociological classical theory. The paper ties together Emile Durkheim’s “Theory of Solidarity” with Max Weber’s thesis on the “Spirit of Capitalism,” producing an analysis on how and why our current social structure became the dominant paradigm. In order to fully understand this condition, one must look further than mere historical events, but look into the effects of concepts implemented by prevalent institutions, and how they shaped the mindset of earlier generations.

Western society has gone from mechanical solidarity, from having the Protestant Ethic and being geographically isolated in a pre-industrial society, to organic solidarity, having the spirit of capitalism trap them through the Division of Labour within the Iron Cage.

Over many generations of working hard and efficiently, individuals gained money to prove themselves to god, families saved money/reinvesting into their business, which expanded personal wealth greatly, thus came about the spirit of capitalism, an increase in production and consumption.

Within the Iron Cage there is an innate, ultimate inequality in all aspects of the society. This is specifically so in the labor force and therefore social class. This is the spirit of capitalism that led to the iron cage; this is the increasing of rationalization in society, thus trapping everyone in a bureaucratic, rational system.

Between Durkheim and Weber’s theories, one might agree that in today’s society every individual is born with an inherent disillusionment about one’s place there within. Between Durkheim’s theories of the Division of Labour and anomie and Weber’s theory of the Iron Cage, individuals may see that society is, “Ruled by bureaucracy controlled by civil servants and people dressed in grey; got no privacy got no liberty cuz the twentieth century people took it all away from me” (Davies) and that not only are they stuck, but it’s not fair or just.

The Iron Cage necessarily entails individual entrapment of individuals within a social class, which stems from the societal change of mechanical to organic solidarity.

Innate Disillusionment In The 20th Century