Final answer:
The modern division between workers and capitalists is complex, evolving from a once adversarial relationship to one that acknowledges mutual monetary goals, yet workers still experience alienation under capitalism. Technological advancements further complicate the labor landscape, potentially increasing class consciousness among workers. Modern efforts to unite labor with progressive goals face challenges due to existing cultural polarizations.
Step-by-step explanation:
In modern capitalist nations, the traditional division between workers, or proletariats, and capitalists, also known as the bourgeoisie, is becoming more complex. Workers sell their labor power but do not own the products of their labor. Capitalists own the means of production and profit from the labor of workers. This relationship results in alienation and a lack of control for the workers over the value created by their actions, a concept Karl Marx called alienation.
However, the dynamic between capital and labor has evolved. Today, there is an understanding and a level of tolerance between the two groups—each acknowledges the other's pursuit of monetary gain and provides a degree of leeway. This is a shift from the past, where every conflict seemed irreconcilable, often leading to violent strikes and labor disputes. Yet, economic influence remains disproportionately in the hands of a small wealthy minority, which can have substantial sway over governmental decisions.
Marxist theorists argue that advancements in technology, particularly mechanization and information technology, are leading to job obsolescence and increasing the ranks of the unhappy working class—fueling what Marx termed class consciousness. This growing awareness among workers of their shared conditions might eventually lead them to demand change. Additionally, in trying to align labor and progressive interests, contemporary challenges include forming partnerships across class lines and navigating the cultural divide between liberal and conservative viewpoints in America.