Marxism is a top-down macro approach and conflict theory that sees society as based on class divisions and the capitalist exploitation of working class. Karl Marx founded Marxism and described capitalism as composed of the capitalist class or bourgeoisie and the working class or proletariat. The bourgeoisie owns lands, factories and businesses and makes money by exploiting the working class. The proletariat is forced to sell its labor to the bourgeoisie because it owns neither land nor businesses, which means it earns little. Marxists argue that the role of education is to fail working-class students so that they have no choice but to work for capitalists for low wages. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Marxist Althusser (1971) argues that the state is composed of two apparatuses: repressive state apparatuses and ideological state apparatuses. Their aim is to keep the bourgeoisie in power and the proletariat subordinate. Repressive state apparatuses, including the police and military, maintain capitalist power through force or by threatening to use force, while ideological state apparatuses, for example religion, the media, and the education system, do so by controlling people's beliefs and values. Althusser argues that education has two functions; reproduce and legitimize class inequality, as mentioned in point A. Education reproduces class inequality by failing each generation of the working class, and legitimizes class inequality by persuading the working class to believe that inequality is inevitable and that it always inferior to the working class capitalists. Other Marxists, Bowles and Gintis, believe that the role of education is to produce an obedient workforce that will accept low wages from the bourgeoisie. From their studies they conclude that submissive and obedient personality traits such as punctuality are rewarded at school. This means that the school produces workers who will take orders from the ruling class. Bowles and Gintis also argue that school is very similar to the workplace, in that they are both hierarchies with principals or bosses at the top giving orders, and students or workers at the bottom who must obey them. They call it the “correspondence principle,” which operates through a hidden agenda. This hidden curriculum, mentioned in point A, indirectly teaches students lessons, such as punctuality, good manners, and meeting deadlines. This prepares working class students for future work and maintains the class divide. However, some sociologists criticize Bowles and Gintis's view that indoctrination in schools always works, as some students rebel and resist capitalists' attempts to teach them the hidden curriculum. Bowles and Gintis also argue that the education system legitimizes class inequality through the “myth of meritocracy.” A meritocracy means that everyone has equal opportunities and rewards are awarded based on ability and effort. Bowles and Gintis believe this is a myth, unlike functionalists, since most of the time rewards are assigned based on their parents' occupations. and class background, not their abilities. Because the bourgeoisie makes people believe that education is a meritocracy, it seems that people from the upper classes get opportunities and privileges equally. Another Marxist, Willis (1977), studied a group of 12 working-class boys and discovered that, contrary to what Bowles and.