93-501: George Mainwaring may refer to: Captain Mainwaring , fictional character in the television sitcom Dad's Army Sir George Mainwaring (MP, died 1628) (before 1551–1628), English politician George Mainwaring (MP, died 1695) (c. 1642–1695), English politician George Boulton Mainwaring (c. 1773–?), British member of parliament for Middlesex [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
186-447: A draper 's shop. On occasion Mainwaring has even described some of Wilson's ideas as " Bolshie " when he says something along the lines of "Let's have none of your Bolshie ideas here!". Despite their various issues with each other, Mainwaring and Wilson do have moments during the series where they reach a sort of understanding, if not actual friendship. In the episode " Boots, Boots, Boots ", Mainwaring tells Wilson that he considers him
279-542: A snob . Being educated at the local Grammar School – as a scholarship student – he considers himself middle class and looks down on anyone he considers beneath him, which may be because he struggled to rise above his working class background. He claims to be the son of a successful tailor in Eastbourne , but Lance Corporal Jones reveals that Mainwaring's father was actually a poor draper who sold badly-made workmen's trousers and Barry Mainwaring confirms this. "If I had
372-702: A "pariah group". For Bourdieu , the place in the social strata for any person is vaguer than the equivalent in Weberian sociology. Bourdieu introduced an array of concepts of what he refers to as types of capital. These types were economic capital, in the form assets convertible to money and secured as private property . This type of capital is separated from the other types of culturally constituted types of capital, which Bourdieu introduces, which are: personal cultural capital (formal education, knowledge); objective cultural capital (books, art); and institutionalized cultural capital (honours and titles). On 2 April 2013,
465-539: A 2001 Channel 4 poll Captain Mainwaring was ranked 21st on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters . Mainwaring was born in 1885 to Edmund Mainwaring and is a pompous, blustering figure with an overdeveloped sense of his importance, fuelled by his social status in Walmington-on-Sea as the bank manager and his status as captain and commander of the local Home Guard volunteer unit. He became commander of his home guard unit by saying that he had served as
558-534: A Mile , which is set in 1948 (three years after the Second World War ended), it is revealed that Mainwaring spent two years manufacturing cuckoo clocks in Switzerland . However, the first episode of Dad's Army shines light on Mainwaring's future: briefly set in the present day 1968, it features Mainwaring as guest of honour at the launch of Walmington's " I'm Backing Britain " campaign, where he
651-443: A bath and looters will be shot. He changes position when this power is taken from him by an official from GHQ, describing such an act and the imposition of martial law as "monstrous". Mainwaring often claims to know something, only to be proven wrong almost immediately. The men under him, however, are mostly devoted to him. At heart, he is a kind-hearted man with a deep-rooted sense of duty. Mainwaring has nearly had two affairs. One
744-621: A captain in the last British conflict, despite serving "somewhere in the Orkneys " during the Great War and only being deployed to France in 1919, the year after the armistice was signed. He was later officially designated as the captain by the GHQ, in the episode " Room at the Bottom ", after his brief reduction in rank. Despite his claim to be the son of a master tailor, it is revealed that his father
837-551: A captain while Arthur Lowe was a Sergeant Major. Lowe tried to enlist in the Merchant Navy prior to the Second World War but was also rejected with poor eyesight). Despite his shortcomings as a leader, Mainwaring considers himself an excellent military tactician. His height and background are frequently mocked as indicating a Napoleon Complex and his nemesis, ARP Warden Hodges , often refers to him as "Napoleon". In one episode, " A Soldier's Farewell ", Mainwaring dreams he
930-488: A friend and that he actually admires how Wilson handles the men "quietly and subtly". In the episode " Something Nasty in the Vault ", Mainwaring and Wilson bond during their time trapped in the bank's vault while holding an unexploded and potentially unstable German bomb that was dropped during an air raid, with Mainwaring even going so far as to scratch Wilson's nose for him when it began to itch and Wilson could not reach it. At
1023-415: A greater proportion of people who suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression symptoms. A series of scientific studies have demonstrated this relationship. Statistics support this assertion and results are found in life expectancy and overall health; for example, in the case of high differences in life expectancy between two Stockholm suburbs. The differences between life expectancy of
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#17327835692351116-689: A head when in " The Honourable Man " Wilson inherits a courtesy title and becomes The Honourable Arthur Wilson. Whilst Wilson resented this, Mainwaring became infuriated and did everything in his power to demonstrate that he outranks Wilson, even going to the lengths of telling Wilson when he was allowed to smoke. While believing Wilson to be involved in some kind of orchestrated social conspiracy against him, it transpires that Mainwaring's inverted snobbery goes as far as doing all he can to hold Wilson back from promotion by writing negative reports on him to Head Office – as discovered in " A. Wilson (Manager) ". He often rants about how society will be different "after
1209-475: A large influence over political ideals of the French Revolution because of his views of inequality and classes. Rousseau saw humans as "naturally pure and good," meaning that humans from birth were seen as innocent and any evilness was learned. He believed that social problems arise through the development of society and suppress the innate pureness of humankind. He also believed that private property
1302-459: A mere "tinpot branch" and his career is at a seemingly permanent standstill, as revealed in " A. Wilson (Manager)? ": whenever he applies for promotions he is always turned down due to his unimpressive background. Mainwaring's pomposity and snobbery work against him, as he is frequently dependent on those in the Home Guard that he considers beneath him, such as Sergeant Wilson, his chief clerk at
1395-522: A new class of petty bourgeois has been formed". "An industrial army of workmen, under the command of a capitalist, requires, like a real army, officers (managers) and sergeants (foremen, over-lookers) who, while the work is being done, command in the name of the capitalist". Marx makes the argument that, as the bourgeoisie reach a point of wealth accumulation, they hold enough power as the dominant class to shape political institutions and society according to their own interests. Marx then goes on to claim that
1488-428: A pet cat called Empress. In " The King was in his Counting House ", it is mentioned that Captain Mainwaring and his wife have three goldfish. In " The Royal Train ", Mainwaring reveals his desire to drive a train ever since he was a child, and that wish comes true. Mainwaring has several redeeming qualities, including a deep concern for the welfare of the men under his command. His bravery and courage cannot be denied: he
1581-650: A positive attribute (Mainwaring went to Eastbourne Grammar School and Wilson went to Meadow Bridge public school). Mainwaring is an inverted snob who believes that it is the class system that prevents his promotion to the higher echelons of the bank. By contrast, Wilson seems to have no social ambitions at all, is down to earth and easy going and seems amused by Mainwaring's hostility. Ironically, when Mainwaring tries to ingratiate himself with local potentates and dignitaries, they often turn out to be far more interested in talking to Wilson – much to Mainwaring's chagrin. This feeds Mainwaring's sense of social inferiority. This comes to
1674-472: A rolling pin. Dad's Army ends with the Second World War still in progress. Mainwaring gives Mrs Fox away when she marries Corporal Jones because her own father is dead. As shown at the start of the first episode, set in 1968, Mainwaring, who was born in 1885, would have been 82 years old then, and 60 at the end of the Second World War. In a radio sequel to Dad's Army , It Sticks Out Half
1767-512: A sense of comradeship and purpose lacking in other parts of his life, such as his career and marriage. On one occasion when his men spurned a parade to play darts against the ARP he expressed bewilderment, saying coming to the platoon is "the highlight of my day". It is frequently implied that he is trapped in a loveless and unhappy marriage to Elizabeth , his unseen wife, who is domineering, neurotic and withholding of affection. For example, in " If
1860-472: A simple hierarchy of working class , middle class and upper class . Within academia, two broad schools of definitions emerge: those aligned with 20th-century sociological stratum models of class society and those aligned with the 19th-century historical materialist economic models of the Marxists and anarchists . Another distinction can be drawn between analytical concepts of social class, such as
1953-510: A time-traveller from the 1990s – goes into a bank in 1941 and meets a bank manager named Mainwaring and his chief clerk named Wilson, both of whom are in the Home Guard. When he hears the names Mainwaring and Wilson, Gary begins singing the Dad's Army theme song. In June 2010, a statue of Captain Mainwaring by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn was erected in the Norfolk town of Thetford , where most of
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#17327835692352046-400: A title I'd be on the board of directors at the bank!" he shouts at Sergeant Wilson when the latter gains a title in the episode " The Honourable Man ". Despite his arrogance being encouraged by his status as the bank manager (having started as a clerk and working his way up to assistant chief clerk, chief clerk and eventually manager), Mainwaring reveals in the same episode that he considers it
2139-411: A very wealthy and powerful upper class that owns and controls the means of production; a middle class of professional workers, small business owners and low-level managers ; and a lower class, who rely on low-paying jobs for their livelihood and experience poverty . The upper class is the social class composed of those who are rich , well-born, powerful, or a combination of those. They usually wield
2232-518: A wide range of sometimes conflicting meanings, and there is no broad consensus on a definition of class. Some people argue that due to social mobility , class boundaries do not exist. In common parlance, the term social class is usually synonymous with socioeconomic class, defined as "people having the same social, economic, cultural, political or educational status", e.g. the working class , "an emerging professional class" etc. However, academics distinguish social class from socioeconomic status , using
2325-486: Is Napoleon Bonaparte and is thwarted at the Battle of Waterloo by a Duke of Wellington resembling Wilson. His pomposity and conviction of his prowess mean that Mainwaring yearns to be in control of any situation and he behaves in an arrogant manner; for instance in the first episode he organised the Home Guard unit and appointed himself commanding officer despite lack of experience and qualifications (and had to wait until
2418-437: Is Napoleon, he dreams that the bus conductress is Marie Walewska (Napoleon's mistress). In " War Dance ", Mainwaring claims to have been very vexed at Mrs Mainwaring and gave her a "good dressing down" when she burnt some sausage rolls. He turns and it is revealed he has a black eye . Mainwaring claims he did it on the wardrobe door, but it was obviously done in a domestic dispute. Walker later jokes, asking if Mrs Mainwaring has
2511-510: Is a common response when Wilson points out problems. Mainwaring sees all regular British servicemen ("Our Boys") as exceptionally brave and resourceful, while seeing the Germans as inept and cowardly. Mainwaring's character flaws, however, are presented in a comical rather than a spiteful manner and there is often a sympathetic subtext to his own personal neuroses; it is apparent several times that he devotes his energies to his Home Guard unit for
2604-446: Is a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class , middle class , and upper class . Membership of a social class can for example be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, income, and belonging to a particular subculture or social network. Class is a subject of analysis for sociologists , political scientists , anthropologists and social historians . The term has
2697-565: Is a matter of sociological research. Class societies exist all over the globe in both industrialized and developing nations. Class stratification is theorized to come directly from capitalism . In terms of public opinion, nine out of ten people in a Swedish survey considered it correct that they are living in a class society. One may use comparative methods to study class societies, using, for example, comparison of Gini coefficients , de facto educational opportunities, unemployment, and culture. Societies with large class differences have
2790-517: Is an organizing principle society in which ownership of property, means of production , and wealth is the determining factor of the distribution of power, in which those with more property and wealth are stratified higher in the society and those without access to the means of production and without wealth are stratified lower in the society. In a class society, at least implicitly, people are divided into distinct social strata, commonly referred to as social classes or castes . The nature of class society
2883-543: Is briefly decommissioned as he had never actually been made an officer, implying that he was merely overzealous rather than a control freak. He hates conscientious objectors ; he sees them as abnormal as they do not want to fight for their country, as shown when he discovers Private Godfrey was a "conchie". However, when he learns Godfrey served at the Battle of the Somme and risked his own life (and received injuries) crawling into No Man's Land to save several men, earning him
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2976-425: Is difference of opinions among authors. Not a single Egyptian was, in our sense of the word, free. No individual could call in question a hierarchy of authority which culminated in a living god. Although slaves were mostly used as indentured servants, they were able to buy and sell their servitude, work their way to freedom or nobility, and were usually treated by doctors in the workplace. In Ancient Greece when
3069-552: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Captain Mainwaring Captain George Mainwaring ( / ˈ m æ n ər ɪ ŋ / ) is a fictional Home Guard captain, first portrayed by Arthur Lowe in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army . In the 2016 movie he is played by Toby Jones and in the 2019 remake of three missing episodes he
3162-522: Is etymologically derived from the Latin classis , which was used by census takers to categorize citizens by wealth in order to determine military service obligations. In the late 18th century, the term class began to replace classifications such as estates , rank and orders as the primary means of organizing society into hierarchical divisions. This corresponded to a general decrease in significance ascribed to hereditary characteristics and increase in
3255-400: Is in " Mum's Army " with a woman called Fiona Gray who joins the Home Guard when they recruit female soldiers. The pair start meeting in cafes all over the town. Gossip starts about them and Mrs Gray leaves by train. Another is with a bus conductress in "A Soldier's Farewell" whom Mainwaring compliments and defends when she is being flirted at. At the end of the episode, when Mainwaring dreams he
3348-454: Is ongoing, depending on the sociological and anthropolitical perspective. Class societies have not always existed; there have been widely different types of class communities. For example, societies based on age rather than capital. During colonialism , social relations were dismantled by force, which gave rise to societies based on the social categories of waged labor, private property, and capital. Class society or class-based society
3441-539: Is played by Kevin McNally . Mainwaring is the bank manager and Home Guard platoon commander, in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea during the Second World War . He is considered a classic British comic character owing to the continuing currency of Dad's Army via regular repeats and Lowe's portrayal. Many of his quotes, such as, "You stupid boy!", are engrained in British popular culture . In
3534-408: Is probably the main reason for his lack of promotion. Mainwaring is prudish and repressed and can be judgmental about people who do not share his moral outlook. Contrastingly Wilson is portrayed as flirtatious with women and has slightly more bohemian ideas about sexual morality (as he is in a secret relationship with Private Pike's mother). We discover in " When You've Got to Go " that Mrs Mainwaring
3627-503: Is referred to by Wilson as a magistrate , alderman and chairman of the Rotary Clubs for both Walmington and Eastgate. A series of Barclays Bank adverts featured George Mainwaring retiring from his position at the bank, to be succeeded by Pike, to whom Mainwaring nevertheless refers to as "stupid boy". Mainwaring appears in one with his granddaughter on their way to her wedding. At the end of " Absent Friends " Mainwaring had told
3720-482: Is sometimes separated into those who are employed but lacking financial security (the " working poor ") and an underclass —those who are long-term unemployed and/or homeless , especially those receiving welfare from the state . The latter is today considered analogous to the Marxist term " lumpenproletariat ". However, during the time of Marx's writing the lumpenproletariat referred to those in dire poverty; such as
3813-479: Is that the proletariat work but do not own the means of production, and the bourgeoisie , those who invest and live off the surplus generated by the proletariat's operation of the means of production , do not work at all. This contrasts with the view of the sociologist Max Weber , who contrasted class as determined by economic position, with social status ( Stand) which is determined by social prestige rather than simply just relations of production. The term class
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3906-450: Is the condition for the free development of all". This would mark the beginning of a classless society in which human needs rather than profit would be motive for production. In a society with democratic control and production for use , there would be no class, no state and no need for financial and banking institutions and money. These theorists have taken this binary class system and expanded it to include contradictory class locations,
3999-597: Is the main reason for social issues in society because private property creates inequality through the property's value. Even though his theory predicted if there were no private property then there would be wide spread equality, Rousseau accepted that there will always be social inequality because of how society is viewed and run. Later Enlightenment thinkers viewed inequality as valuable and crucial to society's development and prosperity. They also acknowledged that private property will ultimately cause inequality because specific resources that are privately owned can be stored and
4092-433: Is the senior. As a bank manager, he is efficient, if ruthless and stingy; as a military commander he can at first glance be seen as barely competent, such as being confused by the 24-hour clock , and his plans often result in chaos. Mainwaring nonetheless managed to pull a group of local shopkeepers "up by their bootstraps" to become some kind of fighting unit. Mainwaring has no combat experience, which causes tension with
4185-533: Is understood as the aggregated phenomenon to the "interlinked movement", which generates the quasi-objective concept of capital. Subjectively, the members will necessarily have some perception (" class consciousness ") of their similarity and common interest. Class consciousness is not simply an awareness of one's own class interest but is also a set of shared views regarding how society should be organized legally, culturally, socially and politically. These class relations are reproduced through time. In Marxist theory ,
4278-507: Is willing to endanger himself for his country and platoon and to take the risks that he orders his men to undertake. In one episode, " The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage ", the platoon thinks the Germans have invaded and Mainwaring, with his men, fights what they think is the German army but turns out to be other members of the platoon. He also clears bricks from a bombed-out corridor which could have fallen at any moment. Mainwaring insists he work in
4371-628: The Italians , because of their opera and being the enemy; and the Germans , for obvious reasons). Mainwaring often refers to Hitler and the Germans as if he is leading his own personal war, insisting that "In fact I do wish he'd have a go – I'm spoiling for a fight" in " Asleep in the Deep ", regarding his desire in an air raid to get out of a bunker and face the attacking Germans (who are in planes and beyond his reach). Mainwaring's position as captain of
4464-509: The Military Medal , he changes his opinion of Godfrey. Mainwaring says he cannot understand why Godfrey does not wear the medal. Mainwaring is also capable of acting decisively and independently, although not always with the best of results. In " A Man of Action ", Walmington is cut off when a bomb damages the railway and waterworks. Mainwaring imposes martial law and takes power from the mayor. Under his law people need permits to take
4557-479: The class structure of the capitalist mode of production is characterized by the conflict between two main classes: the bourgeoisie , the capitalists who own the means of production and the much larger proletariat (or "working class") who must sell their own labour power ( wage labour ). This is the fundamental economic structure of work and property, a state of inequality that is normalized and reproduced through cultural ideology . For Marxists, every person in
4650-612: The poverty line . Examples of these types of jobs are factory workers, salesperson, teacher, cooks and nurses. There is a new trend by some scholars which assumes that the size of the middle class in every society is the same. For example, in paradox of interest theory, middle class are those who are in 6th–9th decile groups which hold nearly 12% of the whole society's wealth. Lower class (occasionally described as working class) are those employed in low-paying wage jobs with very little economic security. The term "lower class" also refers to persons with low income. The working class
4743-580: The Cap Fits... " Mainwaring reveals he learned to play the bagpipes on his honeymoon in Scotland because "there was nothing else to do". Mainwaring lives with his wife at 23 Lime Crescent, Walmington-on-Sea. In the episode, " My Brother and I ", Mainwaring admits to Wilson that he had a lonely childhood and was devoted to his schoolwork, whereas his brother, Barry, always had friends. It is revealed in " Absent Friends " that Captain Mainwaring and his wife have
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#17327835692354836-414: The Home Guard is a great source of pride and he dislikes being reminded that he is merely a volunteer, part-time soldier. In particular, in the episode " My British Buddy " he is chagrined when Wilson tells an American colonel that the Home Guard are not real soldiers. Mainwaring's patriotism and eagerness to see combat tend to make him overconfident, and "I don't want to hear any of that sort of talk, Wilson"
4929-484: The Marxist and Weberian traditions, as well as the more empirical traditions such as socioeconomic status approach, which notes the correlation of income, education and wealth with social outcomes without necessarily implying a particular theory of social structure. "[Classes are] large groups of people differing from each other by the place they occupy in a historically determined system of social production, by their relation (in most cases fixed and formulated in law) to
5022-496: The TV series Dad's Army was filmed. The statue shows Captain Mainwaring sitting upright on a simple bench in Home Guard uniform, with his swagger stick across his knees. The statue is mounted at the end of a winding brick pathway with a Union Flag patterned arrowhead to reflect the opening credits of the TV series and the sculpture has been designed so that one can sit next to Captain Mainwaring and have one's photo taken. In 1995,
5115-429: The aristocracy and royalty, with wealth playing a less important role in class status. Many aristocratic peerages or titles have seats attached to them, with the holder of the title (e.g. Earl of Bristol) and his family being the custodians of the house, but not the owners. Many of these require high expenditures, so wealth is typically needed. Many aristocratic peerages and their homes are parts of estates, owned and run by
5208-411: The bank with whom he shares an antagonistic friendship, and Private Walker , a black marketeer who interrupts Mainwaring's lectures with a quip or a sly revelation that Mainwaring is benefiting from underhand deals. Mainwaring is particularly jealous of Wilson, who is more relaxed and charming and possesses combat experience that Mainwaring does not, and takes every opportunity to remind his sergeant who
5301-416: The bottom. However, the class was not rigid; a man of humble origins could ascend to a high post. The ancient Egyptians viewed men and women, including people from all social classes, as essentially equal under the law, and even the lowliest peasant was entitled to petition the vizier and his court for redress. Farmers made up the bulk of the population, but agricultural produce was owned directly by
5394-477: The clan system was declining. The classes replaced the clan society when it became too small to sustain the needs of increasing population. The division of labor is also essential for the growth of classes. Historically, social class and behavior were laid down in law. For example, permitted mode of dress in some times and places was strictly regulated, with sumptuous dressing only for the high ranks of society and aristocracy , whereas sumptuary laws stipulated
5487-598: The classes through the assets that they have such as property and expertise. Weber derived many of his key concepts on social stratification by examining the social structure of many countries. He noted that contrary to Marx's theories, stratification was based on more than simply ownership of capital . Weber pointed out that some members of the aristocracy lack economic wealth yet might nevertheless have political power. Likewise in Europe, many wealthy Jewish families lacked prestige and honor because they were considered members of
5580-489: The dress and jewelry appropriate for a person's social rank and station . In Europe, these laws became increasingly commonplace during the Middle Ages. However, these laws were prone to change due to societal changes, and in many cases, these distinctions may either almost disappear, such as the distinction between a patrician and a plebeian being almost erased during the late Roman Republic . Jean-Jacques Rousseau had
5673-437: The end of the episode " War Dance ", a drunken Mainwaring bonds again with Wilson, as they both have been kicked out of their homes by their respective partners that evening and are forced to sleep in Mainwaring's Home Guard office at the church. The British sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart paid tribute to Dad's Army in episode one of its second series in 1995, "Don't Get Around Much Any More". Here, lead character Gary Sparrow –
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#17327835692355766-571: The episode " Room at the Bottom " before he received his commission). Mainwaring's patriotism can lead to xenophobia (he is not keen on the French , because they are "emotional" and "smell of garlic"; the Russians , because of their former alliance with Germany and their communism ; the Americans , because of their late entry into the war and the fact that many of them have German names ;
5859-472: The fictional role of Captain Mainwaring and his actor Arthur Lowe are portrayed by comedian John Sessions . Harry Enfield portrayed Captain Mainwaring in the 2022 special The Love Box in Your Living Room . In the children's television series Fireman Sam the character of Station Officer Steele was inspired by Captain Mainwaring. Social class A social class or social stratum
5952-451: The former to refer to one's relatively stable cultural background and the latter to refer to one's current social and economic situation which is consequently more changeable over time. The precise measurements of what determines social class in society have varied over time. Karl Marx defined class by one's relationship to the means of production (their relations of production ). His understanding of classes in modern capitalist society
6045-475: The goods or services in society. In the Marxist view of capitalism , this is a conflict between capitalists ( bourgeoisie ) and wage-workers (the proletariat). For Marxists, class antagonism is rooted in the situation that control over social production necessarily entails control over the class which produces goods—in capitalism this is the exploitation of workers by the bourgeoisie. Furthermore, "in countries where modern civilisation has become fully developed,
6138-481: The greatest political power. In some countries, wealth alone is sufficient to allow entry into the upper class. In others, only people who are born or marry into certain aristocratic bloodlines are considered members of the upper class and those who gain great wealth through commercial activity are looked down upon by the aristocracy as nouveau riche . In the United Kingdom, for example, the upper classes are
6231-411: The group of white, middle-aged Americans between the ages of 45 and 54 and its relation to class. There has been a growing number of suicides and deaths by substance abuse in this particular group of middle-class Americans . This group also has been recorded to have an increase in reports of chronic pain and poor general health. Deaton and Case came to the conclusion from these observations that because of
6324-419: The homeless. Members of the working class are sometimes called blue-collar workers . A person's socioeconomic class has wide-ranging effects. It can determine the schools they are able to attend, their health, the jobs open to them, when they exit the labour market, whom they may marry and their treatment by police and the courts. Angus Deaton and Anne Case have analyzed the mortality rates related to
6417-605: The idea that a person can be employed in many different class locations that fall between the two classes of proletariat and bourgeoisie. Erik Olin Wright stated that class definitions are more diverse and elaborate through identifying with multiple classes, having familial ties with people in different a class, or having a temporary leadership role. Max Weber formulated a three-component theory of stratification that saw social class as emerging from an interplay between "class", "status" and "power". Weber believed that class position
6510-497: The lower classes systematically receive lower-quality education and care. There are more explicit effects where those within the higher class actively demonize parts of the lower-class population. Definitions of social classes reflect a number of sociological perspectives , informed by anthropology , economics , psychology and sociology . The major perspectives historically have been Marxism and structural functionalism . The common stratum model of class divides society into
6603-485: The means of production, by their role in the social organization of labor, and, consequently, by the dimensions of the share of social wealth of which they dispose and the mode of acquiring it." — Vladimir Lenin , A Great Beginning in June 1919 For Marx, class is a combination of objective and subjective factors. Objectively, a class shares a common relationship to the means of production . The class society itself
6696-437: The most dangerous position even though in drawing lots he had picked the safest (" Asleep in the Deep "). He also places the safety of his country above his own interests. In " Command Decision ", Mainwaring is prepared to relinquish control so that the platoon could gain rifles, arguing that the defence of the country is more important than his ego. In addition he is prepared to "march in the ranks as Private Mainwaring" when he
6789-429: The non-elite class, owing to their large numbers, have the power to overthrow the elite and create an equal society. In The Communist Manifesto , Marx himself argued that it was the goal of the proletariat itself to displace the capitalist system with socialism , changing the social relationships underpinning the class system and then developing into a future communist society in which: "the free development of each
6882-696: The other members of the Home Guard, particularly Wilson, who was a decorated captain in the Royal Artillery ( Mons , Gallipoli , and Passchendaele ) during the First World War. Mainwaring did, however, serve in the Army of Occupation in France, "during the whole of 1919 – somebody had to clear up the mess." He volunteered to enlist in 1914 but was rejected with poor eyesight (During the Second World War, John Le Mesurier , who played Wilson, had been
6975-476: The owners profit off of the deficit of the resource. This can create competition between the classes that was seen as necessary by these thinkers. This also creates stratification between the classes keeping a distinct difference between lower, poorer classes and the higher, wealthier classes. India ( ↑ ), Nepal, North Korea ( ↑ ), Sri Lanka ( ↑ ) and some Indigenous peoples maintain social classes today. In class societies, class conflict has tended to recur or
7068-450: The platoon that his marriage has been childless. Mainwaring's class pretensions stand in contrast to his Sergeant, who is genuinely upper middle class. Mainwaring is often bitter about Wilson's wealthy upbringing; being raised by a nanny, a father who held a career in " the City ", and having attended public school , believing it made him "wet", while his own grammar school background is
7161-427: The poor and less-well-educated inhabitants who live in proximity to the station Vårby gård , and the highly educated and more affluent inhabitants living near Danderyd differ by 18 years. Similar data about New York is also available for life expectancy, average income per capita, income distribution, median income mobility for people who grew up poor, share with a bachelor's degree or higher. In class societies,
7254-471: The process of production has separate social relationships and issues. Along with this, every person is placed into different groups that have similar interests and values that can differ drastically from group to group. Class is special in that does not relate to specifically to a singular person, but to a specific role. Marxists explain the history of "civilized" societies in terms of a war of classes between those who control production and those who produce
7347-595: The results of a survey conducted by BBC Lab UK developed in collaboration with academic experts and slated to be published in the journal Sociology were published online. The results released were based on a survey of 160,000 residents of the United Kingdom most of whom lived in England and described themselves as " white ". Class was defined and measured according to the amount and kind of economic, cultural and social resources reported. Economic capital
7440-411: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Mainwaring&oldid=1165519105 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
7533-429: The series 2 episode of Goodnight Sweetheart entitled Don't Get Around Much Anymore had a meta reference to the character, whereby the series protagonist, Gary Sparrow, travels back in time to visit a wartime bank and finds that its manager is in fact the "real" Mr Mainwaring (portrayed by Alec Linstead) who, accompanied by his chief clerk Mr Wilson, serves in the Home Guard. In the 2015 Docudrama We're Doomed! ,
7626-449: The significance of wealth and income as indicators of position in the social hierarchy . The existence of social classes is considered normal in many societies, both historic and modern, to varying degrees. The existence of a class system dates back to times of Ancient Egypt , where the position of elite was also characterized by literacy. The wealthier people were at the top in the social order and common people and slaves being at
7719-404: The state, temple, or noble family that owned the land. Farmers were also subject to a labor tax and were required to work on irrigation or construction projects in a corvée system. Artists and craftsmen were of higher status than farmers, but they were also under state control, working in the shops attached to the temples and paid directly from the state treasury. Scribes and officials formed
7812-447: The struggle between new money and old money . The upper class is generally contained within the richest one or two percent of the population. Members of the upper class are often born into it and are distinguished by immense wealth which is passed from generation to generation in the form of estates. Based on some new social and political theories upper class consists of the most wealthy decile group in society which holds nearly 87% of
7905-502: The tendency toward an enlarged middle class in modern Western societies, particularly in relation to the necessity of an educated work force in technological economies. Perspectives concerning globalization and neocolonialism , such as dependency theory , suggest this is due to the shift of low-level labour to developing nations and the Third World . Middle class is the group of people with jobs that pay significantly more than
7998-561: The title holder with moneys generated by the land, rents or other sources of wealth. However, in the United States where there is no aristocracy or royalty, the upper class status exclusive of Americans of ancestral wealth or patricians of European ancestry is referred to in the media as the extremely wealthy, the so-called "super-rich", though there is some tendency even in the United States for those with old family wealth to look down on those who have accrued their money through business,
8091-418: The upper class in ancient Egypt, known as the "white kilt class" in reference to the bleached linen garments that served as a mark of their rank. The upper class prominently displayed their social status in art and literature. Below the nobility were the priests, physicians, and engineers with specialized training in their field. It is unclear whether slavery as understood today existed in ancient Egypt ; there
8184-446: The war", and is often disdainful of the upper classes and their pretensions. In " Wake Up Walmington ", Mainwaring raves about how after the war, the country "will be run by professionals", by people who have worked like him, but does not approve of Hodges being Chief ARP Warden because he is a greengrocer. Mainwaring is generally ill at ease in social situations that require him to communicate with people on an equal social level and this
8277-542: The whole society's wealth. See also: Middle-class squeeze The middle class is the most contested of the three categories, the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the lower and upper classes. One example of the contest of this term is that in the United States "middle class" is applied very broadly and includes people who would elsewhere be considered working class . Middle-class workers are sometimes called " white-collar workers ". Theorists such as Ralf Dahrendorf have noted
8370-401: Was a poor draper and a heavy drinker, as is his profligate brother, Barry, who is a travelling salesman specialising in novelty toys. He has many redeeming qualities: he is essentially brave, loyal and industrious, generally kind-hearted beneath the bluster, and unfailingly patriotic. Mainwaring believes in following rules and orders, sometimes to a ludicrous degree, and is class -conscious and
8463-444: Was defined as income and assets ; cultural capital as amount and type of cultural interests and activities; and social capital as the quantity and social status of their friends , family and personal and business contacts. This theoretical framework was developed by Pierre Bourdieu who first published his theory of social distinction in 1979. Today, concepts of social class often assume three general economic categories:
8556-410: Was determined by a person's relationship to the means of production, while status or "Stand" emerged from estimations of honor or prestige. Weber views class as a group of people who have common goals and opportunities that are available to them. This means that what separates each class from each other is their value in the marketplace through their own goods and services. This creates a divide between
8649-404: Was the daughter of the (fictional) suffragan Bishop of Clegthorpe and her parents look down on Captain Mainwaring for "marrying beneath her"; which may go some way to explaining Mainwaring's extreme class consciousness and slight prudery. Mainwaring talks up his own social background by claiming that his father was a "master tailor" but in " My Brother and I " his brother reveals that he merely owned
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