Sociology was born out of humans' desire to understand our behavior. However, over the years, the way humans behave and believe has been passed down from generation to generation; and this was mainly explained in religious terms. The origins of sociology can be traced to social movements of the late 18th century, such as the French Revolution of 1789 and the industrial revolution that followed in Europe. (Giddens, 1997)The German thinker Karl Marx (1818-1883) wanted to understand and explain the changes that occurred in society at the time of the industrial revolution in Europe. (ibid.) In 1843, Marx met Engels in Paris. This marked the beginning of a lifetime of friendship and professional collaboration. In 1848, Marx and Engels published “The Communist Manifesto”. The Manifesto described the struggles between the classes. From then on, it became clear that Marx was not an economist. His theories combine economics, history, sociology and politics. Marx moved to London in 1849 where he spent the rest of his life. A social class can be defined as a large group of people sharing similar economic resources. (Giddens, 1997) The communist Marx identifies two social classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. “Marx argued that history was a series of class struggles between the owners of capital (the capitalists) and the workers (the proletariat). » (econlib.org, 2013). Marx states that the bourgeoisie cannot exist without the proletariat and vice versa. In The Manifesto, Marx and Engels describe the evolution of the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie “was born from the ruins of feudal society” (Marx and Engels, 1848). The bourgeoisie or capitalists are those who often purchase and exploit labor power in order to maximize their surplus value. The b...... middle of paper ......Capital centralization refers to organizations that hold enough capital to produce on a large scale. Large-scale production offers a distinct advantage over smaller organizations. Small providers therefore end up going out of business or being absorbed by larger organizations. Limited availability of suppliers has created a monopolistic market. The biggest disadvantage of a monopolistic market is pricing. (Begg, 2006) An example of centralization would be the big six UK energy companies. Unlike the majority of European Union countries, British energy companies are privately owned. (James et al, 2013). Companies are free to charge as much as they want. The already high prices increased by another 8.6% in October this year. The companies' excuse is that the government could intervene through legislation; making it difficult for them to raise prices. (ibid..)