The first four essays of this compilation ground contemporary sociological studies in the works of Karl Marx and Max Weber, two theorists who defined the development of class stratification as a consequence of capitalist systems. Kimberley Cox provides a broad overview of Marx’s writing, highlighting his notion of class conflict as an historical phenomenon and his belief in the possibility of revolutionary social change. The next two essays by Matt Donnelly and Jennifer Christian review the theories of Weber, who followed Marx by interpreting the formation of class strata and divisions in society. In Christian’s essay, she notes the significance of “social closure” as a departure from Marxist ideology. The primary purpose for Weber’s separation was for him to be able to analyze social subordination, group inclusion/exclusion, and authority as determinates of social stratification. Geraldine Wagner continues the discussion by creating a synthesis among the works of early theorists and devoting special attention to the theories that extend their works for contemporary analysis.