For freshman - sophomore level courses in Social Problems taught from the conflict perspective. This books major contribution is that it develops the critical power conflict perspective as a necessary first step to making sense of the many crucial problems facing United States society. The book provides a well-organized application of the critical power-conflict perspective to the analysis of the roots of major societal troubles found in the patterns of class, racial, and gender stratification and subordination. This textbook shows just how closely interconnected these problems are to the historically defined patterns of classism, racism, and sexism in United States society.