The essays by Gerhard Brandt included in this volume reflect the discussion of the 1970s and 1980s regarding a reorientation of social theory, which is committed to materialistic traditions of thought. The essays are thematically centered on the further development of Critical Theory, industrial sociology, and labor research; they share the motivation to advance the theoretically guided and empirically oriented analysis of capitalist societies and their dynamics of development. The central question is the influence of the economy on the process of socialization, particularly on the development of rationalization and human labor.