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proletariat vs. bourgeoisie
proletariat vs. bourgeoisie: What's the difference?
Proletariat and bourgeoisie are terms that refer to people of a particular socioeconomic class, especially in Marxist theory. The proletariat are people who earn a wage for a living, especially people who are dependent on manual, daily, or casual labor. The bourgeoisie are those who make their living through property or through ownership of the means of production.
[ proh-li-tair-ee-uht ]
noun
- the class of wage earners, especially those who earn their living by manual labor or who are dependent for support on daily or casual employment; the working class.
- (in Marxist theory) the class of workers, especially industrial wage earners, who do not possess capital or property and must sell their labor to survive.
- the lowest or poorest class of people, possessing no property, especially in ancient Rome.
[ boor-zhwah-zee; French boor-zhwa-zee ]
noun
- the bourgeois class.
- (in Marxist theory) the class that, in contrast to the proletariat or wage-earning class, is primarily concerned with property values.