bourgeoisie
thumb|La sortie du bourgeois, painted by Jean Béraud (1889) The bourgeoisie are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted with the proletariat by their wealth, political power, and education, as well as their access to and control of cultural, social, and financial capital.
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The bourgeoisie are a class of business owners, merchants, and wealthy people who emerged in the Late Middle Ages as a "middle class" between peasants and aristocrats. They matter historically because they accumulated significant wealth, political power, and control over cultural, social, and financial resources, distinguishing them from the working class (proletariat) through their economic and social advantages.
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Article
23 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Origins and rise
- From progress to reaction (Marxist view)
- Denotations
- Marxist theory
- France and Francophone countries
- ''Petite bourgeoisie''
- Nazism
- Fascist Italy
- Bourgeois culture
- Cultural hegemony
- Conspicuous consumption
- Satire and criticism in art
- Theater
- Literature
- Films
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Works cited
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|La sortie du bourgeois, painted by Jean Béraud (1889) The bourgeoisie are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted with the proletariat by their wealth, political power, and education, as well as their access to and control of cultural, social, and financial capital.
The bourgeoisie in its original sense is intimately linked to the political ideology of liberalism and its existence within cities, recognised as such by their urban charters (e.g., municipal charters, town privileges, German town law), so there was no bourgeoisie apart from the citizenry of the cities. Rural peasants came under a different legal system.