What is the Difference Between Bourgeoisie and Proletariat?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The terms bourgeoisie and proletariat were originally defined by Karl Marx in his political and economic theories. The main differences between the two are as follows:
- Bourgeoisie: This group refers to the upper middle class or the capitalist class. They are the people who control the means of production in a capitalist society and make their living through property or ownership of the means of production. Examples of bourgeoisie include factory owners, CEOs of companies, and investors who take most of the profits of any business and pay their workers in wages.
- Proletariat: This group refers to the working class that does not own the means of production and is dependent on manual, daily, or casual labor for a living. Proletariats sell their labor for minimum wages and often get exploited by the bourgeoisie. According to Marx, the proletariat should rise up and take control of the means of production.
In summary, the bourgeoisie consists of individuals who own the means of production and exploit the working class for profit, while the proletariat consists of individuals who must sell their labor to survive and are often exploited by the bourgeoisie.
Comparative Table: Bourgeoisie vs Proletariat
The bourgeoisie and proletariat are two classes defined in Karl Marx's theory of capitalism. Here is a table outlining the differences between them:
Bourgeoisie | Proletariat |
---|---|
Control the means of production | Retain no ownership of the means of production |
Own the factors of production | Own only their labor-power, which they sell to survive |
Business owners, CEOs, investors | Continuously dependent on wages |
Profit from businesses and investments | Minimum amount of money necessary for survival |
In a capitalist society, the bourgeoisie are the people who control the means of production, while the proletariat are the members of the working class. The bourgeoisie own the factors of production and make profits from businesses and investments. On the other hand, the proletariat only own their labor-power, which they sell to survive. They receive wages, which are the minimum amount of money necessary for survival.
The relationship between these two classes is one of exploitation. The bourgeoisie extracts surplus value from the proletariat's labor, which is the difference between the value that the laborers produce and the wages that they are paid. This exploitation is the fundamental dividing line between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
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