Proletariat

Definition

The proletariat refers to the class of wage-earners in an industrial society who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to survive. They are the working class, in contrast to the bourgeoisie who own the capital and means of production.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The proletariat is the driving force behind the Marxist vision of a socialist revolution to overthrow the capitalist system.
2. Marx believed the proletariat would inevitably rise up against the bourgeoisie due to the inherent exploitation and alienation of workers under capitalism.
3. The growth of industrialism and the expansion of the urban working class were key factors that gave rise to the power of the proletariat in the 19th century.
4. Proletarian internationalism refers to the idea that the proletariat across national boundaries share common interests and should unite in their struggle against the capitalist class.
5. The concept of the proletariat is central to understanding Marxist analysis of social and economic structures in industrialized societies.

Review Questions

• Explain the role of the proletariat in Marxist theory and its relationship to the bourgeoisie.
  • In Marxist theory, the proletariat is the class of wage-earning workers who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to the bourgeoisie, the class that owns the capital and means of production. Marx believed the proletariat would inevitably rise up against the bourgeoisie and overthrow the capitalist system due to the inherent exploitation and alienation of workers. The proletariat is seen as the driving force behind the Marxist vision of a socialist revolution that would establish a classless society.
• Describe how the growth of industrialism contributed to the power of the proletariat.
  • The expansion of industrialism in the 19th century led to the rapid growth of the urban working class, or proletariat. As more people were employed in factories and industrial production, the size and collective power of the proletariat increased. This gave rise to the concept of proletarian internationalism, the idea that workers across national boundaries shared common interests and should unite in their struggle against the capitalist class. The increasing prominence of the proletariat was a key factor that enabled Marxist ideas to gain traction and influence social and political movements of the time.
• Analyze the relationship between the concept of the proletariat and the development of postmodernity.
  • The concept of the proletariat is closely tied to the industrial era and Marxist analysis of capitalist societies. As societies have transitioned into the postmodern era, characterized by a shift away from industrial production towards a more service-based, information-driven economy, the traditional notion of the proletariat has evolved. The fragmentation of the working class, the rise of the middle class, and the increasing diversity of employment have challenged the Marxist view of a unified proletariat as the driving force for revolutionary change. This has led to a reexamination of class dynamics and the role of the proletariat in postmodern social and economic structures.

Related terms

Bourgeoisie: The social class that owns the means of production and capital in a capitalist society, as opposed to the working class or proletariat.

Marxism: A political and economic theory developed by Karl Marx that analyzes the capitalist system and envisions a socialist revolution led by the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie.

Class Consciousness: The awareness among the proletariat of their shared interests and collective power as a social class, which is seen as a prerequisite for revolutionary action in Marxist theory.