THE PROLETARIAT Meaning and
Definition
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The proletariat refers to the working class or the laborers in a society, often used in Marxist theory and social analysis. This term emerged during the Industrial Revolution, as a result of the increased division of labor and the rise of capitalist production. The proletariat typically includes factory workers, miners, agricultural laborers, and other individuals who rely on their physical labor to earn wages.
According to Marxist theory, the proletariat is seen as the oppressed and exploited class in a capitalist society. They do not possess the means of production, such as factories, land, or raw materials, which are controlled by the bourgeoisie or the capitalist class. As a result, the proletariat must sell their labor power to the bourgeoisie in exchange for wages.
The proletariat is characterized by their lack of control over the conditions of their work, the means of production, and the products they produce. They often face harsh working conditions, low wages, and little job security. Marx believed that the increasing exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie would ultimately lead to class consciousness and class struggle, resulting in a revolution that would overthrow capitalism and establish a socialist or communist society.
In modern usage, the term can also extend to encompass the broader working class, including professionals and service industry employees who may not strictly fit the manual labor description of the traditional proletariat.
Common Misspellings for THE PROLETARIAT
Etymology of THE PROLETARIAT
The term "proletariat" comes from Latin, where it originally referred to the lowest social class in ancient Rome. It is derived from the Latin word "proletarius", which meant "those who produce offspring" or "the lowest class of Roman citizens". In the Roman society, this class consisted of individuals who did not own land and were only deemed valuable due to their reproductive capacity.
The term was later adopted and evolved within Marxist theory to refer to the working class in bourgeois capitalist societies. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels used the term extensively in their writings, particularly in "The Communist Manifesto" and "Das Kapital". In a Marxist context, the proletariat represents the class of workers who own nothing but their labor and are exploited by the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production.
