bourgeoisie

(noun)

In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie (Fr.: [buʁ.ʒwa'zi] | Eng.: /bʊrʒwɑziː/) and the adjective bourgeois are terms that describe a historical range of socio-economic classes. Since the late 18th century in the Western world, the bourgeoisie describes a social class that is characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture. In contemporary academic theories, the term bourgeoisie usually refers to the ruling class in capitalist societies. In Marxist theory, the abiding characteristics of this class are their ownership of the means of production.

Related Terms

  • proletariat
  • Command Economy

Examples of bourgeoisie in the following topics:

  • The Communist Economic System

    • Marx abhorred capitalism because the proletariat was exploited and unfairly represented in politics, and because capitalism allows the bourgeoisie to control a disproportionate amount of power.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.