Proletariat

The proletariat (from Latin proles, offspring) is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is called a proletarian. Originally it was identified as those people who had no other wealth than their sons; the term was initially used in a derogatory sense, until Karl Marx used it as a positive term to identify what he termed the working class.

The Proletariat in Marxist theory

In the Marxist theory, the proletariat is that class of society which does not have ownership of the means of production. Therefore, the only source of income for proletarians is wage labor. Proletarians are wage-workers, while some refer to those who receive salaries as the salariat. For Marx, however, wage labor may involve getting a salary rather than a wage per se.

Related Topics:
Marxist - Means of production - Wage - Labor - Salary

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Marxism sees the proletariat and bourgeoisie (owner class) as occupying conflicting positions, since (for example) factory workers automatically wish wages to be as high as possible, while owners wish for wages (costs) to be as low as possible. Historically, such hostility has been the most pronounced in the lesser-developed world, particularly in countries where a small number of individuals control the majority of the wealth (see oligarchy).

Related Topics:
Bourgeoisie - Oligarchy

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In Marxist theory, the proletariat may also include (1) some elements of the petty bourgeoisie, if they rely primarily but not exclusively on self-employment at an income no different from an ordinary wage or below it, and (2) the lumpenproletariat, who are not in legal employment. Intermediate positions are possible, where some wage-labor for an employer combines with self-employment. Socialist political parties have often struggled over the question of whether they should seek to organize and represent the entire proletariat, or just the wage-earning working class.

Related Topics:
Petty bourgeoisie - Lumpenproletariat - Socialist

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According to Marxism, capitalism is a system based on the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie (the "capitalists", those who own and control the means of production). This exploitation takes place as follows: the workers, who own no means of production of their own, must seek employment in order to make a living. They get hired by a capitalist and work for him, producing some sort of goods or services. These goods or services then become the property of the capitalist, who sells them and gets a certain amount of money in exchange. Part of this money is used to pay workers' wages, another part is used to pay production costs, and a third part is kept by the capitalist in the form of profit (or surplus value). Thus the capitalist can earn money (profit) from the work of his employees without actually doing any work, or in excess of his own work. Marxists argue that new wealth is created through work; therefore, if someone gains wealth that he did not work for, then someone else works and does not receive the full wealth created by his work. In other words, that "someone else" is exploited. Thus, Marxists argue that capitalists make a profit by exploiting workers.

Related Topics:
Capitalism - Exploitation - Bourgeoisie - Surplus value

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