The Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat

The bourgeoisie are the owners of the means of production—factories, land, businesses—who control resources and wealth. The proletariat are the workers who sell their labor to the bourgeoisie in exchange for wages. According to Marx, this relationship creates economic and social inequality, as the bourgeoisie seek to maximize profits, often at the expense of the proletariat’s working conditions and wages. The dynamic between these classes is central to understanding capitalism’s structure, highlighting conflicts over control, wealth distribution, and workers’ rights.