proletariat
proh-luh-TAIR-ee-ut
/ˌproʊ.ləˈtɛr.i.ət/
Workers or working-class people, regarded collectively, especially in Marxist theory.
Refers specifically to those who do not own capital and must sell their labor power to survive.
The story behind the word. Direct from Latin proletarius, denoting a citizen of the lowest class in ancient Rome whose sole contribution to the state was producing offspring (proles). Political economists revived it in the 1800s to denote propertyless workers.
Word relationships
- working class: Working class is a general modern term, while proletariat carries strong sociological and Marxist connotations.
- bourgeoisie: The bourgeoisie owns the means of production, whereas the proletariat owns only its labor.
Commonly confused with
- peasantry: Peasantry refers to rural agricultural laborers, while proletariat usually denotes urban industrial workers.
Word family
- proletarian (adjective): Relating to the working class.
Collocations
- urban proletariat
- dictatorship of the proletariat
- industrial proletariat
Example sentences
- "Karl Marx argued that the proletariat would eventually unite to challenge the ownership class." Political Theory
- "The rapid growth of factory jobs created a distinct industrial proletariat in nineteenth-century cities." Historical Analysis
Memory hook
PROLE-tariat produce PROLES (offspring) and work long hours because they possess no capital. The labor force with no property.
When not to use
Avoid using for self-employed small business owners or modern corporate executives.
Fun facts
- In ancient Rome, a proletarius was exempt from taxes because he had no property to tax.
Related words
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