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proletariat

Definition

The proletariat is the social class comprising individuals who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to survive. They are typically employed by the bourgeoisie, who own the production means, leading to an inherent class conflict.

Analogy

Imagine a large ship where the owner controls the direction and profits from the journey, while the crew (proletariat) does all the hard work to keep it moving but doesn't share in the control or profits in the same way. The dynamic on this ship illustrates how the proletariat works for wages under conditions set by those who own the means of production.

Related terms

Bourgeoisie: The social class that owns the means of production in a capitalist society and employs members of the proletariat.

Class Conflict: A struggle between different classes within society, emerging from opposing interests and conditions, especially between the bourgeoisie and proletariat.

Means of Production: The facilities and resources (like factories and machinery) required for producing goods, owned by capitalists (bourgeoisie) in a capitalist system