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bourgeoisie

Translation
bourgeoisie
/boor'zhwah zee"/; Fr. /boohrdd zhwann zee"/, n.
1. the bourgeois class.
2. (in Marxist theory) the class that, in contrast to the proletariat or wage-earning class, is primarily concerned with property values.
[1700-10; < F; see BOURGEOIS1, -Y3]

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In social and political theory, the social order dominated by the property-owning class.

The term arose in medieval France, where it denoted the inhabitant of a walled town. The concept of the bourgeoisie is most closely associated with Karl Marx and those who were influenced by him. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie plays a heroic role in history by revolutionizing industry and modernizing society; however, it also seeks to monopolize the benefits of modernization and exploit the property-less proletariat, thereby creating revolutionary tensions. The end result will be a final revolution in which the property of the bourgeoisie is expropriated and class conflict, exploitation, and the state are abolished. Much employed by 19th-century social reformers, the term had nearly disappeared from the vocabulary of political writers and politicians by the mid 20th century. In popular speech, it connotes philistinism, materialism, and a striving concern for "respectability." See also social class.

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 the social order that is dominated by the so-called middle class. In social and political theory, the notion of the bourgeoisie was largely a construct of Karl Marx (Marx, Karl) (1818–83) and of those who were influenced by him. In popular speech, the term connotes philistinism, materialism, and a striving concern for “respectability,” all of which were famously ridiculed by Molière (1622–73) and criticized by avant-garde playwrights since Henrik Ibsen (Ibsen, Henrik) (1828–1906).

      The term bourgeois arose in medieval France, where it denoted an inhabitant of a walled town. Its overtones became important in the 18th century, when the middle class of professionals, manufacturers, and their literary and political allies began to demand an influence in politics consistent with their economic status. Marx was one of many thinkers who treated the French Revolution as a revolution of the bourgeois.

      In Marxist (Marxism) theory, the bourgeoisie plays a heroic role by revolutionizing industry and modernizing society. However, it also seeks to monopolize the benefits of this modernization by exploiting the propertyless proletariat and thereby creating revolutionary tensions. The end result, according to Marx, will be a final revolution in which the property of the bourgeoisie is expropriated and class conflict, exploitation, and the state are abolished. Even in Marx's lifetime, however, it was clear that the bourgeoisie was neither homogeneous nor particularly inclined to play the role that he had assigned to it. Indeed, in many countries the middle classes could not usefully be described as bourgeois.

      In much of Western discourse, the term bourgeoisie had nearly disappeared from the vocabulary of political writers and politicians by the mid-20th century. Nevertheless, the underlying idea that most political conflict stems from competing economic interests and is therefore broadly concerned with property—an insight first offered by Aristotle (384–322 BC)—continued to be applied.

Alan Ryan
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • bourgeoisie — * * * bourgeoisie [ burʒwazi ] n. f. • borgesie 1240; de bourgeois 1 ♦ Anciennt Qualité de bourgeois (1o). 2 ♦ En Suisse, Droit de cité que possède toute personne dans sa commune d origine. 3 ♦ Hist. Ensemble des bourgeois (3o). Spécialt (Opposé… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Bourgeoisie — (RP IPA|/ˌbʊ.ʒwɑːˈzi/ or /ˌbɔː.ʒwɑːˈzi/, GA IPA|/ˌbʊ(r).ʒwɑˈzi/) [http://pewebdic2.cw.idm.fr/] is a classification used in analyzing human societies to describe a social class of people. The bourgeoisie are members of the upper or merchant class …   Wikipedia

  • Bourgeoisie — [bʊʁʒo̯a ziː] (französisch für Bürgertum) ist ein vorwiegend abschätzig genutzter Begriff zur Bezeichnung der gehobenen sozialen Klasse der Gesellschaft, die der Klasse des Proletariats gegenübersteht. Der Begriff besitzt eine zentrale Bedeutung… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • bourgeoisie — 1> буржуазия Ex: petty bourgeoisie мелкая буржуазия …   Новый большой англо-русский словарь

  • Bourgeoisie — Bour*geoi*sie , n. [F.] The French middle class, particularly such as are concerned in, or dependent on, trade. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bourgeoisie — (franz., spr. burschŭasī [von bourg, Burg], »Bürgerschaft, Bürgerstand«), in Frankreich ursprünglich die Bürgerschaft in den Städten, im Gegensatze zu Adel und Geistlichkeit wie zur eigentlichen Arbeiterklasse. Die französischen Kommunisten und… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bourgeoisie — (spr. burschŏăsih), die Bürgerschaft, der gewerbtreibende und besitzende Bürgerstand im Gegensatz zu dem Adel, den Bauern, den Arbeitern und Proletariern, oft mit schlechter Nebenbedeutung; seitens der Sozialisten von der besitzenden Mittelklasse …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bourgeoisie — (frz. Buhrschoasie), die Klasse der Gewerbe u. Handeltreibenden, gegenüber dem Adel, den Bauern, den Taglöhnern, Handwerksgesellen und Fabrikarbeitern, dem gesammten Proletariate; neuester Zeit im Mißcredit wegen der Eifersucht gegen höhere… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Bourgeoisie — La bourgeoisie est une catégorie sociale et un titre associée d abord à la ville puis aux commerçants et artisans. En France, jusqu en 1792 puis pendant la Restauration, les familles bourgeoises étaient bourgeoises d une commune, comme Saint… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bourgeoisie — Bour|geoi|sie [bʊrʒo̯a zi:], die; (veraltet): wohlhabendes Bürgertum: der Bourgeoisie angehören. Syn.: ↑ Mittelschicht. * * * Bour|geoi|sie 〈[burʒoazi:] f. 19; unz.〉 das besitzende Bürgertum (als Klasse) [frz., „Bürgerstand“] * * * Bour|geoi|sie… …   Universal-Lexikon

Фильмы

  • The Heroic Deed., 1966 — A film story about Feliks Dzerzhinsky (a Russian revolutionary).
  • The May of Anxiety and Hope., 1991 — The film tells about the mass-meeting in the Red Square in the city of Moscow dedicated to price increase and organized by the Moscow Federation of Trade Unions and the Association of Free Trade Unions on May 1, 1991.
  • Says and shows Moscow, 1974 — Newsreel on radio and television in Moscow.