The Boourgeoisie And Its Impact On Society

The topic I have chosen to discuss related to the last 400 years in Western Civilization is the industrial revolution in Britain. The industrial revolution was what created the modern capitalist system. Britain was the first to lead the way in this huge transformation. Technology changed, businesses, manufactured goods, and wage laborers skyrocketed. There was not only an economic transformation, but also a social transformation. The industrial revolution is such an interesting subject to further explore, because it truly made a difference in Britain in the late 1700s. The industrial revolution brought an increased quantity and variety of manufactured goods and even improved the standard of living for some individuals, however, it resulted in grim employment and living conditions that were for the poor and working classes. The industrial revolution had a bright and dark side to it. It was dark due to all the horrible working conditions, crowded cities, unsanitary facilities, diseases, and unsafe work environment, but the bright side is that it was a period of enormous social progress.

The upper class were the rich and with the advancement of new technology, became richer. Goods could be created and sold for a cheaper price in their factories. With the working class looking for work, were employed by the factory owners. The advantaged social class that had enjoyed wealth and success, had now achieved a new level of luxury.

For example, John D. Rockefeller became the first billionaire when entering the oil industry. He started his company “Standard Oil” in 1870. Andrew Carnegie took over the steel business with his business Carnegie Steel Company, he made billions. For years to come, these two men would seem to be at the top of the economy. The problem with this was that certain people had a say on the American economy rather than the county and its government. The difference between lower and upper-class was starting to become more apparent. The rich were getting richer, and the poor were becoming poorer. The rich saw themselves to be “more fit” than those with less money. During this time, people were focusing on money more than anything. Bigger corporations came in and took over the management of smaller businesses. The big business men who owned these manufacturing companies would do all the business within themselves. For example, in 1882 John D. Rockefeller, with all of his business combined, owned almost 90 percent of the oil industry, and by 1889 Carnegie was the leader of the steel industry. Leaving such a small gap for people to try and compete. Their influence on the economy was something that had never been experienced before, such a small number of people having so much power and choice on how people lived. Today, everything is mass produced. There is a Walmart or Target on every corner. You get goods at supermarkets rather than small businesses. Why? Because they cost less, and we as Americans care about where our money

Since the Bourgeoisie control the means of production, their social obligations stem from the betterment of their own class by maintaining the status quo between themselves and the Proletariat, and to this end, the Bourgeoisie are continuously revolutionizing the modes of production so that the workers are constantly dependent on them.

In the following section, I will define terms that Karl Marx used in his works. The term bourgeois is defined as the owners of the means of production. In oppose to bourgeoisie, the proletarian or the wage-earner is defined as “a class of labourers who live only as long as they find work, and who find work only as long as their labour increases capital” (I. Craib, Classical Social Theory, 99). Economic is defined as relating to the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought (Merriam-Webster, 2016). The economic process that we will mainly focus on is capitalism. In a capitalist society, the main goal of any firms is simply to make profits for the owner. In the following essay, I will attempt to explain why do

The bourgeoisie used politics, new technological developments, and religion to manipulate the economics and to insure their control sustaining their status. In doing this they kept the proletariats salves to the rich helpless against their control. Capital is a social product and only exists in the social systems. It is not personal but a social power and the lower class becomes dependant on the elite for his survival.

Despite the continuation of capitalism, the middle class successfully emerged as the dominating class in our society. As Lewis Corey states, “Workers were becoming capitalists, the capitalists becoming workers.” Industrial capitalism spawned a middle class, molded the exact same way that Marx predicted in his major work.

The bourgeoisie was the upper-middle class who controlled most of the wealth and power. Unlike the bourgeoisie, the proletariats were people who weren't wealthy but earned their wages by manual labor or working in factories. Separate to the bourgeoisie, whose power was associated with the ability to purchase material objects and plenty of property, the proletariat's only power was derived from their ability to work.

Ideas of Classical Liberalism during the Industrial Revolution impacted the class system of the 19th century but transformed the social structure in Europe, and helped developed the middle class during the time. Before the Industrialization of Europe, the highest class during that time was the aristocrats, and wealthy landowners, followed by the small and middle class comprising of workers, merchants, and peasant farmers. This did not last long when the increase of industrialization formed the Industrial Revolution, the middle class became more wealthy for the factory and mine owners, bankers and merchants. The middle class became the most wealthiest and powerful members in society, which became known as the nouveau riche.

Ans. The methods for Bourgeoisie is, the individuals who possessed the methods for generation like proprietors of manufacturing plants while low class, who worked for the proprietors of creation like as specialists on shop floor. Manager controlled to low class and they were misused in light of the fact that they needed to pitch their work to get a wage this is a case of

As the bourgeois advanced financially, they also gained political influence. They progressed from a once oppressed class to an independent urban republic. As their political influence increased, certain changes became clear. The bourgeois had “torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation (Marx).” This force eventually grew to the point that it was able to force other nations to conform to its values and methods or suffer extinction. As the bourgeois became richer, the proletarians began to suffer more. The balance of property began to shift even more rapidly than before leaving property “concentrated…in a few hands (Marx).” Eventually, the super-efficient production of the manufacturing economy began to take its toll on the bourgeois as well as the proletarians. More goods were produced due to the cheaper costs and ease of manufacture leading to an over-production of goods (Marxism). Over-production became a serious problem, resulting with widespread unemployment of the proletarians, and threats of a revolution on the horizons.

Before the industrial revolution there were only two social classes, the poor and the upper class. Then, due to the growing urban, machine-driven manufacturing economy the Middle Class emerged. This new class was the biggest section of the population and it included a diverse selection of people including bankers, shop keepers, merchants and manufacturers for “it was in trade and industry that the middle classes excelled” (Potter, 1987: 223).

Not only did the bourgeoisie run the businesses, but also political matters. The power was shifting to the side of the owners, causing the gap between the proletariats and the bourgeoisie to grow bigger and bigger. The dominant force in Europe was actually creating a weapon without the realization of what they were doing. The labors, living conditions, and status of the proletariats created tension within the structure of the French society. The peasants even paid for the way of others, "it was on the peasants that all the abuses in the assessment

Karl Marx describes “Society as a whole [as being] more and more [split] up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other-bourgeoisie and proletariat” (Marx 124).  As Marx made his distinction between upper class, bourgeoisie, and lower class, proletariats, it is important to keep in mind the societal structure at the time.  To understand how classes were created and the disparity between the rich and poor, or, bourgeoisie and proletariat, it is necessary to examine how people came to be rich and poor.  Exploring a time before money existed will help us to process and understand reasons why the binary between rich and poor exists and how it is reflective of low and high art distinctions.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were full of evolving social and economic ideas. These views of the social structure of urban society came about through the development of ideas taken from the past revolutions. As the Industrial Revolution progressed through out the world, so did the gap between the class structures. The development of a capitalist society was a very favorable goal for the upper class. By using advanced methods of production introduced by the Industrial Revolution, they were able to earn a substantial surplus by ruling the middle class. Thus, maintaining their present class of life, while the middle class was exploited and degraded. At this time in history, social