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The Bourgeoisie, By Karl Marx

602 Words3 Pages

Karl Marx believed that all of history consisted of a struggle between classes. According to Marx, society consisted of the Bourgeoisie who held all the power, the Proletariat or the working class, and the Petite Bourgeoisie, those who were below the Bourgeoisie but above the Proletariats. Marx states that the Bourgeoisie, “has subjected the country to the rule of the towns...Just as it has made the country dependent on the towns, so it has made barbarian and semi-barbarian countries dependent on the civilised ones, nations of peasants on nations of bourgeois, the East on the West” (16). He explains that the Bourgeoisie have complete control of everything and have made society dependent upon the ruling class. While the Proletariat, “the modern working class…live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labour increases capital. …show more content…

This unequal system of power was fueled by Western ideologies of capitalism. He argued that capitalism was detrimental to society for a number of different reasons. For instance, he thought that capitalism encouraged dehumanization. One works to create a product that he or she can never own; in turn becoming alienated from himself or herself, losing sight of what makes one unique. Moreover, Marx argued that capitalism created subversive values because individuals who owned more, held more power. This created instability and inequality within society. Lastly, Marx believed that it is one’s socioeconomic status that determines his or her standing in life. This in itself is an issue, because it locks people in a certain place in life, giving them little to no room for social

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