Petite bourgeoisie, also called petty bourgeoisie, meaning small bourgeoisie, is a derogatory term to refer to a social class whose traditions and values are derivative from those of bourgeois morality, an upper class to which petite bourgeoisie aspire.
The term has political, economic, and historical connotations. It originally denoted the middle classes in the 18th and early-19th centuries. Beginning from the middle of the 19th century, the German economist Karl Marx and Marxist theorists applied the term petite bourgeoisie to identify the socio-economic stratum of the bourgeoisie that comprised small-scale capitalists such as shop-keepers and government employees.
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Famous quotes containing the word bourgeoisie:
“The bourgeoisie and the petty bourgeoisie have armed themselves against the rising proletariat with, among other things, “culture.” It’s an old ploy of the bourgeoisie. They keep a standing “art” to defend their collapsing culture.”
—George Grosz (1893–1959)